Generation Amazing is a programme that promotes educational and physical activities within and outside the classroom to create an exciting learning environment for students. These activities consists of classroom learning discussions and physical activities such as sports to help children stay interested in and be excited about school.
Ms. Basweer, a 20-year old girl from a low income class family settled in a conservative area within district Swat always dreamt of getting higher education and supporting other girls in her community. The cultural barriers and lack of higher education facilities for girls in her village restricted her education and her aspirations. Basweer could only study up to 10th grade but continued to dream of playing an active role in building a better future for the young girls of her community.
The British Council and ‘Educate a Child’ launched ILMPOSSIBLE: Take a Child to School programme in district Swat in 2015. The programme provided young motivated individuals the opportunity to work for education development in their community by enrolling out of school children back into government primary schools.
The introduction of Generation Amazing provided Ms. Basweer with an ideal platform to ensure that the learning experience of children in her community was different than the one she had while growing up. Ms. Basweer realized this potential and signed up to be a volunteer for the programme
The programme had great impact on students such as Muhammad Rehan, “Before Generation Amazing, I was always exhausted due to the burden of studies. I felt bored in school and had lost interest, but I have begun to enjoy school with the introduction of sports sessions through this programme. Now I am more active in class and my energy level is always high!”
Ms. Basweer’s efforts did not go unnoticed with the school’s administration and the teachers of the school, where she regularly conducted Generation Amazing sessions. They were impressed by the positive change in their students, as well as the increase in enrolment and retention rates.
Mr. Parepio, the Head Teacher of the school, states: “We are very thankful for the introduction of Generation Amazing, as it has encouraged students to attend school regularly”. With the introduction of interactive learning activities, under Generation Amazing, there is a visible improvement in the level of engagement of students in the daily classroom activities.
The Generation Amazing programme is aimed at instilling social values in children through the use of football and other sports as a tool. These activities help in addressing topics such as benefits of a balanced diet, teamwork, road safety etc. Ms. Basweer states that she has seen significant change in students, as now they not only have started practicing some of the lessons learned through Generation Amazing sessions but also share their learnings with younger siblings and other family members and neighbours.