Mantra Youth: Instilling a sense of identity and belonging in the youth.
MANTRA YOUTH is a Sydney based registered non-profit initiative, by a team of volunteers, that enable the children of Malayalees in Sydney, to come together and learn their native language Malayalam, as well as popular Sanskrit shlokas, prayer songs and folk lore of Kerala.
The purpose is to instill awareness and a sense of identity, appreciation and pride in the students of their ethnic origin, heritage and values.
MANTRA Youth was initially started with about 20 student enrolments with classes held on alternate Sundays. From having started lessons in a single classroom it has now grown big enough to be split into two classes, a Junior section (for 5-10 years of age) and Senior section (for 11 years of age and
above).
The classes are conducted separately for Sanskrit shlokas and Malayalam language at John PurchaseSchool premises in Cherrybrook. Classes are held every year from February to December, allowing for a break during the end of school year. Regular attendance is encouraged for students to be able
to benefit fully from the program.
In 2020 during Covid-19 pandemic Mantra offered lessons and activities online. The response from the students and families was overwhelming. The lessons were conducted regularly and very successfully throughout the year. In the last few years the students also presented and performed
in a range of community events across the greater Sydney region.
Since the commencement of the Mantra program the response from the community has been overwhelming.
Some parent comments:
“Mantra has helped my son connect to his origins, cultural values and traditions”.
“Mantra makes cultural events relevant to the students”.
“My children have learnt more from Mantra than from what I learnt at their age”.
“The method of learning in Mantra involves parents as well, and so parents also learn a lot from the program”.
The MANTRA Youth working committee takes this opportunity to thank the families and the volunteers for their commitment and support. It is affirming to know that MANTRA has been able to effectively instill a sense of identity and belonging in the youth of the Sydney Malayalee community.
MANTRA Youth enrolments for 2021 are now open.
Contact details:
Enrolment forms: https://forms.gle/tTxMaX3nNQNSbUWc7
email ”“ mantrayouth@gmail.com or
Phone contact 0406483416 (Anitha), 0434232509 (Nayana), 0423508212 (Jayshree) or 0413909345 (Renuka).
Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/groups/MantraYouthSydney (ABN 86340142528)
Short URL: https://indiandownunder.com.au/?p=15973