I often visit schools in the tribal villages of south Chhattisgarh as member of the implementation team of Shiksharth. My role involves monitoring whether our work is proceeding properly, conducting assessments, organising workshops and provide logistics support to the community youth.
A Community Educator is a local youth from the tribal community hired by our organisation Shiksharth to teach and support their community. During these visits, I’ve observed a common issue across all schools. Whenever schools reopen after a Sunday or any other holiday, the number of students attending is noticeably low. The longer the holiday, the fewer students return to school.
Back To School
To address this issue and ensure that children remain engaged and active during the break, Shiksharth has implemented multiple approaches, such as home visits to students, awareness drives for parents etc. However, in 2023, Shiksharth introduced a new approach that has proven to be a game-changer in solving this problem: the Winter Camp.

This event features multiple sports, games, and engaging activities over several days. The most interesting aspect of the Winter Camp is its participants—it’s not just for students. Parents, family members, and even other community members are encouraged to join. In 2023 The first-ever Winter Camp was met with overwhelming success. It received positive feedback from the community and compliments from local administration. Most importantly, there was a significant decrease in student absenteeism.
Building on the great success of last year’s Winter Camp, we organised this year’s camp with high expectation and greater enthusiasm. To ensure the smooth execution of the event, I postponed my home visit and dedicated myself fully to supporting the initiative. In fact, I haven’t been home since joining Shiksharth as an India Fellow. This year, our team decided to conduct the camp over three days—December 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 2024.

The Objectives Of The Winter Camp
- Maintaining Children’s Engagement: The camp aims to keep children active and engaged during the winter holidays through sports, games, and creative activities. So that they remain motivated and excited to return to school after the break.
- Improving School Attendance: One of the key goals is to tackle the issue of low attendance often observed in tribal villages after holidays.
- Fostering Community Involvement: The camp is designed to involve parents, guardians, and community members in its activities. This is strengthening the bond between schools and the community and creating a sense of responsibility for children’s education.
- Empowering Community Educator: Local community Educator, hired by Shiksharth from each community, where Shiksharth operate will get a different way to connect with guardian.
- Promoting Holistic Development: Through group activities, teamwork, and creative learning opportunities, the camp supports physical, social, and emotional development of children.

Planning For The Winter Camp
To ensure the successful execution of the Winter Camp, we developed a detailed plan and outlined the activities to be conducted over the three-day event. Shiksharth operates with five key teams: Implementation, Pedagogy, STEM, MHM (Menstrual Health Management), and Ecology. While the Implementation Team conducted the program in collaboration with Community Educators across 11 different villages, the other teams collaborated to organize camps in two villages, Murtunda and Jhapra.
Action Plan
As a member of the Implementation Team, my colleagues and I collaborated to design a detailed action plan for the three-day Winter Camp. Each day was dedicated to a specific theme, ensuring a balanced mix of fun, creativity, and reflection:
Day 1: Sports And Fun Games
The first day focused on engaging children through physical activities and traditional games that promoted teamwork and excitement:
- Rope Skipping
- Frog Race
- Matki Phod
- Namak Chor
- Musical Chair
Day 2: Creative Arts And Crafts
The second day centred around arts, creativity and self-expression through hands-on activities:
- Clay Toy Making: Children used their imagination to craft toys from clay.
- Leaf Art: Using leaves to create animals, birds, or other objects. Paints, glue, and other materials were made available to facilitate the process.
- Drawing and Colouring: Children drew anything they usually see in their village.
Day 3: Sharing Experience And Reflection
The final day was dedicated to celebrating the children’s efforts and experiences:
- Presentations: Children showcased their creations and shared their experiences with the group.
- Learning Sharing: A reflective discussion where children and facilitators shared key lessons and takeaways from the camp.
- Price Distribution: The winner of every game was given price.
- Having Snacks: All the participant and audience enjoy food.

Execution Of The Camp
In each village, the Community Educators selected the camp locations based on accessibility and convenience to ensure maximum participation. They chosen varied spots, including school playgrounds, community centres, and classrooms, depending on what was most suitable for the local context. Below is a table showing the Community Youth of the respective villages and their chosen camp locations:
Name of the village | Name of the CE | Venue of the camp |
Surbhiras | Santosh | School |
Mulaguda | Arra | Community |
Manikonta | Arun | Community |
Latipara | Dinesh | School |
Kanhaimarka | Bandi | Community |
Misma | Deve | Community |
Lendra | Ganga | School Ground |
Kondagaon | Santoshi | Community |
Chichorguda | Saini | Community |
Bastar | Manisha | Community |
Konta | Tarangini | Community |
Young and old, everyone played many games at the winter camp.
Day 1
The first day of the Winter Camp was truly a mix of emotions and nostalgia. Excitement filled the air as children and adults came together to play games. Nostalgia took over when middle-aged and older participants joined in. For a few precious moments, they seemed to relive their childhood days, smiling and laughing as they played the games they once enjoyed as kids. It was heartwarming to see how these traditional games could bring people together across generations.

While some places saw active participation, others faced challenges. The main reason for lower attendance was the season of paddy cutting and processing, which kept many parents busy with work in the fields. There was also a bit of initial hesitation among some participants, especially the younger ones.


The planned activities went on without a hitch. Games like Pittul (Seven Stones), Matki Phod, Musical Chairs, Namak Chor, Frog Race, and Rope Skipping brought energy and smiles to everyone involved In some village.
Day 2
The theme of the second day was arts and creativity. It was incredible to see that the people who had never held a pen participated in creative competition like drawing. Activities like clay toy making, drawing, and painting became not just an outlet for imagination but also a way to connect with cultural and bond with others through shared experiences.

One of the most heartwarming aspects of the day was how it bridged generational gaps. In several villages, children were helping adults learn new skills. The collaborative sessions were filled with laughter and learning. Each village approached the activities in its unique way, whether it was crafting intricate clay toys or creating beautiful designs with leaf art.


There were challenges. In some villages, limited supplies of clay. But the community youth helped manage every challenge.



Day 3
The final day of the Winter Camp was all about celebrating the journey of the last two days through prize distribution, eating snacks and sharing experience. It was a day of reflection, joy, and a sense of accomplishment. The day began with an open forum where parents and children shared their feelings about the camp. Many parents expressed how the activities had pushed them out of their comfort zones, giving them new experiences and creating memories. Their words reflected the true impact of the camp—not just as a series of events but as a platform for connection and growth.

A highlight of the day was the prize distribution ceremony, where winners of various games and activities were honoured. The pride and excitement on their faces as they received their prizes were unmatched. It wasn’t just about winning; it was about the joy of participation.

The third and final day wrapped up with heartfelt reflections on the power of community and togetherness. It wasn’t just an event—it was a celebration of unity, creativity, and shared joy, leaving every participant with a smile and a story to tell.
Self-Realisation
From this event, I realised how a small initiative can create a deep and lasting positive impact. A simple three-day camp can encourage children to return to school. It can also allow parents and middle-aged individuals to relive their childhood for a moment. It also fosters bonds between generations as they come together to share experiences.

For me, being part of this camp was more than organising or monitoring. It was an experience, a journey that brought people closer. It was about feeling deeply connected to the community, and understanding their joys and challenges. And sharing the satisfaction of knowing that, in some small way, we were contributing to positive change in society.
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