Q. Give us a short glimpse of The Growing Up Club and how has it evolved over the years since its initiation.

We are really humbled to have this chat with The Prestige Global again. We had just launched the last time we spoke, and Alhamdulillah it has been going well since. We have had the opportunity to work with many children, families, schools and community societies over the past ~2 years. As of December 2022, we had worked with more than 600 children and trained for over 3,000 hours across the different activities, spanning from sports to creative learning to workshops. 

In terms of evolution, we have grown from being an after-school club to trying to be more of a community partner. We have been fortunate to work with a few schools where we go and train after-school programs on campus. Additionally, we had a full-fledged summer camp last year where we organized daily activities for ~100 children for 7 weeks. That experience inspired us to work more closely with other establishments passionate about children’s activities and organize the WOW! (World of Wonder) festival in March. 

Q. Walk us through the activities and the impacts it has brought in the community during its tenure and how it’s Planning to contribute further to the Kid’s community. 

We have tried to bring a diverse set of activities as options for parents. The pandemic was obviously difficult for children to manage but coming out of it might have been just as difficult too in terms of the social integration. Some programs have taken off very well, and some have struggled to, and we learn from both. We remain structured into 2 broad areas – physical activities and creative learning – and all our sessions strive to meet the 3 guiding principles of Trust, Concern and Respect, prioritizing attitude over skill. Over the last 20 months, we have conducted sessions for:

• Football and basketball – our 2 most popular activities
• Swimming – a key life-skill 
• Boxing & table tennis – focusing on discipline and concentration
• Tech – STEM, coding, graphics design and robotics … all essential 21^st century skills
• Music – instruments 
• Story-telling – where children wrote their own book and “published” them
• Baking & gardening
• Art and craft
• Explorers club for 2-5 year-olds

Two of our favorite activities were going to Shilpakala Academy with a group of our club participants to see rare photos from the Liberation War, organized by CRI & the Samdani Foundation, and having an hour-long session with Dr. Yunus where children (and parents) spoke to the Nobel Laureate about making a difference. Workshops like these helped our participants understand struggle and selflessness, both of which are very important for their growth. 

We really don’t want to comment on the impact we are making, but we can tell you that we are loving every minute of being a part of children’s routine. If all goes well, we want to continue to evolve and bring many more activities for these children. 

Q. Share the story behind launching WOW!, A world of wonder, and what were the ideas behind this event? 

We thought about hosting an event like WOW for 2 reasons. One, we thought children would love a festival that will go beyond the usual (but equally fun!) activities. Second, we wanted to build a partner community who could work together to bring many activities for children, and bring them very often. We had 26 partners at WOW, all of whom contributed significantly towards making the event possible and successful. 

Q. Shed some light into the unique and diverse activities that were planned throughout the event and what were the criteria behind choosing them? 

For us, WOW was going to be about having activities that fit our mission of physical activity and creative learning, and also to work with partners who do amazing things which we may not always get to participate in. We had BASECAMP organize the outdoor adventure, which was a huge hit, so much so that even a few adults wanted to zipline! We had digital art from Kolpokar, which was another popular activity. We had sports competitions, jewelry making, cookie decorating, book reading, an art competition, gardening, yoga and music. All of these activities were organized because we thought children could learn immensely from them in a fun and joyful way.

Q. What are some of the top-rated activities and attractions of WOW that are particularly appealing to both children and their parents? 

Alhamdulillah we received good feedback on all the activities. Children loved the activities organized by Basecamp for outdoor adventure. The basketball tournament was a lot of fun. And the planetarium was very well attended. One other well-attended area was the Village, where we tried to recreate a typical environment in which many of our parents and grandparents grew up in. We had traditional games like marbles and “shaat chara”, a tea stall and a hut. 

Another highlight was an emotional performance by the children from Leedo. Leedo is an incredible organization that work with children, helping them off the streets. We were happy to have 35 of these children perform a very moving musical drama. 

Q. How did you design and implement the activities at the event to effectively engage and entertain children, while also instilling key values such as teamwork, leadership, and responsibility? 

We wish we could take credit for this, but it was all down to the partners. Each partner who was running an activity was completely dedicated to providing an amazing experience for the children. We had a few pre-event meetings, and a whatsapp group to keep everyone updated. We also had a wonderful team from Interspeed manage the logistics of the event. Last but not the least, we had excellent support from DNCC and the park management company to ensure we could dedicate these 2 days solely for the enjoyment of the children.

Q. What measures do you take to prioritize the safety and well-being of both children and adults involved in the events, particularly given the inclusion of various physical activities in the itinerary? 

This was our #1 priority, without question. Not just the physical safety, but the aspect of emotional safety as well. All members of The Growing Up Club are trained on child protection, which we believe is a critical aspect of our ability to effectively deliver on our promises. We also had daily walk-downs leading up to the event, to ensure we covered all hazards around the site. We had a professional security company on the days of the event and overnight, in addition to notification and support from the police.  

Q. How did you involve parents and guardians in the activities at the event, and what strategies did you employ to foster interaction and engagement between them and their children? 

Our perspective on this is driven by the fact that most of us are parents ourselves, so we have a vested interest. We look for activities that we would want our own children to participate in. We are lucky to have very involved parents in our club, who support everything we do, not just at WOW. I think everyone is satisfied eventually if it is done for the benefit of the children. 

Q. What are your goals for the impact of the World of Wonder event on the community, and what strategies do you plan to implement in the coming years to achieve them? 

As shared earlier, the goals were to have incredible activities for the children with passionate partners. I think we have taken a step in the right direction with the first edition of WOW. We were inspired by the presence and encouragement of the Honorable Mayor of DNCC. We will build on this, bring more partners together and hopefully continue to be a community partner!

Q. What message do you wish to convey to the partners and entities who are associated with this event and how you wish to carry forward this journey collaboratively? 

Its very simple – we are in this together. If the first edition of WOW is any indication, we have amazing organizations trying to do creative things and we must help each other with exposure and access!

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“Children are full of energy and require an outlet to have fun and release that energy. The Growing Up Club organized a fun filled weekend outlet name “World of Wonder”. There are numerous fun-filled activities that kids can engage in, both outdoors and indoors. These activities offer children an opportunity to learn, socialize, and build their physical strength and coordination. 

The event not only offered physical activities like football and basketball, but also provided options for art, crafting and book reading. From toddlers to teenagers, everyone enjoyed the event. My child, her friends and I had a great time. We all look forward to attending more events like this.” – Proud Mother.

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“For a mum whose child constantly complains “I am bored“, this was a breath of fresh air… Literally . The  walk in the park and learning through the small event booths was a two in one experience. We truly enjoyed the book reading and the planetarium out of the many fun activities like 3D printing, robots, fun games….. .The child came back home thrilled.” – Proud Mother