Creativity Adda January 2019 Newsletter
The highlight of the month
Learning Societies Unconference, Odisha — 2019
The first big highlight of 2019 for Creativity Adda came early on this year with the annual Learning Societies Unconference (LSUC) taking place in Paralakhemundi, Odisha, from 15th to 20th January. Growing bigger every year, this time the Delhi Adda ‘delegation’ consisted of 40 people including students, facilitators and friends. The Music Hub members made stunning performance and held jamming sessions throughout the journey. One of the highlights for them, as well as for the enthusiastic audience, was to perform with professional artist Neeraj Arya of the famous ‘Kabir Café.’ Junior chefs Sajid, Salman and Chirag self- explored the Centurion University kitchen and learnt various things like how to make professional paneer in the machine, how to separate fat from the milk, how to handle the digital oven and bake yummy delicious pizza and bread. They arranged a live kitchen and tea stall which became one of the most popular hangouts and meeting points in the evenings of LSUC. Our dance group The Changemakers did various flash mobs, offered different dance workshop and participated in contact improvisation and other workshops. The Makerspace Group hosted wood carving and carpentry workshop, and Rajneesh did a session on Arduino and robotics. Our media hub learners were busy capturing the special atmosphere and moments of LSUC throughout the five days through photography and video. Some of their pictures have even been featured in the National Herald Newspaper. In between the various workshops, gatherings and happenings, our alternative learners were also busy exploring various new sports such as tennis, basketball and volleyball. They also participated in the many ultimate frisbee games early in the morning and late night. All the Adda children also happily participated in voluntary work including serving food, refilling water, arranging resources etc. This also was a great learning experience in realizing the many tasks, roles and responsibilities that are part of creating a self-sustaining community based on solidarity, trust, mutual aid, and embedded in the idea of ecological responsibility to use as little resources as possible. A big part of LSUC thus is experiencing what it means to live together in a large, joint community of more than 900 people. Towards the closing of this year’s LSUC, facilitator Saadat and the kids also found another beautiful way that to me encapsulated the spirit of Swaraj: Following the idea of leaving a place more beautiful than it was before, they worked extremely hard to construct a natural staircase that now makes it much easier to reach from one building of the Centurion University campus to another. The many interactions with people from across India and across the world also provided new self-confidence and self-esteem to the kids whose manifold talents were appreciated by many.
#selfdesignlearning #Lsuc2019 #learningjoirney
Community Media Lab
Our filmmaking team worked on a new story for their next film. In order to learn from and with the broader Mukherjee Nagar community and give this community a voice of its own, our junior media journalists have been talking to people on the streets in order to know their views for their project.
A picture says more than a thousand words!! Our new photographers who recently joined the Community Media Lab learned how to do portrait pictures and clicked some great shots. Next time you need a portrait picture, please come to the Adda. Our kids will be happy to work with you and apply their newly gained skills to make your picture stand out from the crowd.
Nature Photography! Re-connecting to nature is an important aspect of the Adda. Our photographers from the Media Lab recently went to Yamuna Biodiversity Park to not only learn and apply their nature and wildlife photography skills, but also to find out more about the important ecosystem that the Yamuna Biodiversity Park is and to understand how such ecosystems can be further nurtured. Also, after the mid-December kids made a visit to Coronation Park for the practice of outdoor photography and took beautiful pictures which have been displayed in their space as well as during various events.
Design Studio and Maker Space
Our free learners at the Design and Makerspace along with facilitator Saadat began the month with a workshop in robotics using Audino programming. With their skills, they then made a Bluetooth controlled light. The children also made a showpiece water fountain with materials they collected from the scrap yard. Students Rajneesh 7th and Shourabh 9th made a water tank alarm plate.
Slow Food Junior Chef Academy
Sweet and Healthy!! When we think about ladoos, our mouth almost immediately begins watering, isn’t it? Unfortunately, these sweet delicacies are not the most healthy foods, as most of us are also aware. But do you know that this doesn’t have to be the case? This month we had a special workshop on how to make healthy ladoos with chef Neha. The ladoos were made of wheat flour, Gond and dry fruits and the second one was made up of khoaa, wheat flour and dry fruits.
More Sweet Experiments! Building on the workshop, our junior chefs were preparing Til and peanuts Ladoos as well as preparing a delicious and healthy chocolate sponge cake without using the oven!
Sports Hub
Sports Innovation!! Inspired by two of the most favorite sports we are playing at Adda, the kids came up to combine them into a whole new sport — out of skating and ultimate frisbee, we present ‘Ultimate Skates Frisbee’! The kids were busy discussing and laying out the rules and the general framework of the game and soon we will have a proper Ultimate Skates Frisbee team. Come join us playing this new exciting sports! Watch Sundar dance on skates and some nifty stunts on skates.
Around the Community
We began a new journey with the people of Nandlal Basti in Mukherjee Nagar with painting some beautiful community murals with artist Arun Sharma. It was nice leaning experience for our kids who realized that they want to do more wall painting in the community. Faiz class 8th and Vipul class 9th really took fantastic leadership in the community. We hope to support Nandlal Basti to grow into one of the most amazing eco-villages in Delhi.
