The alarming rate of teen suicides in our city of Jamshedpur has been a serious cause of concern for its citizens. On behalf of Tata Steel, Ruchi Narendran, chairperson, SAFE and Association of Sacred Heart Alumni (ASHA) have spearheaded the drive to support the cause.
As a first step to help the youth, there is a need for building capacity amongst teachers in Counselling skills to empower them to deal effectively with adolescent issues in their respective schools.This would enable them to sensitize other teachers in their schools to pick up early warning signs of student stress in the classroom and also sensitise parents.Based on a very detailed psychometric test conducted through ASHA, 40 candidates from 24 schools across the city have been shortlisted to undergo training starting May 3, 2014.
The training will be imparted by UMEED, a Positive living Initiative. UMEED is a leading organization in the East doing extensive work in building capacity of educators and providing Counselling services to children and parents across schools in Bengal, UP, Odisha and Jharkhand.UMEED with its team of professionals will conduct 65-70 hours of training in workshop format with 5 case studies and extensive supervised interventions, role plays and experiential learning. The training will be spread of 6 modules.
At the end of the training, the teachers will undergo Viva and written assessment.After some practical experience, they will be given feedback and guidance by the trainers to further hone their skills.This programme will add to the efforts of ‘Jeevan’- a helpline service for those in need, and ASHA, which has established a counselling cell functioning in the premises of Sacred Heart School.