Wings to Fly

Summary

Innovation: To empower girls by giving them an opportunity to explore the Indian Air Force as a career choice.

Duration: One day

Location: Diu, Daman & Diu

Key Stakeholders: Diu College Administration, Air Force Staff (Jamnagar), Adolescent Girls

Brief Description

To empower girls by breaking stereotypes, the Diu College Administration took an initiative to take school going girls to the Jamnagar Air Force Base for a day visit. The aim of the visit was to motivate the girls to think beyond conventional career options and explore varied possibilities and opportunities that exist for them professionally. At the end of the day, the girls tied rakhi's to the soldiers to express their gratitude and solidarity.

Factors Contributing to Success

The school girls were accompanied by two college professors who guided them throughout the day at the base. The girls had a direct interaction with a Sergeant and Two Female Squadron Leader Officers, who motivated them and answered questions regarding their professions. The girls were also given the opportunity to enter an MI-17 helicopter and understand its technical functioning.

Outcome, Benefits & Impact

For the 48 school going girls, the opportunity to directly meet the Indian Air Force Officers, be encouraged by them to be a part of the country’s defence services and make a career in combat services was an enlightening and inspiring experience. The young girls became quite open to the idea of adopting this challenging as a gratifying future profession. The girls were made aware of their potential and the countless avenues that exist for them beyond brackets defined by society.

Challenges and Future Prospects

The overall aim of this initiative was ‘breaking stereotypes’, which was also its biggest challenge, as motivating the girls to break gender stereotypes by questioning societal norms and challenging orthodox mindsets requires a lot of time and patience. At the same time, the organisation of such visits and career counselling sessions demands the cooperation of professionals who may or may not be willing (due to time and other constraints) to devote time. However, timely planning of such programmes would ensure their success in the future.

Source: Innovations under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao