Spinning Wheel LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION

Udaipur, India: Why do teachers need to be leaders and problem solvers in everyday life? It is with this thought that the 2-Day Young Leaders' Basecamp kicked off at the District Institute of Education and training, Udaipur on Monday. The event is a curated leadership and capacity-building workshop and pitch competition designed by Udaipur-based non-profit Spinning Wheel Leadership Foundation and USA-based Watson Institute. 
The event saw participation from close to 50 trainee teachers who engaged in sessions aimed at building their skills as changemakers and leaders. The event saw Masterclass sessions from two invited guests. Erika Abrams, the founder of Animal Aid India, one of the largest animal hospitals and rescue facilities, spoke to the participants about her journey as an asocial entrepreneur and the various personal and professional ups and downs one faces in the journey and how to stay balanced and in control of oneself through it all. 
The founder of Jai Bhim Vikas Shikshan Sangathan, Ms. Premlata Rathore also motivated the young audience. She spoke about her journey working in the complex space of caste, human rights and labor, especially as an upper caste woman
working primarily from people coming from marginalized caste backgrounds.
All participants were divided into teams, aptly named after some of the pioneers of education - SavitribaiPhule, Fatima Sheikh, B.R. Ambedkar, etc. Each team has now been assigned a problem related to education and development in this country. Examples of some of these problems include menstrual hygiene for adolescent girls, substance abuse among young people, infrastructural challenges in school, etc. Day 2 of the event (Tuesday, 17th May) will see participants receive some intensive training on design thinking, problem-solving, and communication, that will help each team design innovative solutions to these extremely important challenges. The teams will also participate in a pitch competition
that will be judged by experts from the field of education and social development.

This event is organized and conducted by the Spinning Wheel Leadership Foundation. Since 2017, SWLF has worked with over 7000 students from rural and tribal backgrounds, to provide them with life skills that are crucial to succeed in the 21st century, but often don't reach students from these remote backgrounds. Along with students, SWLF also works to enhance the capacity of teachers, to better equip
them to prepare young people for a life of success and upward mobility. Sanjivani Singh, co-founder of spinning Wheel Leadership Foundation said "these trainee teachers are going to be entering classrooms very soon, and shaping the lives of thousands of children in the coming years. 
Thus working on their capacity building and equipping them to become leaders who can deal with challenges is essential. Only if they have these skills and confidence can they inculcate them into their teaching and pass them on to the future generations".
The event is conducted in partnership with DIET, which is the agency primarily responsible for teacher training in the district. 
The program and curriculum have been designed alongside a USA-based institution
called the Watson Institute and is supported by the Western Union Foundation. All these actors reunited in their common desire to prepare the youth to be the leaders of tomorrow.