The Rural Changemakers | +91 80 8554 8743 | www.rural-changemakers.com | hello@rural-changemakers.com
In November 2017 The Rural Changemakers invited Sharad Sharma, the founder of India World Comics, and his team to conduct a workshop in Janwaar. The idea was to "download" the stories around the skatepark which are hidden in the kids' minds and to make them visible in a comic format. The workshop took place in the local government school. The kids were as much excited as the teachers and quickly drawn into the comic making mood. What you are holding in your hands now is the first edition of the Janwaar Comics made by the Rural Changemakers of Janwaar.
Our comics exhibited at a school in Panna.
Kids are creating the comics at the government school.
First things first – what is Janwaar and who are the Rural Changemakers? Janwaar is a small village in the heart of India. It's located in the eastern buffer-zone of Panna National Park, seven kilometers away from Panna, the next bigger town. In this village Ulrike Reinhard has build a skatepark: Janwaar Castle. The skatepark has disturbed the village in a very positive way and brought social, cultural and economic change to a place where usually nothing happens. Today the kids of Janwaar have taken their future in their own hands – we call these kids The Rural Changemakers of Janwaar.
No School, No Skateboarding! If a kid doesn't go to school, it is not allowed to skateboard. A very simple but very effective rule. And the report system is working surprisingly well – the kids themselves controll it :-) This simple rule swamped the kids into school. Scholl attendance has significantly increased.
Diaries
The Rural Changemaker Tour Europe 2017 In September 2017 two of the Janwaar kids, Arun (14 yeras old) and Ramkesh (10 years old) went on a five week trip to Europe. The goal of the tour was to explore European skateboarding culture and to interact with the local communi-ties. Here are a few stories of what impressed the two boys the most.
The Rural Changemakers | +91 80 8554 8743 | www.rural-changemakers.com | hello@rural-changemakers.com