Citizenship Programmes For Schools

For Schools

Experiential Citizenship Education Programmes for Schools, and Life Skills Development

At the centre of CMCA’s efforts are the programmes we run for school students. We believe it’s never too early for children to start playing an active role in our democracy. Our programmes for school students are designed to round out their education by adding the important element of Citizenship and Life Skills Education, and transform children into concerned, thinking and active citizens.

Last year, CMCA’s Citizenship and Life Skills school programmes were run in 850+ schools and reached over 75,000+ children across India. Together with the regular school curriculum, this important education (also recommended by the UNICEF) helps children to:

  • Learn democratic values like justice, liberty, equality, inclusivity, sustainability, and social responsibility through experiential learning techniques
  • Understand what their rights are as citizens, and gain the confidence to act in pursuit of these rights, whether by organising peaceful campaigns or contacting government authorities to fix civic amenities – thus learning important life skills.
  • Gain a sense of duty and responsibility as citizens to work for the betterment of their communities, the environment, and society as a whole

Our Programmes for Schools

CMCA has designed different citizenship programmes for school children, targeted at different age groups and to meet different objectives.

CMCA programmes create ripples of change

Easy to Implement CMCA Programmes in Your Schools

Our programmes induce a ripple effect, where young citizens are the starting point for change that spreads to the whole country.

Schools will find it easy to implement CMCA’s programmes, since we send our volunteer educators with all the training and course material required, and all the school has to do is sign up. All our programmes are monitored through our Quality Assurance methods regularly to evaluate and improve our curriculum and ways of teaching. So you can be assured that the education meets standards.

Read More About Quality Assurance at CMCA Here

Open the Tabs Below to Read Details of Our Programmes for Schools

Our regular programmes are experiential and focus on learning by doing, but with our Magic Box initiative, we aim to focus solely on activity-based learning. Suitable for students from class 1-3 (with an option to extend to grade 4 or 5), the Magic Box is a 3-year-long, activity-based programme that can be delivered by the class teachers themselves. Each Magic Box consists of 300+ learning cards and various props. Each learning card is easy to use and contains all that a teacher needs to conduct the activity in the class, and every working day, the teacher can conduct one short activity in the classroom for the students. The activities take 8-10 minutes each, and each addresses a specific Learning Outcome.

The learning outcomes are designed to develop Citizenship Values and Life Skills. Some examples of the learnings expected are given below:

  • “I understand that nature and humans are connected and dependent on one another.”
  • “I believe change is possible and can begin with me”
  • “I know that laws are made to protect me and everyone else. I must follow them for the common good.”
  • “I am proud of and cherish India’s diversity. I have an appreciation of national and global cultures and ways of life.”
  • “I respect women and girls (don’t tease, harass).”
  • “I share ideas and views freely.”
  • “I know that I can stand up for my rights.”

The Learning Outcomes are divided into three levels based on complexity and depth. Each card is designed as a standalone activity with no links to other cards, so cards within a level can be used in any order, as per the teacher and students’ convenience. The activities could be a story or a rhyme, a flash card that spurs discussion, a game, a quiz, a role play, etc. Each card is self-explanatory, with easy instructions for the teacher. Students have fun doing the activities, which also make them think about related issues. For teachers, the activities are quick and easy to conduct, but they energise the class and engage students.

Programme Snapshot

  • Suitable for 6 to 9 year-olds
  • A series of short activities to teach life skills and important values related to democracy and citizenship
  • It complements and energises existing interventions in Education Spaces
  • The activities can be conducted in any order, and take a maximum of ten minutes
  • With these fun and engaging activities, children have a gateway into thinking deeply about civic issues, justice, democracy, inclusiveness, sustainability, and more

How it Works:

  • Schools and like-minded organisations keen on adopting the Magic Box can reach out to CMCA and sign a joint agreement on the Learning Outcomes
  • CMCA would provide the content (the Magic Box itself, with the activity cards and props)
  • CMCA would conduct an initial orientation and train the teachers/facilitators in delivering the programme, and also conduct review and support sessions for the teachers/facilitators at periodic intervals
  • The school/organisation and CMCA would have a joint agreement on the process for reviewing and monitoring the quality of programme delivery

To bring Magic Box to your school or to partner with CMCA and nurture Active Citizenship from an early age in your students, write to us at headoffice@cmcaindia.org.

The CMCA Club Programme is CMCA’s oldest and most far-reaching intervention.

A CMCA Club comprises of a group of students from the 7th and 8th grade to spread awareness on democratic and civic issues. When a school signs up to this programme, the curriculum is delivered over a period of nine months at a weekly ‘CMCA Club period’ allotted by the school during its regular timetable. Rather than having the school’s own teachers deliver this curriculum, it is facilitated by a CMCA Educator, typically one of our committed volunteers.

In order to better address the needs of the various socio-economic groups of students, the CMCA Club Programme has two broad categories: Private School Programme and Government/Aided School Programme. Both are almost similar in their approach except that the Government School Programme has additional curriculum modules. We also facilitate students’ participation in Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Village Sabhas) for rural schools coming under the Rural School Programme.

Programme Snapshot:

  • Suitable for 12 to 14 year olds
  • Children gain important democratic values, civic knowledge, and life skills through activity-based learning
  • The course content encourages children to think independently and come up with solutions to community and national issues
  • Children gain confidence through solving problems together and seeing that it is possible to spark change

How it Works:

What we need from the school:

  • CMCA signs an MOU with participating schools
  • Schools to allow students to take part in audits/surveys, campaigns, events, etc.
  • School to assign a weekly classroom period through the academic year with their grade 7  and/or 8 students.
  • A fee to cover educator and materials cost will be charged to private and non-funded schools.

CMCA will provide the following:

  • A trained CMCA Educator is assigned to each school and delivers the CMCA curriculum for an entire academic year.
  • To make it interesting for the students, energize them, and create a sense of teamwork, each CMCA class is designated as a ‘CMCA Club’. The students pick a name for their Club and even elect a Club President and Committee through voting at the beginning of the year.
  • The CMCA Club is based on content developed by CMCA comprising of 19 to 21 classroom sessions of 35-40 minutes each and child-centred, experiential learning activities that target specific values and skills development. A brief overview of the sessions follows:
    • Session A: Getting Started 
    • Session B: CMCA Introduction
    • Session C: Naming The Club & Launch Campaign
    • Session D: Active Learning Cycle
    • Session E: Child Rights
    • Session F: RTE and Entitlements (Optional For Private Schools)
    • Session G: Local Government
    • Session H & I: School Profile
    • Session J: Cultivating Critical Thinking
    • Session K: Diversity & Composite Culture
    • Session L: Introduction to Together for Change Projects
    • Session M: Gender
    • Session N & O: Empathy & Equality
    • Session P: Together for Change Projects Reflection
    • Session Q & R: Change & Development
    • Session S: Personal Integrity (Optional For Private Schools)
    • Session T: Health and Hygiene (Optional For Private Schools)
    • Session U: Conclusion

The CMCA Club programme is planned, monitored, implemented, and evaluated using Results-Based Management (RBM) methodology with clearly defined programme objectives, activities, outputs, and outcomes, verifiable indicators, and means of verification. We use the findings from our quality assurance activities to tweak and improve the curriculum on a regular basis.

Apart from government, government-aided and private schools, in Karnataka the CMCA Club Programme is also run in partnership with the Directorate of Minorities in Maulana Azad Model Schools.

To learn more and launch the CMCA Club Programme at your school, write to us at headoffice@cmcaindia.org

After being members of a CMCA Club for a year at school, we see our alumni carry forward key learnings and democratic values, using them to lead better lives as better citizens for a better India. However, as they grow older, there are different issues students can engage with, and greater depths to which they may engage even with issues they are already aware of.

With this in mind, CMCA has designed the Spark Workshops for our alumni of Grade 8-10. Each workshop is an hour long, and reinforces the ideas discussed during the CMCA Club Programme, as well as covering new areas and going into more detail on some of the issues. In addition to workshops for Grade 9-10, CMCA has designed workshops for 6th and 7th standard students. As always at CMCA, the approach is to have children learn by doing, and arrive at conclusions through their own thinking based on the activities, rather than spoon-feeding the desired ideas to them. The Spark Workshops follow these themes:

  • Water (grade 6) – Draws connections between scarce natural resources and human consumption to encourage students to develop sustainable water management and water conservation habits.
  • Child Rights (grade 6) – Empowers children to become child rights champions in their community and promotes the idea that rights go hand in hand with responsibilities. 
  • Solid Waste Management (grade 7) – Raises awareness among students about waste segregation, maintaining cleanliness, and adopting mindful consumption practices to minimise waste and promote a healthier environment.
  • My City My Government (grade 7) – Enables children to learn about their city government and helps them understand democracy and their role as responsible citizens, motivating them to engage in community activities and civic life.
  • Harmony with Nature (grade 9)– Brings to the fore connections and interdependencies between human beings, nature, animals and insects. 
  • Gender (grade 9) – Aimed at enabling participants to examine gender stereotypes and develop relationships based on equality and respect.
  • Cultivating Critical Thinking (grade 10) – Highlights the critical need to seek accurate information and addresses the challenge of misinformation. Students acquire essential tools to verify news before accepting or sharing it.
  • Rights & Responsibilities (grade 10) – Helps students understand that every right comes with responsibilities and motivates them to be responsible citizens who respect laws and engage in democracy, in cooperation with the government.

The programme includes experiential learning capsules to ensure that the values of democracy, civic responsibility, justice, and sustainability find deeper roots in the children’s belief systems.

Programme Snapshot

  • Suitable for 12 to 16 year olds
  • The workshops help keep the learning gained during the CMCA Clubs fresh
  • The content is divided neatly into workshops by theme
  • Students get to continue the positive work begun in earlier years, and engage more deeply with the issues

How it Works:

  • Schools interested in the Spark Workshops can reach out to CMCA
  • Each workshop is for a duration of 1 hour
  • Dovetailed with experiential learning components

Schools interested in having these workshops conducted for their students can write to headoffice@cmcaindia.org.

The Grama Panchayat is an important institution at the village level for voicing concerns and solving civic issues. In a notification in 2006, the Karnataka government exhorted Grama Panchayats to pay special attention to the condition of children and their development during their stipulated meetings, and also dedicate one day in a year to them by holding Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Village Sabhas), where children engage with the Grama Panchayat and make recommendations about their care and protection at school and the village.

Since 2011, CMCA has energised Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Village Sabhas) in villages in rural Karnataka. The Makkala Grama Sabha (Children’s Village Sabha) recognises children as equal citizens and gives them the opportunity to meet authorities and discuss matters concerning their schools, communities, and villages, and call for action towards the improvement of their quality of life.

370+ Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Village Sabhas) were energised during the academic year 2022-2023. 27,000+ children from more than 460 schools participated. The young citizens exercised their right to participation and were able to drive various positive changes in their community. Through the Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Village Sabhas), children secured:

  • A new gate for a government high school at Jangamanakote
  • A new road at Kallambella, a village in rural Karnataka
  • A borewell for drinking water at a village in Chikkaballapur district
  • Water connections for a government school at Talagunda Grama Panchayat
  • Functional drainage system at Guligenahalli

We have found that Makkala Grama Sabhas (Children’s Village Sabhas) empower children in numerous ways and give them newfound confidence. Through the process of attending these meetings, they have learned the practical workings of the government in their villages, and understood the importance of actively participating in addressing the issues that affect them and their villages.

To bring the CMCA School Programmes to your school, write to us at headoffice@cmcaindia.org or call us at 080-25538584/85

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Accreditation by Credibility Alliance

CMCA has been accredited by Credibility Alliance under the category “Desirability Norms” – for good governance, accountability, transparency and continuous improvements. Credibility Alliance is a consortium of voluntary organisations committed to enhancing accountability and transparency in the voluntary sector through good governance.