For more than 20 years, Room to Read's Girls Education Program has worked to increase the agency and aspiration of adolescent girls. The organization's work has produced amazing examples of girls who have empowered themselves via life skills, particularly in the educationally underdeveloped neighbourhoods.
Room to Read India today hosted a National Seminar on "Life Skills Education: Empowerment and Equality," which was attended by a variety of stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, advocacy experts, donors, and supporters of girls' empowerment. This seminar was held to recognise the relevance of life skills in enhancing equality and social justice as well as individual empowerment.
Sourav Banerjee, the country director of Room to Read India, emphasised the significance of how life skills have grown more important over the years. Banerjee said, "These set of skills have assumed greater significance over decades moving out from the domain of health to the larger domain of studied life decisions. We now see that it not only has the potential of helping youth develop positive behaviour which will help them steer away from situations of risk but also towards a fuller life, to realise who they are and what they want to be. Room to Read therefore continues to invest in creating an environment where adolescent girls can empower themselves."
The premiere of Har Kadam Beti Ke Sang, Room to Read India's annual flagship Girls Education Program campaign, was another highlight of the event. Poornima Garg, Deputy Country Director for Room to Read India, announced the campaign's launch "The campaign, which will be implemented in 9 Indian states, has as its subject "Strengthening Schools as Empowering Spaces." For future female leaders, we think schools should be empowering environments. They ought to be places where girls can be heard and seen. With this commitment and passion, Room to Read India today launches its annual campaign, with the goal of highlighting the significance of fostering environments where girls may take the lead and speak for themselves."
The occasion offered professionals a unique forum to reflect on issues important to teenage girls and other important stakeholders in the context of life skills education. Two panel discussions were held, one on "Framing Life Skills Education for Equality" and the other about "Strengthening and Supporting Life Skills Educators." Senior government officials and some of the biggest figures working on girls' education and empowerment added valuable insight to these talks.
