Jigme Dendup (Teacher), Jigme Sherubling Central School, Khaling, Trashigang sharing his story as a Tarayana Club Coordinator

“We feel satisfied when others are happy because of our deeds.” – Club Members

The Tarayana club in Jigme Sherubling Central School was established in 2016 with support from Tarayana Foundation. Its principal idea was to get students involved in the community through social service activities, instill values through active participation, and spread the love of volunteerism.

Since its inception, the club members have volunteered and participated in numerous activities in the school, community, and beyond. It provided the club members a platform and a rich experience to develop social skills, assist others, and connect among themselves and people in the community with a sense of

belongingness. Apart from volunteer activities, it is a learning opportunity for the members to organize and conduct sensitization and awareness programs at the school and community levels.

We firmly believe that reaching out to the unreached and extending our support can bring positive change and make a difference in the lives of people in the community. We are glad to share that besides community services, the club advisors and members also initiated a poetry book, ‘Precious Jewel’ in 2016.

Members wrote the poems to celebrate the birth of His Royal Highness Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck. Furthermore, during the club hours, we discuss cross-cutting issues like climate change, waste management, youth-related issues, responsibilities of youth in society, and generally engage in origami activities.

Furthermore, during the annual club exhibition, we displayed products crafted from waste to make people aware of the increasing waste problems and its management issues, emphasizing the 3Rs (reduce, recycle, and reuse) and

transforming waste into different decorative items.

Occasionally, we invite guest speakers to deliver inspirational talks and motivate the club members in exploring alternative ways to connect and make the community a better place to dwell in. For instance, to celebrate the 32nd birth anniversary of Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, we invited one of the most popular youth artists Mr. Sonam Wangchen for an hour-long

interactive session. During his visit, he entertained the members with his beautiful songs and motivated them with his diligent stories. The students asked many questions about passion, dreams, career, and time management. On the same day, we received saplings from Karma Thegsum Dechenling Monastery

en route to Sherubtse to drop off the day’s guest speaker. We planted those saplings on the school campus on World Environment Day.

Furthermore, we had the privilege to conduct and participate in an art competition organized by Gender Action Plan (GAP) under Tarayana Foundation. Art loving students from classes X and IX participated in the competition on the theme “Gender Equality and Climate Change”. The students came up with profound messages in the form of art and colors. The participants were awarded prizes and certificates to acknowledge and encourage their participation.

One of the remarkable events was that club members got an opportunity to attend a virtual exchange program with students of the Jeju Jeil High School in South Korea in September 2023. It was a great learning experience for the members as they interacted and conversed on various topics like culture, tradition, educational system, and youth involvement in volunteer activities. In addition, we also had the opportunity to conduct a survey on “Youth Community Partnership for reducing Hypertension at Khaling organized by Tarayana Foundation and funded by AstraZeneca. The exercise gave us great insights into noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and could draw our own status regarding the NCDs and future preventive remedies.

At the club and school level, we try our best to explore resources and opportunities in assisting the communities with the best of our capacities. Nevertheless, we encounter some limitations like time constraints owing to students’ engagement in various activities in the school, and no proper source of funds. Despite these limitations, we are hopeful that things will improve and be on our side to provide more social services to the people and communities in the future. We are immensely grateful for the kind support, guidance, and opportunities received from the school management, community, NGOs (Read Bhutan), and especially Tarayana Foundation”