The Olika Project
it's good to have you here
Hi, we are Anagha
and Ashish.
We do workshops and sessions on all things learning, and we would like to work with you.
Our Story
So Far
We both did an MA in Education from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.
Independent Studies at APU for 6 months
-Sexuality, sexual health and well-being.
-On stories, identities, narrative building, and how it dis/empowers communities.
2 years work experience with Uninhibited - co-designed their on ground behavior change model, Periodshala, to build agency in adolescent girls to make better menstrual and sexual health decisions.
Designed and facilitated workshops for:
-the free menstrual health helpline - Hello Saathi
-the teaching faculty of school and professional courses.
6 Weeks Research Studies
-On teacher autonomy.
-On school transformation in Rural Orissa.
Experience working with neurodivergent children.
The
work
that we do
Education
Community
Well-being
Sexual
Well-being
Education
We imagine education differently. We would like it to be a process where children are taught to think and encouraged to feel; where children can learn to understand themselves and the world around them; where knowledge is not a goal but a tool. Our dream is that educators help children become good people, kind and genuine, not scared of standing up for what they believe in or to go out of their way to help other people even in the face of discomfort. We believe in schools for life, not just schools for jobs. A large part of this is encapsulated in the idea of democratic schools and their child-led, choice-filled, consensus-building approach to learning.
Education
Exploring
Democratic
Schools
Ethics
and
Education
Collaborative
Learning
Aims of Education
Technology
and Education
Understanding
Discipline
Sexual Well-being
Shame is one of the most universal human emotions. As a woman, you are not perfect at work and at home? As a man, you feel like crying? Too fat? Too thin? Too girly? No muscular body? What a shame. Society places such expectations on us from a young age and we feel the weight of it every single day. No one teaches us how to listen to the shame we feel and navigate it, and accept ourselves as who we are. Our sexual well-being sessions focus on understanding and navigating puberty, the shame associated with our bodies, our identities of sexuality, gender and caste, understanding the biases we hold around these and overcoming them, and most excitingly, we do this through a variety of art sessions.
Sexual
Well-being
ART
SESSIONS
Menstrual
Health
Unpacking
Caste + Gender
Comprehensive
Sexuality
Education
Understanding & Overcoming Bias
Shame
Community Well-being
Human beings need community. We cannot be fully well if we are entirely out on our own. We need the people around us to love us, care for us, support us and we need to do the same for them. And yet, communities can also sometimes be the source of great irritation and discomfort. It is often our communities that belittle us, hurt us and inhibit us from flourishing. Our community well-being sessions focus on figuring out how to navigate community life and how we can learn to shape ourselves and our communities for the better and just how important stories are in all of that.
Community Well-being
STORIES
How To Communicate
Clearly
Nonviolent Communication
Conflict Resolution
Community
Well-being in Workspaces
Power
One Hour Free Trial Session
Inclusive of a conversation so that you get a feel of what our sessions would look like, and discuss how you would want it tailored for your organisation.
The Process
the usual format
Our sessions range from 90 minutes to two hours or more. We offer day-long workshops, weekend sessions and more depending on what you need.
Customisable sessions
We understand that it can be difficult to carve out a solid chunk of time from your schedules to dedicate to workshops. We are happy to discuss spreading them out over a longer period of time such as a month or two.
OLIKA?
WHAT IS
The word Olika is made-up. Just as made-up as all the other words in all the other languages. We chose to make up a word by which we could name our project because we believe language to be a tool, not a ruler. Language is a combination of arbitrary sounds that have been given meaning and we use it to communicate. And we are doing just that. In order to explain what it means, one must explain three concepts. When put together, the meaning of the word becomes slightly clearer.
The first concept is
that of ‘essence’.
In this context, we mean this word as
the very thing that makes us who we are
as human beings. Our very essence
as people is what defines us,
creates us,
gives us substance.
The second concept comes
from the Japanese word kintsugi. The concept
is that of restoration. It is the Japanese art of repairing
broken pottery by piecing together the broken shards
with liquid gold. This way, when restored,
the cracks are still seen - each with its
own story and beauty.
The third concept is best expressed in the English word sonder. This is a deep recognition of the fact that everybody around us is living a life that is just as complex and intricate as our own even though we might be blissfully unaware of this.
When put together,
Olika is the essence that encapsulates kintsugi and sonder in one word.
What's on our reading list?
Hello!
Please tell us a little about yourself or write to us at theolikaproject@gmail.com. We shall get back to you as soon as we can.
Reach out to us to find out more about who we are and what we do if you are interested. If you are looking for sessions on something in particular that we have not mentioned here, reach out to us anyway. We would love to hear from you at theolikaproject@gmail.com!
We are on Instagram as @theolikaproject.
Anagha R Nair
☎️ - +91 85471 93627
Ashish Oommen John
☎️ - +91 90321 76231
Be curious,
not judgemental.