Making Change, Person to Person
Colby Team Connects with
a Crowd of Learners in India
Last January more than
two dozen students from Colby College, including three Davis
UWC Scholars, traveled to a school named for Mahatma Gandhi
in northeastern India to teach 250 young people music, dance,
poetry, English, and current world issues. The results were — in
the Colby students’ own
words — “incredible ... amazing ... intense ...
having an impact capable of lasting in our absence.”
This story began when Colby music professor Steven Nuss saw
a PBS special about the Gandhi Ashram, which provides free
schooling to low-income children in the Darjeeling district
of West Bengal State. All students at the school participate
in an orchestra whose quality, and renown, inspired the PBS
special.
“Our mission was to provide the kids with an environment
where they could freely express themselves through sports,
music, crafts, and several other activities,” reported
Daniel Gomez (Colombia, Mahindra UWC, Colby ‘09), who
taught percussion, guitar, and Latin dancing.
“I formed some very strong bonds with the students there,” said
Vivek Frieates (India, Mahindra UWC, Colby ‘08), who
taught English and poetry. “I hope to go back early next
year.” The third Scholar on the trip was Sameera Anwar
(India, Mahindra UWC, Colby ‘10).
“After UWC we tend to want to make global change — but
often we forget that big changes come from smaller changes at
a local level,” Daniel Gomez reflected afterward. “We
might have not even created a change on the local community as
a whole, but I dare to say that individuals were affected by
us as much as they affected us.”
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