Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow.

We are facing unprecedented impacts from a warming planet already: record-breaking wildfires, catastrophic floods, and unbearable heat waves. We need dramatic actions to benefit our climate and we need them now.

Since 2022 SPAN has been focusing on the sustainability movement among the community young adults and children and the students in government schools in eight districts straightaway, as the marginalised students are mostly found  in these schools. The SPAN team is dedicatedly working towads empowering underpreviledged and marginalised students through education.

Young people are central in achieving a more sustainable and healthier planet. Youth have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness and capacity to address environmental and climatic challenges through innovative ideas, demanding policy- and decision-makers for bolder action through advocacy.

Youth Councils active particularly the operational areas of SPAN such as Sundarban Area of South 24 Parganas, Duars Area of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar district and Western Plateau areas of Purulia district of West Bengal, on the issue of Climate Change through reviving indigenous climate friendly practices and cultures, popularizing contribution of local flora and fauna and elements of nature in maintaining ecosystem and bio-diversity, educational awareness raising and behavioral changes campaign among the children and you community.

Environment fair at local level promoting local culture, flora and fauna, environment f  riendly practices organized by Youth and women councils become an annual event for Purulia and South 24 Parganas. Local experts working or discussing on climate change and environment preservation brought in an advisory forum to guide the councils on climate actions.

‘Sundaban chanrcha’ became a regular discussion forum for protecting the environment and mangrove forest of the Sundarban area which is continuing with 65 High School student of Basanti High School of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. This has developed knowledge, respect and love among the local young student on Sundarban. This resulted in a plan of building a museum for exhibiting the diverse characteristics of different flora and fauna, art and culture if Sundarban region in the Basanti High school. They have also thought to create a garden of mangrove plantation. The young population are becoming the most vigilant on the protection of the bio-diversity of Sundarban region.

Planet Vs Plastic is the theme immediately after the Earth Day is observed and the young people both in the community and in the schools are learning about ‘the sustainable human behaviour’ from SPAN volunteers. They will learn and be encouraged to find out the facts, figures and new vocabulary related to the SDGs. Additionally, they would do group activities and recycle waste material to be collected from home and road, river, and other sites of vulnerabilities.

SPAN operates skill training centers in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, and Jalpaiguri for youth aged 18-25. These centers offer vocational training in fields such as beautician services and computer skills. The training programs last for six months, and upon completion, participants receive a certificate.

Employment Opportunities: Career counselling and personality development training are provided to help individuals enhance their professional skills. Additionally, employment initiatives are actively pursued by connecting youth with potential employers and job placement opportunities.

Local women council members and mother’s group are capacitated on Reproductive and child health and Early Childhood Care and Development with the help of ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers and ANM to supplement the effort Anganwadi. They identified severely Mal-nutrient children and sending them for special care in NRC, organize vegetable garden at their home to meet up the need of supplementary nutrition for their children,  they demanded for infrastructure and proper functioning of their local Anganwadi centres and monitor the functioning of local Anganwadi Centre.

Alipurduar and Coochbehar – Women council member regularly visit local Anganwadi centre and check quality of the food distributed as supplementary nutrition.

South 24 Parganas - The youth and women council members have identified cases of child malnutrition among family members of council and discussed their condition with

ICDS workers to improve the children’s health. The council members also held discussions with ICDS workers on child and maternal nutrition and health.

Purulia – Women council members are trained on child Nutrition and survival issues. They cultivated vegetables on the land adjacent to their home (Kitchen Garden) to supplement nutrition of their children. They also involved in identifying severely malnourished children of their village along with Anganwadi workers and ASHA Workers and send those children to NRC (nutrition rehabilitation centre) for special care.

The Children’s Parliament is an initiative within the community where children, through informal elections, take on various leadership roles. It serves as a platform for children to come together and discuss issues they face, both individually and within their peer groups. These discussions are facilitated under the supervision of the SPAN team. If any concerns raised are deemed serious, they are escalated for appropriate action.

The forum encourages open dialogue, amplifies children's voices, and raises awareness about their rights and needs. It also fosters the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills. In some cases, children are supported in taking their demands further, such as advocating for the creation of community resources like football grounds, by engaging with local municipalities.

The Children’s Parliament holds weekly meetings and operates in all districts where SPAN is active. The Children’s Parliament consists of two houses: the Lower House, named ‘Ankur,’ which includes children aged 11 to 14, and the Upper House, named ‘Kishalaya,’ comprising children aged 15 to 18.

The goal of this program is to empower youth in local communities by providing access to knowledge and opportunities that inspire personal growth and foster responsible, active participation in society. It targets young people aged 14 to 25 from all districts where SPAN operates.

In each community, participants are organized into four sub-groups: Agriculture, Migrant Labor, Married Women under 25, and Students currently pursuing education in schools or colleges. These groups are designed to facilitate shared learning and exchange of experiences, helping each participant grow and contribute meaningfully to their community.

Activities carried out under this program are:

1. Knowledge Sharing: Sharing information and knowledge based on people's socio-economic backgrounds through meetings and discussions. This helps them learn about opportunities available and discover their interests and potential.
2. Providing Access: SPAN helps individuals access institutional support and entitlements, enabling youth to pursue skill development training and benefit from government schemes and support.
3.  Skill Training: SPAN operates skill training centers in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, and Jalpaiguri for youth aged 18-25. These centers offer vocational training in fields such as beautician services and computer skills. The training programs last for six months, and upon completion, participants receive a certificate.
4. Employment Opportunities: Career counselling and personality development training are provided to help individuals enhance their professional skills. Additionally, employment initiatives are actively pursued by connecting youth with potential employers and job placement opportunities.
5. Responsible Citizenship: Through interactions and training, youth are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and actively contribute to the development and empowerment of their communities.
6. Climate Action: Youth in the communities are made aware of environmental issues through training sessions on topics like waste segregation, waste management, and green practices for daily life. These sessions are followed by action, where youth participate in cleanliness drives, recycling, tree plantation, and other initiatives. They are also encouraged to promote these practices within their communities. The aim is to foster environmental awareness and encourage sustainable habits among youth. Monthly meetings of the Youth Council help decide climate action activities and interventions.

Narishakti (Women Council) is platform women, irrespective of caste, creed, and community, who are industrious to change her life situation and in the process become role model for others.

This program is designed for women aged 25-35 in the regions where SPAN operates. Its goals are threefold: first, to encourage greater participation of women in the economic workforce. Second, to aid their economic empowerment so that they are aware about their rights and are able to negotiate for fair wages. And third, to enhance their socio-economic capabilities, fostering their involvement in local governance and ensuring their representation in socio-political and development processes.

Activities carried out under this program are:

1. Capacity building and Handholding support to access their rights and entitlements: As part of the program, informative sessions are organized to raise awareness among women about various issues and opportunities. Regarding opportunities, the sessions provide information on entitlements, government schemes, the functioning of panchayats, and women’s role in these processes. On the issue side, women are sensitized on topics such as health, nutrition, childcare, development, and domestic violence. To further support these discussions, the program offers training and assistance to help women access their entitlements and address the issues they face effectively.
2. Capacity Building for Livelihood: Training sessions and interactions are organized to help women explore livelihood opportunities aligned with their interests and the available resources. Based on community needs and opportunities, relevant training programs are also offered. Additionally, support is provided to help women access government schemes to establish their own enterprises. SPAN primarily delivers these training sessions or facilitates connections to suitable opportunities that meet the women’s needs. Training areas include agriculture (e.g., vermicomposting), animal husbandry, tailoring, beautician services, healthcare (General Duty Assistant), personality development, and more.
3. Enabling Employment: Once women successfully complete their training and acquire the necessary skills for employment, SPAN provides support by connecting them with potential employers. For example, when a woman completes training in beautician services, she is linked to a beauty parlour for job opportunities.