St Edmund’s MSW students engage with rural community in West Jaintia Hills village

SHILLONG: The 2nd Semester MSW students of St Edmund’s College conducted a rural camp at Amkoi village under Amlarem C & RD Block, West Jaintia Hills recently. The theme of the camp was “Exchanging knowledge practices, developing sustainable traditions”.
The students with their supervisors conducted a one week camp with an aim to identify the unique aspects of the village for its empowerment, to enhance consciousness towards the well being of the community and to embrace the knowledge and skills in gaining positive and effective learning.  In realizing their objectives a participatory approach was adopted for the task at hand.
The important activities that were conducted were the ‘Footballing Agro-biodiversity Workshop’ in collaboration with Royal Wahingdoh Football Club; traditional music workshop by La Tynrai; Eye Camp by Bansara Eye Care, a workshop on education, sanitation and environment by the social work department.
There were also focused group discussions with adolescent girls, women, Amkoi Sports Club, Amkoi Musical Club along with street plays, skits, recreational activities, cultural programmes and an evaluation session for the whole camp on the final day led by M. W. Kharkongor who emphasized that, “A community will seize to function if it stops thinking”.