Independent Learners Project

Our work with children living in slums of Borivali and Dahisar in Mumbai is the core of our work. The goal is to provide resources and teachers for children to enable Learning & Healing. Over 200 children receive activity based education through this project every year.

We have set up quality resource centres (termed as Learning Centre &Community Centre) that allow children to recover, discover and do what they realize for themselves and for the world.

The trained mentors (teachers) use therapeutic learning methods for the overall development of children. This involves integrating mental health, education and developing conscious parent-child relationship.

Learning Center

At our Learning Center, sessions for 4 Learning Programs (Beginners, Foundation, Transit and Dream) are conducted parallelly in different classrooms for different children.
Morning Batch: 10 am to 11.30 am
Evening Batch: 3.45 pm to 5.15 pm

TOTAL: 8 sessions everyday (Monday to Friday)

The children (most of them studying in Municipal or government aided schools) and the team share a relationship which goes much beyond the classroom. Listening to their stories, being there in all the happy and difficult circumstances, giving emotional support whenever required, having fun together like friends, meeting and talking to parents and school teachers; the connection of the team with the children is the key element of our work.

Community Centers / Community Leaders

More than 25 of students going through the process of Learning and Healing at Touching Lives are pursuing formal education at reputed colleges in Mumbai. These students are an inspiration for the rest of the children and parents in their communities. We have inducted 7 such bright and talented students (who still receive support for their education at Touching Lives) in our team as Community Leaders.

These trained and conscious Community Leaders now go to 3 different slum communities, provide activity based education to children there, and are taking the vision and the work of Touching Lives ahead.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 5 pm to 6 pm

Dream Project

For college going students of Touching Lives.  The Dream project is designed with 3 Goals-

1.Workshops: Life-skills, career, organic farming etc.

2. Self Learning: Learning about tools of learning available on the web

3. Knowing the World: Business, Sports, Current affairs etc

School Project

Connecting children at our Learning Center with various prestigious schools and scholarships, Career guidance workshops, Helping children in school and college admission process, Providing sponsorships for formal education and skill development.

Care Program

Individual Healing sessions- Individual children receive love, care, attention, healing and therapy from experienced and trained Healers at the Learning Center through the Care program

Workshops on Body-Mind-Heart awareness and Knowing yourself

Workshops using Arts Based Therapy

Healing workshops for parents of the children coming to Learning Center

Conscious birthing workshop

Menstrual cycle awareness workshop for teenage girls

Healing workshops Teachers, Community workers and professionals working with children

Healing workshops for college students

Sponsorships

Depending on the need every year, we raise funds for school fees, college fees, coaching for higher education, skill development our children whenever there is an urgent and genuine need.

School Study Support

Our activity based curriculum for our regular classes at the Learning Center is focused on the overall development of a child. Apart from this, the children are provided extra assistance for their school studies and individual attention with the help of volunteers and interns. Students of St. Xavier’s college, National College learn and experience the concept of “seva” at our Learning Center with our team.

Success Story:

In 2013, when Bharti first came to Touching Lives Learning Center, she was in 8th standard, studying in a Marathi medium government aided school. She was 13 years old, yet she struggled to identify alphabets in English, she could not solve simple multiplication or division problems in Math.

In 2014, Bharti failed in all subjects in her 9th standard school exam.

In 2015, with the support of mentors and volunteers at Touching Lives, Bharti cleared her 10th standard SSC board exam, without attending any private tuition or class.

To her family’s astonishment, She now goes to Shailendra college, Second year BA, and studies all the subjects in English.

And she is also a Community Leader, mentor at Touching Lives!