JK Arts Foundation joins hands with Global Shapers Jammu Hub’s Flagship Project

Khwaishein- Turning wishes into reality!

The act of giving as a manifestation of kindness and social duty has been hailed as one of the highest human virtues in all ages of civilized humanity. Giving, whether embodied in large monetary donations or relatively small financial aids and/or gifts in kind such as books, clothes, tools and other essentials, is not only pursued as a way to exercise an individual or organization’s duty to society, but also addresses the inequality that prevails despite the best efforts of the well- wishers of humankind. JK Arts Foundation, a not-for-profit that focuses on spreading the numerous benefits of ‘arts in education’ among children especially from underserved communities of remote areas by leveraging technology, also believes in the positive power of giving. It, therefore, has joined the Global Shapers Jammu Hub in its flagship project ‘Khwaishein- turning wishes into reality!’

The Global Shapers community is a worldwide group of young, enthusiastic and positive individuals and is a World Economic Forum initiative. Founded by WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, the Global Shapers community recognizes the immense potential the youth of the world present in shaping its future and aims to provide a platform for them to not only make their voices heard, but also facilitates their taking an active role in contributing to the policy-making and decision-making processes. Since its establishment in 2011, the community has successfully created over 500 hubs in around 150 countries, where more than 15000 Shapers and Curators are working hard to create a safe, sustainable and positive future.

The Global Shapers Jammu hub is a new addition to the community and Project Khwaishein is its attempt to bring about positive change in the field of education. Every year, the hub will select one school from Jammu city who are doing commendable work with students from underserved background. The managing authorities of these schools will be contacted and a list of essentials that the school requires to create a better-equipped educational space will be created. Then, the hub will coordinate with multiple organizations to collectively provide the school with these essential equipments to contribute in creating a better future for its students, thereby paving the way for a youth-led future that focuses on eradicating inequality in education.

The first mission of Project Khwaishein was to provide educational tools to Government Middle School, Pathwal located in Zone Sallan, Near Dayalachak. On 31 st March, 2023, The Global Shapers Jammu hub, along with JK Arts Foundation, the Rotaract Club, Jammu, and the International Centre for Cross Cultural Research and Human Resource Management (ICCCR & HRM), University of Jammu, came together and provided the GMS Pathawal a list of essential classroom teaching tools including one maths kit, two science kits, one water filter, two plastic tables, eight plastic chairs, stationery for thirty students and fifty books (mixture of story books, comics etc). The inaugural event kick-starting the ambitious Khwaishein Project was a resounding success.

The Global Shapers Jammu hub members were elated to see a month of intense preparation and fundraising reach a happy conclusion. The Government Middle School, Pathawal authorities were thrilled to be a part of such a noble venture and were thankful for the material and moral assistance that the Shapers along with its collaborators like JKAF, the Rotaract Club and ICCCR & HRM, University of Jammu, have provided them. Shri Amol Sharma, the Principal of GmS Pathawal, was reported to state, “Truly grateful for efforts put in by various NGOs to help the school with much needed daily use supplies and materials.”