SVM Monthly Newsletter – November 2022

In This Issue

SVM Pilot Scales: Education Redefined | New CMYC Launched at Dadenggre | Students First Exhibition at Nongwah Salesforce Trailblazer Community Lab | Visit of Trade Commission Global Affairs Canada | Blog: What is the SVM Open Innovation Platform? | Meet Balam-Working Towards a Bright Future | November: Festival Month of Meghalaya

Dear Friends,

Now is the time for Smart Village Movement supporters to truly see the results of our rural development interventions in Meghalaya. Pilots in Education, Healthcare, and Drone Deliveries are now in the scaling phase. This month there is so much to share about our star Education pilots called Salesforce Trailblazer Community Labs that started in 2021 in two locations, Sohrarim and Nongwah. These met with so much enthusiasm and appreciation from the community that the visionary state government moved quickly to approve and launch 20 more self-designed learning hubs called Chief Minister Youth Centres. Needless to say, we are delighted to publish this edition of the newsletter on November 14, which is celebrated as Children’s Day in India. Happy to devote much of it to bringing you news and updates about the impact SVM brings to children of the community.

On another happy note, celebrations are in the air in Meghalaya. Our ground team shares a curated collection of resources that will provide insights into why November really may be the best time to visit the North East.

What does a well-rounded education mean in this Digital Age? Good reading skills, mathematics, the sciences, arts, and sports are all essential for students when mastered in their school years. But there is one critical element of learning and development that is hard to learn in the traditional schooling system – Problem-solving and hands-on, self-driven skill development.

To supplement traditional schooling in Meghalaya, the Government of Meghalaya, under the Smart Village Movement initiative, has launched twenty Chief Minister Youth Centres, or the CMYC, as an alternative self-learning and co-learning space for the rural youth. Speaking at the CMYC launch, the Chief Minister said that the Government emphasizes youth-centric programs and policies. Initiatives such as the CMYC will further the Government’s endeavor to create the right environment for positive growth and productivity of youth in Meghalaya.Read More

Also, Check this story covered by Meghalaya Media. Links are given below:
⦁ https://highlandpost.com/chief-ministers-youth-centre-a-space-to-re-imagine-learning/
⦁ https://theshillongtimes.com/2022/11/03/cmycs-pave-way-for-effective-learning-in-rural-meghalaya/

The Chief Minister’s Youth Centre (CMYC) at Dadenggre was inaugurated on Tuesday in the presence of the community and school-going students of Dadenggre. The opening ceremony also featured two special events for the youth of the community – an art competition and a singing competition.
At the event, Health Minister James Sangma touched upon the significance of the younger demographic in the state, where as much as 73% of the population are youth. “I am happy to have inaugurated the CM’s Youth Centre at Dadenggre,” he said. Further stressing on the need to enhance the functions of these learning spaces, he said, “The CM’s Youth Centre is designed to give the youth of Meghalaya a free, secure and accessible environment where they can develop their ideas and skills. The youth are an important asset and we want to empower them with an opportunity to alternate learning which will enable them to thrive in today’s competitive world.” Read More

The Nongwah Salesforce Trailblazer Community Lab in Meghalaya held an exhibition of learner projects on 5th November 2022. Check out the video clip here.
Nongwah is one of the twenty hubs of innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives for the people of rural communities launched by the State Government under the Smart Village Movement to supplement traditional schooling and focus on creating open and safe learning spaces.
People from the village and its adjoining areas, as well as learners from other CMYCs, attended the exhibition to check out a wide range of items created by youth here who put on a display for visitors and potential buyers.
Hand-knitted sweaters, baked goods, toys, dolls, and handmade cosmetics were some of the items on display. These were all student projects created with a lot of thought, effort, and intention after weeks of exploration and experimentation and brought much hope to a rural community where such learning and skill development was never an option earlier. Read more in this article covered by the media.

The SVM Team had the pleasure of meeting and hosting the team from Trade Commission Global affairs Canada – Annabelle Larouche (Senior Trade Commissioner, Canadian Consulate Office New Delhi), Arjun Dutta (Trade Commissioner Canada), Sanjay Deshpande (Director Clearford Canada), Shoubhik Das, (Director Amp Energy Canada), and BS Giridhar – (CEO Hygge Energy India).

The team was on a visit to Meghalaya to understand the peer-to-peer energy model in our education project, “Salesforce Trailblazer Community Lab in Sohrarim,” which is powered by Hygge Energy and also to explore markets for decentralized trading models in power supply with the Government.Read More

At Smart Village Movement, almost all projects involve some form of Open Innovation. Multiple partners are brought together to work towards a common goal of providing certain services in rural markets. In addition to sustainability, collaboration and co-innovation are SVM’s core principles – We Are Better Together.
If you are wondering exactly how the concept of Open-Innovation and Co-Innovation are viable in today’s cut-throat business world, do take a quick read at last month’s blog – SVM’s Open Innovation Model of Rural Development: Better Together. There we explain how as a facilitator and integrator of solutions, SVM rigorously resists creating parallel initiatives and duplicating development projects. Our first instinct is to seek existing resources and expertise and bring them together on our Open-Innovation Platform to co-innovate sustainable and holistic solutions to common challenges that underserved rural communities face.Read More

Balamjingsuk Diengdoh is a 10th standard student from Sohrarim Village, Meghalaya. Balam goes to Ramakrishna Mission School in Sohra. He has been coming to Innovation Hub since September 2021. He has been attending all the sessions regularly since then.
“The learning in school is different and what I learn here is more interesting because we do it practically.” says Balam.
Balam has learned many STEM ( Science, Technology, Electronics, and Mathematics) concepts of electronics, robotics, and 3D-designing along with the other learners. But, during his winter vacation, he started spending most of this time at Innovation Hub exploring and practicing what he learned.
During this time, Balam realized his growing interest in electronics and has always wanted to know more about it.Read More

November- Festival Month in Meghalaya

November is the best time to visit if you want to experience both traditional and modern festivals celebrated in Meghalaya. In our blog, “Explore Meghalaya Part3- Festivals of Meghalaya”, we shared some top-rated festivals that are worthy of your visit. After the big Diwali celebrations all over India, festivals in Meghalaya just lined up one after another. In the past few weeks, Meghalayans have been busy attending the Autumn Festival, the Hills Festival, Nongkrem, Wangala, and then the Bass Camp festival last weekend. The coming weeks will also be as exciting because we are looking at the Big “Cherry Blossom Festival” from 17th November onwards. We also have international singer Jay Sean performing live in Shillong on the 20th of November, and the North East Olympic Games 2022, which are going on right now, this time at Shillong, Meghalaya.

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