The Indus Valley Foundation And Its Unique Training and Upliftment Program.
As you may be aware from one of our previous blogs where the Indus Valley Foundation was the topic of review the Foundation was founded by Dr Talavane Krishna M.D as a non-profit organisation with the specific aim of empowering rural and tribal youths who had dropped out of the conventional education system are were on their way (if they were not already there) of being marginalised and stigmatised by society. The idea and goals were to empower these youths through the process of training and education. It seemed that if the conventional education system had proven unsuitable for these youths, then a different approach was needed in order to engage with them and ensure that the process of “dropping out” did not occur again once they had joined the foundation’s academy.
As is the case with a great many developing (and developed) countries there are millions of underprivileged youths who struggle to find access to the traditional education system, for a variety of reasons such as demographics, social traditions, lack of funds to meet any expenses affiliated with obtaining a traditional education ( this could be things like uniforms, books, school meals etc). There is an immense need to both uplift and empower these youths as they are the next generation of leaders and workforce for their country.
A Focus On Speciality Development
The Indus Valley Foundation focuses on a specific niche when it comes to training and upliftment by providing training exclusively for the wellness industry. The wellness industry is among the most rapidly expanding industries in India, with an average annual growth of 22 percent. However, the industry is massively lacking in manpower. Wellness tourism is definitely on the rise with international wellness tourism accounting for a segment of the industry that generates over $139 Billion dollars annually, with India being one of the most visited destinations.
With those statistics only set to rise, the Indus Valley Foundation designed and pioneered a unique training programme to prepare its graduates and alumni for a chance at a brighter future. The Foundations training program runs for a duration of twelve months, and of those twelve months, six are spent doing an internship in their chosen field.
Upon completion of the program, the graduates obtain certification in their selected field and make their way forward in the world of health and wellness, although it must be noted that many are offered employment by The Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre and begin their careers with the very institute that afforded them a life-changing opportunity.
The Indus Valley Foundation has been responsible for the training and upliftment of hundreds of youths that would have otherwise fallen by the wayside and failed to become productive members of society. While some graduates choose to remain close to home, the Foundation has also seen and assisted hundreds of its graduates to accept offers for various wellness resorts, spas and centres across the country and even abroad. Some have embraced an entrepreneurial spirit and established wellness centres of their own both in India and across the world.
The Secret Behind The Successes
One of the many reasons the Foundation’s pioneering program has proven so successful is that it has a completely integrated approach to the training it provides to its participants. From the very onset of their participation in the program, they are exposed to aspects of the wellness industry that could never be generated in a conventional educational or training establishment.
The setting for their training is the Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre, (which apart from private donors is the main funder of the program). This means that they are exposed to the Wellness industry first-hand.
They are able to gain invaluable knowledge in a real-time scenario and observe and partake first-hand in the day to day happenings of multi-award-winning establishments, setting the bar of excellence for them when they enter the Wellness Industry as a fully certified member of their chosen field. Their teacher and examiners are also highly qualified practitioners and consultants in the field of Ayurveda.
Unlike commercial training institutes, their educators are on-hand in a far more permanent capacity than those in traditional institutes.
They are able to apply the knowledge that is taught to them in an immediate and practical capacity, instead of just theoretically. There are aspects of the industry where they are completely immersed and take an active part.
Additionally, they have access to a much wider scope of mentors and trainers than individuals who enrol in traditional universities and follow a set curriculum, whilst there is nothing wrong with this method of education it does not allow for the unique hands-on approach that is provided by the Foundation. In addition to their chosen field of education ( the Foundation provides training in the following fields and the program participants have the choice of pursuing training as either Ayurveda Therapists, Masseuses, Yoga Instructors or Ayurveda cooks) every one of the training programs participants must partake in a personality development course.
This aspect of their training sees the students undergo intensive training in English communication skills along with basic computer literacy to allow them the best possible opportunity to gain placement within the wellness industry in their desired field.
Milestones That Have Been Achieved and Looking Towards the Future.
The fact that the program is so unique and has had such a high level of success has not gone unnoticed. The Indus Valley Foundation proudly signed an agreement in 2015 with the Department of Sports and Youth Empowerment for the State of Karnataka, to train a large number of youths in the Industry.
As previously mentioned, The Indus Valley Foundation receives funding from the Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre, along with private donors to enable the training of our youths who are 15 years old and above to become Ayurvedic Therapists, Yoga Instructors, Masseuses and Ayurveda cooks and to empower them to partake in the wellness industry. The Foundation is in need of additional funding to provide accessible training for a large number of youths across India and to introduce additional technology, skills testing and continued training in order to maintain and improve their skills to meet global standards.
Should you want to get involved please follow the link to our donations page and help us to continue this amazing initiative
