We arrange workshops for our young people and have meetings on a regular basis. Beyond awarding scholarships Reach for the Stars aims to generate a sense of togetherness and solidarity, to engage our students so deeply that they become motivated to help other young people and others from their village communities. Some of the extracurricular events they participate in include:
- volunteering in village cultural centers
- working as mentors and role models for the younger ones
- some of our students have already become part of our team, they organize events, help contact students and accept application from the next generation of applicants and forward them to our team
- some of them now are part of the management team
- Once a year we organize an open house with the help of our students to encourage potential new applicants and help them with career choice
- Once a year we organize workshops for extracurricular skills. A successful two-day workshop is about job applications and interviews.
- At the beginning of 2014 we organized our first long distance trip together. We went to Chennai by bus and visited two museums
- In 2015 the students chose a distant mountainous part of Tamil Nadu where they could swim in lakes, drink from waterfalls and trek mountain paths. The choice of destination, activities, food, transportation, etc, were all organized by the students themselves
- Since students organize a day trip once a year, they decide where they go, what are the activities and they cook food and bring it along.
These successful experiences show that Reach for the Stars is more than just offering academic opportunities to young people. It is a medium for encouraging the development of personal and social responsibility, integrity and the finest human values, without which good community is not possible.
