Driven by Magic Bus and supported by Laureus, Maidan Summit 2016 had organisations, practitioners and academicians share learning and best practices from education and livelihood-based development programmes across India. Bollywood celebrity and former Indian rugby player, Rahul Bose, delivered the keynote address. The conference was held on the 13th and 14th December at the University of Mumbai.

14th December 2016, New Delhi: Maidan 2016 brought together international and grassroots development organizations, academicians, practitioners, and corporate houses in a common platform to discuss the best practices around education and livelihood-based interventions for young people in our country. In its sixth year, Maidan 2016 was led by Magic Bus India Foundation and co-hosted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

In his keynote address, Rahul Bose, Bollywood actor and former Indian rugby player, said, “In life you can do nothing alone. Working with everyone and discipline are two important skills one learns from sports. Practicing equality in our day to day life is both difficult and important.”

Matthew Spacie, Founder, Magic Bus said, “Every year we host Maidan to crystallize efforts made by each of us to address the most pressing problems facing the country. With 600 million Indians under the age of 25, ours is the youngest country in the global map. And yet, we are constantly faced with a mismatch between what is taught in our schools and skills and knowledge required to get a salaried job. This situation needs our immediate and collaborative action. Maidan 2016 is a step in this direction. We are immensely grateful to Laureus, FICCI and TISS along with numerous other organisations for joining us in making this happen at such a large scale.”

The two-day event covered a range of topics:
• Interventions that have worked and which can be adapted by the education system to increase employability among youth in India.
• Different methodologies that could be used in the classroom and outside it to engage children, promoting better learning.
• Existing challenges in employability and livelihood in India,
• Approaches and methods that have worked in achieving high employability, resulting in sustainable livelihood among youth.

The storyboard follows a well-to-do family’s chance encounter with a girl child caught in an exploitative web of child labour, and a life without education. It goes on to show how individuals can take a step to save her from losing her childhood to marriage or exploitative labour.

Magic Bus will reach out to mainstream media like Star Plus to showcase the ad film. The film will also be launched on Magic Bus’s YouTube channel.

Speaking about the ad film, Matthew Spacie, Founder, Magic Bus India Foundation, said: “Every time we read the newspaper or step out of our homes, we witness children living in worst possible circumstances. This video appeal is our attempt to provide urban, educated people to be directly part of a solution. When you support a child on the Magic Bus programme, you ensure she goes to school, escapes child marriage and has a salaried job when he or she grows up. ”

Speaking about his participation in the TVC, Bollywood heartthrob and long-time Magic Bus Patron Abhishek Bachchan, said, “It is my priviledge to be part of the solution by helping Magic Bus issue it’s public appeal on ending poverty permanently. I have spent time with Magic Bus’ children and youth and what’s wonderful is that their approach works – changing one life at a time for the better.”
#EndPoverty #magicbus

Credits
The TVC has been created by Paperboat Design Studios
Client: Magic Bus

In the video, team ‘Being Indian’ visits the community leaders in action on ground with children of varying age groups from the underprivileged sections of society. These volunteers are from Magic Bus, one of the largest non-profits running a poverty alleviation programme for children and young people in India. The goal of these individuals is simple – they are trained at Magic Bus to mentor and deliver its programme to children in the community. At present, Magic Bus has 9000 volunteer mentors delivering its programme to 400,000 children in 22 states and 58 districts of India.

Commenting on this video, Karl Katgara, Creative Director, Culture Machine said – ‘This video aims to inspire and motivate all the youth of today the way we were inspired by the work Magic Bus does.”

Matthew Spacie, Founder, Magic Bus said, “Youth are at the centre of the Magic Bus programme. They are our biggest strength and inspiration. I hope and believe this video will encourage more youth to become change makers within their community”
Starting a provoking train of thought about the significance of giving back to society, this video is sure to inspire you and also motivate you to do whatever little you can, for the people around you.

About Magic Bus

Magic Bus (www.magicbus.org) is a non-profit working with 400,000 children across 22 states of India. Magic Bus aims to move children out of poverty through its Childhood to Livelihood programme. Its programme focuses on the vital inputs of education, gender equality and livelihood to ensure that young people make the right choices from childhood all the way through to gainful employment.