OUR Beliefs in action

Samvaad

Samvaad is a joint venture between The Heritage School and Sadanandji of Mount Madonna School in the USA. However, in its truest and deepest sense, it is a partnership between each of us who ‘show up’ – to co-create a space of dialogue; to become a conscious citizen of the community; and to let our curiosity become greater than our criticality.

The audience at Samvaad is a microcosm of the society -- NGOs, educators, students, corporate heads, professionals – all vested in the dialogue about humanistic education. The design of Samvaad conveys the message that everybody matters and has the gift of perspective; Samvaad urges the sharing of that gift whilst igniting the innate human need for citizenship.

The voice of the students, which is otherwise muffled beneath the burden of the so-called ‘inexperience’, is respected and cherished in this space.

This invitation to vulnerability brings to the fore, things that have been simmering deep within one’s consciousness, have not found an outlet of expression or avenue for exploration. Samvaad brings to the forefront the mindfulness that what we conserve in our manner of living is what we pass on and that determines the path of evolution. Samvaad has been held by The Heritage School since 2000 and we take pride in the fact that we are committed to creating these safe spaces in which everyone can be themselves.

The Heritage School also collaborates with Family Vision, an NGO, to hold regular Samvaads through the year:

For Grade 8 – Life Skills: Life Skills provides young adolescents with a set of tools, skills and winning attitudes, which can help them to become all that they are capable of becoming.

Even though the world is changing at a rapid pace, mastering Life Skills will help young people build a stable inner core which in turn will help them to adapt successfully to the changing world while still remaining strong, self-reliant, positive and independent human beings.

For Grade 9 – Samvaad: Samvaad is a camp held at the Meditation Center for students of Class 9 who have participated in the Life Skills workshop series while they were in Class 8.

As the word “Samvaad” implies, this Camp is centered around a dialogue and a conversation which begins within the self and then moves outwards to the other members of the class. The dialogue is both ‘intrapersonal’ as well as 'interpersonal'.

For Grade 10 – Finding You: Age 15 -16 is a time when the peer group becomes all-important. It is therefore critical that a teenager is intrinsically secure and has a strong sense of self-worth and realises that he or she has a fundamental responsibility within the peer group to be inclusive, encouraging and an influence for good. 'Finding You' helps students of Grade 10 discover their own unique personality types. This helps them to celebrate themselves – and also discover their own blind spots and areas of growth. It also helps them to respect and accept others more.