Bangalore, September 15, 2021: Doing social good through creative work is a fulfilling journey and experience. In keeping with this vision of Greenwood High, the School’s 17-year-old IB student Aryan Jain and his schoolmates are raising awareness about an NGO, Kolbe Homes, through a creative video project called Animation Explanation. As part of this project, write-ups on various topics like space, science, sports etc are invited from IB students and are converted into fun doodle animation explainer videos. In the videos, a 10-15 second clip on the NGO is included, which helps spread information about what Kolbe Homes does, what they stand for and how to help them. The videos are uploaded on instagram, facebook, youtube and their website for building awareness. Kolbe Homes is a childcare group, a part of the Prison Ministry India. The Bangalore based organisation which started in 2015, has relentlessly worked to provide a nurturing, caring home for the children of prisoners.
Animation Explanation is the brainchild of Aryan Jain, who was also part of the learn-at-home program “Quarantine Learning”, which was where he developed the skill of animating videos. Starting small with Aryan as the video animator, Nachiket Yadav as the website manager, Prisha Jhala as the graphic designer and Amanda Goveas as the copy editor, the program launched recently saw instant success with its first video series, “The Dangers of Fast Fashion”. In due course, Animation Explanation turned into a team of seven, with Mugilan Ganesan on the editing team, Vineet Kulkarni on the animating team and Harsh Kadodwala as the social media manager. Since its first video series, the program has released over 30 videos explaining topics ranging from the history of Indian elections to the implications of genetic modifications. With the video platforms, Animation Explanation broadcasts information that is not commonly explored to a large community of dedicated viewers.
What inspired Aryan to establish such a project? “I have always preferred learning hard topics through animated videos on YouTube. Not only are they engaging, they provide me with different moving visuals that would occupy my mind. This got me thinking about using my skill of creating animated videos to help people learn about topics which they would not come across on a daily basis. This is how Animation Explanation was created,” said Aryan Jain.
“The work done by the students managing Animation Explanation is commendable. Our children are appreciative of all the support they can receive and it is admirable to see these students take the initiative. Hopefully they can continue their success raising awareness and donations for Kolbe Home.” said Rev Dr Francis Kodiyan, MCBS, National Coordinator and Secretary to CBCI for Prison Ministry India.
“But the aim of the project is to go beyond education. The students, recognising their privileged backgrounds, wished to do their part for society and that’s how Animation Explanation got associated with Kolbe Homes. The faculty at the NGO do their best to care for the children of prisoners. Our team has also started a Milaap fundraiser for the children in which we have raised Rs 12,000 to date. We hope to support many more organisations like Kolbe Homes, to keep doing our bit for the society,” added Aryan.
Commenting on Animation Explanation and her vision, team member and IB student Prisha Jhala said: “For IB students like us, it’s hard to find enjoyable extracurriculars during a time like this. I wanted to help my classmates find a creative outlet and provide them with a way to share their creativity with the world. Additionally, teaming up with Kolbe Homes to spread awareness about their initiative makes this experience enriching and rewarding for me.”
Commenting on the students and their project, Ms. Niru Agarwal, Trustee, Greenwood High International School, said: “The school’s vision is to combine creativity and social service. I am happy that Animation Explanation is being both innovative and socially sensitive. The project has drawn many students to its fold and is imparting rich experience to them. While it is a great idea, it is also practical and there is a lot to learn from such projects. I congratulate the team and wish them well.”
As an added bonus, the experience is counted as a CAS activity – Creativity, Activity and Service, a mandatory component of the IB program. Creating a video at Animation Explanation is a confirmed CAS experience under the banner of creativity and it also falls under the banner of service should an IB student writer help raise money for Kolbe Homes.
Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)
