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Why it is important to give opportunities for children’s talents?

Author: Akshaya Patra
by Akshaya Patra
Posted: May 07, 2018

Children are a storehouse of creativity, talent, and novel ideas. Give them an opportunity and they will pleasantly surprise you with a flair for a variety of activities. There are no boundaries to their talents. It can extend from exploring the space to diving under the sea, from sports field to painting canvases, from singing to delivering dialogues on a stage, from experimenting in laboratories to tossing pans in kitchens – you name it and they have it! Thus, it is essential to recognise the hidden talents of children and give them a chance to explore, learn, and excel in it. Understanding this fact, The Akshaya Patra Foundation – an NGO for children providing mid-day meal, have begun to foray into nurturing talents of children alongside its core cause of providing school lunch to government school children.

The need to nurture talents

Along with regular schooling, it is important to provide a plenty of opportunities where children can show their natural skills. Introducing children to various activities, topics, and games gives them a chance to explore, learn, and discover their talent. And, this discovery plays a significant role in shaping their future.

Talents provide a sense of achievement and a unique identity to children. Identifying and nurturing the natural flairs right from the formative years of children gives them ample time to learn and excel in it. These talents remain as a constant companion throughout their life’s journey. And, depending upon how a child wants to pursue their skill, they may either choose to possess it as a dear hobby or make it a profession when they grow up.

Talents also give a chance to develop interpersonal skills and confidence. For example, if a child attends keyboard lessons, she will get introduced to a different set of people to mingle with. When she gets a chance to perform, she will mix with other instrumentalists like the drummer, guitarist etc., broadening her zone of interaction. And, the more times she gets an opportunity to be on stage, the sooner she will let go of her stage fear, learn stage etiquettes and develop as a more confident performer.

Giving every dream a chance

When natural talents appear, it is important to give a chance for it to grow and flourish. It is essential to provide a proper guidance so that children have a better understanding of their skill and gets inspired to hone it further.

In line with this, Akshaya Patra began the ‘Giving Every Dream A Chance’ initiative in 2016. This initiative is an attempt to identify and nurture the unique aspirations of its over 1.7 million beneficiaries. While serving nutritious school lunch, this NGO for children also aims to give children the opportunity to hone their talents by providing them with mentorship programmes where they will be coached by professionals. As the first step, three children with the aspirations of becoming a chef, an astronaut, and an actress were given necessary mentorship and training through professionals in the field of their choice. The success of this attempt motivated the Foundation to continue the initiative with over 300 children being benefitted in 2017. These children received guidance and training in the field of dance, football, origami, culinary, and theatre. Several professionals and organisations joined hands to provide mentorship to these children, and the result was exemplary.

The Way Forward

Akshaya Patra has been recognised as one of the top NGO in the Children and Youth segment by Global Journal. And, the Foundation is aware of its responsibilities in providing overall development of children so that they turn out to be resourceful citizens. Thus, it looks forward to increasing its beneficiary base both in terms of providing school lunch and providing mentorship for talents. But, in doing so it requires participation from the entire society. Let us come together and show our support by contributing NGO donations for this charity that is striving to nourish and nurture young talents of the country.

About the Author

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Ngo in India providing food for 1.6 million school children across 12 States and 28 locations.

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Author: Akshaya Patra

Akshaya Patra

Member since: Jan 18, 2013
Published articles: 118

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