Baduku Community College, evolved through NGO Samvada’s work with socially marginalised youth over the last three decades is introducing a counselling certificate course in Kannada language from January 2020. The course is an effort to offer Baduku’s course in Facilitating Women’s Wellness and Justice, that has been conducted as six-month full-time certifications or three-month modular courses for non-governmental organisations and students from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, to working professionals and students who can only commit time in the evenings, after college or work.

The course will be held between 6 p.m and 8.30 p.m from January 2020 to March 2020. The course promises to help teachers, lecturers and others who work with youth in sensitively responding to their needs as both learners, and people with a range of dilemmas and desires. At a time when educational institutions have increasingly recognised the importance of mental health and well-being, the certification can equip students with resources to sensitively attend to the needs of diverse learners and also facilitate self-growth, enabling more confident forms of self-presentation. 

There are three objectives that inform the ethos of the course. The first is that of gaining critical perspectives on issues that inform gender justice and wellness. This includes an understanding of the diverse and multiple contexts of our lives including caste, class, religion, disability and sexuality. These perspectives alongside the skills of non-judgemental and empathetic listening, healing, amongst others, are intended to equip students of play the role of grassroots counsellors.  Alongside, the course can enable self-awareness, and an understanding of personal life journeys and experiences in ways that can foster a sense of self-esteem. 

The second objective is that of enhancing the technical skills of the participants as counsellors. These include the key skills of facilitating decision making, conflict resolution, crisis management, mediation, networking and referral within a framework of gender justice. Life skills and professional skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, decision making and problem solving are integral parts of the course.

The third objective is to inculcate amongst the participants the importance both the feminist ethic of reflexivity and the need for ‘work on the self’. This includes a focus on the participants’ own self-awareness, personal growth, healing and development. The idea is to imbue the participants with the ability to understand oneself, reflect on life experiences, critically evaluate and redefine values, aspirations and worldviews, while building an experiential understanding of the nuanced process of personal healing and growth. The pedagogical approach to the course is based on feminist practices of mutual, participatory, experiential and inclusive modes of learning, instead of purely expert-driven modes of teaching. Practical learning also has an important place in the course, constituting one-third of it.

Baduku charges subsidised fees for the course. Finances, however, are not a constraint, and the possibility of partial and full fee-waivers can be explored depending on student interests and need. For details, please contact [email protected] or 91080 66947 / 98868 84628 I 080-41674949. Last date to apply: January 5, 2020.