SAIIER 2014:Lilaloka

SAIIER 2014:Life Science Laboratory		Papui and Elay: Health Trek
Lilaloka

Entity::Lilaloka, the universe of Play (in Sanskrit), a self learning resource centre for the child, offers various activities based on self-discovery and spontaneous self-learning through Play, which allow the child to reveal himself as an individual and amongst others, without competition or judgement.

This place is opened to all children, schooled or not, having difficulties or not, beyond all categorizations and allowing mixes of ages. The team of Lilaloka wants to work in collaboration with schools and parents, considering each child as an evolving being.

Architecture

We finalised the main architectural plans with the help of White Ant Studio and completed the administrative papers necessary to begin building.

Emanuele did some beautiful drawings of the site plan and the main building. These drawings give a much better idea of the type of finishing we want to see manifested.

The main building will welcoming the following activities: Play of Painting, Library , Games room, Individual Play sessions, Sand box, Nature’s Theatre, Creative radio, Self-learning through computer, Occupational Therapy for individual and groups.
Lilaloka’s construction has started!
The work on site for the building started on March 30th 2014.
The Lilaloka team was happy to end this year with a new beginning, the ceremony of the foundation stone. Around 80 people attended this ceremony. The day felt blessed by a ray of sunlight.
Nursery: Rajan has now grown many plants in the nursery and we will start planting this year. We have seedlings of 180 different species of plants and trees.
Water situation on the construction site: We did a research into the water situation in the area. We walked the land with L’Avenir to see how we could connect to the collective water supply to be installed along the Crown Road. A better solution for the area than connecting to the Youth Centre well with a pipe through the park area. There are ongoing meetings with L’Avenir. At this time we rely on transporting water for construction, an additional expense.

Activities

All team members individually went on working in different schools with their activities.

Nature’s Theatre with Anna

This year Entity::Nature's Theatre was offered to a group of 8 TLC children, ages 7 to 11. In the first term we learned to work with the compass, first in its very simple form: two sticks and a rope. We experienced that once we make that first point we open to all creation. The first construction we made is the circle. We constructed this on the earth, each child using the measurement of her/his own body. When we lay inside our own circle we can see that we touch the line at 5 points (like Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man). We marked those points and connected them, which brings us to our second construction: the 5 pointed star, and the third: the pentagon. We learned the construction of the six-pointed star.

By playing with geometry, first in this very simple form, on the ground in our own size, we learn about body proportions and get an insight in orientation in space. We relate these shapes to ourselves and our surroundings and realize that the whole world is build up out of shapes and lines. We discover the root of certain expressions such as “going around in circles” and “my point of view, and your point of view”.

Children are very open to the magic of shapes. Very soon they come with interesting remarks. One pupil, age 8, said “So this is how symmetry works, you can design butterflies”. As a facilitator I wait for a moment like this, it is the moment we start our journey in creating worlds.

Second and third term were the months of creation. We went three directions:

One group made fairies, mermaids and Native Americans, using the principles we learned about our body proportions.
One group became the story writers; it was fun for them to meet a young writer.
One group became the builders.

We ended the year with a collective activity, the building of the hexagram star.

Play of Painting with Claire

Play of Painting is a collective activity (with mixed age groups children and adults) based on non-judgement, self discovery and free expression through painting. It respects the rhythms and specificities of each person, unique amongst others, beyond all competition. “The art of painting aims at the production of a piece of art.” Play of Painting gives birth to the “Formulation”, a code which is original, coherent and universal.

Recreational horse riding for different-abled children with Marianne

Marianne worked individually with 4 children this year. The horse brings an image of strength, vitality and dreams enabling the child to widen his possibilities, develop a new forms of communication and socialisation. It helps the child to grow in trust and self-esteem.

Creative radio with Sandrine

See separate report

Occupational therapy with Stacy

Stacy has joined Lilaloka and will offer Occupational Therapy for learners who need the individualized therapeutic support. This is offered from gestational periods up until age 10. She is presently consulting for learners in Auroville schools (when asked by a teacher) and Aikiyam School, and will continue until the space is ready in Lilaloka where she will continue the work. Teacher trainings will continue from Lilaloka on request.

Public relations

Blog

Our Lilaloka blog is continually updated with the progress of the project, new information and on-going activities for our funders, friends and interested people. 3 new pages have been created:

The Lilaloka Sound Garden page which allow to listen and/or download the radio creation produced by Auroville children (see current site http://lilaloka.org/sound-garden/)
The Sharing page which allows reading about educational experiences of Lilaloka team (see current site http://lilaloka.org/team-members/)
The Context and Concept page: (see current site http://lilaloka.org/beneficiaries/)

Publications

Yvelise published a book with SAIIER “Papui and Elay: Health Trek”. This is part of the research and publication initiatives of Lilaloka. See separate report

Team building and dynamisation activities

Stacy has joined as a new team member
Yvelise attended a fundraising workshop organised by Unltd Tamil Nadu
Rajan has started to handle the accounts of Lilaloka.

Fundraising

We met beautiful people who, inspired by Lilaloka, started to do fundraising in Europe and India. From the starting of the construction, more interest has been generated and very promising contacts have been made, so that we can build Lilaloka in time!
We keep updating the blog regularly, writing to our contacts and donors, distributing brochures and leaflets, as well as USB keys with our documents, making the project known.
We are preparing fundraising letters and a mailing list to approach individuals and organizations which might help us to fund the second and third stage of the Lilaloka project.

Teachers’ and parents’ feedback regarding Lilaloka

Valuable feedback were received from parents and teachers:

“Lilaloka will offer a special soft space for learners who need it.”- An Auroville teacher
“My grandson will be understood better as his condition affects many areas of his life.” - A grandmother
A newcomer family who has a differently-abled child and couldn’t find a place in Auroville which would give proper support and education for their son was very happy to eventually discover Lilaloka. They themselves had eventually decided to build a structure for differently-abled children, but while meeting Lilaloka, decided to join forces, as both projects had a lot in common. This has reinforced the fact that Lilaloka is a place for all and that it will be adapted for the differently-abled from the very beginning.
A valuable remark came from one of the teachers of Transition School: “I am so happy that this project is finally being realized. Sometimes a child goes through a difficult time. All what it needs is some time in the right environment to help it to come back to its centre. When that can be given, it takes usually a very short time to heal.”