Sarah Mohamed shares her experience at ANEW (June 2017)
My Experience At ANEW
Personally, I found that the ANEW organisation was very beneficial for underprivileged girls. During my limited time at ANEW, I observed numerous classes and got the opportunity to interact with the students at ANEW. I found that these students came from different backgrounds and each one of them possesses their own individual strengths which they intend to put to use in order to serve as a useful resource in society. ANEW provides them with a platform to do so without having to worry about any financial hassles. However, apart from building this platform by embedding required skills into these individuals, ANEW also guides them forward with job placements which put them on the first step of their career ladder.
During my personal observation of the classes here at ANEW, the importance of teamwork and a sense of community really stood out to me. In each of the classes, I found that the women truly identify with each other and form a community. This allows them to build upon their respective collaboration and co-operation skills which are significantly important in a work environment. The teachers promote this in many ways which prepares them for working with other like minded individuals to achieve a target. For instance; during Ms. Amla’s class, concepts related to discrimination and empathy were taught through the use of interactive activities which brings in a tactile form of learning making concepts much more easier to comprehend and remember. In all of the classes that I observed, I noticed that the students were always encouraged to speak up and express themselves which makes them better communicators. Also, during the IT classes, I noticed that complex terminology was well explained to the students and teachers only used this terminology thereafter which allowed students to get accustomed to it. They were then able to reciprocate it themselves.
Furthermore, classes at ANEW are taught in an unconventional manner which also increases the efficacy of the courses with respect to time. This was particularly evident in the English class where the girls were encouraged to speak in English, regardless of their fluency at the same. That particular batch was reaching an end to their course and it was highly evident that all of them were much more comfortable in expressing themselves in English by that stage which goes to show that the manner of teaching at ANEW is truly well structured.
Since its initiation in 1979, a wide range of courses have been introduced at ANEW and it is constantly developing to include many more opportunities for the students. Existing courses have also been improved over the years based on feedback. This developing nature of ANEW ensures that the organisation does its best for the students & works to its full potential.
I truly enjoyed this experience and hope to come back to ANEW during my next visit to Chennai and spend a longer period of time at the organisation.
Perspectives 
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