Swachhagrahi - Planning my project

PROFILE INFORMATION

School Name:

Swachhagraha Dal Members Name:

Email:

Mobile number:

  1. Title of the project (50 words)

(The title should relate to the issue addressed. Be creative /interesting/ funny in describing the issue, solution, where the project is taking place etc.)(50 words)

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

  1. Issue/Problem identified

(In not more than 200 words, talk about the issue your project will focus on. Keep in mind to choose the issue in your school/school premises. Why is it such an important problem/issue? Take some time to think about this problem from different perspectives (causes of the problem, why and how is it a problem, whom does it affect, in what way?, why should it matter to you).

3. Tell us about the goal of your project (goal is a broad statement of what the project hopes to accomplish or what changes it expects to produce.) in 20 words. Eg. Contribute to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

4. Objective/s An objective is a specific and measurable result that can be reached to accomplish a particular goal. Be quantitative wherever possible.

Eg. of an objective for the above goal.

  • To reduce the garbage produced in my school by 50%
  • To increase hygiene levels in my school by 100%
  1. Project Summary:

A summary will describe what you plan to do. It is like a methodology.

(What are the main activities that will be done in your project?(Eg. Transect walk, survey of cleanliness staff, etc.), Where will the project activities be carried out (eg. at schoo/ in Vashi, Navi Mumbai). You can use a combination of different strategies, approaches and methods to achieve the objectives of your project. E.g. if the you hope to achieve a litter-free playground the activities will include survey of litter, creating awareness, creating systems and incentives for waste management and making sure these are in place (dustbins,compost pit etc.).

6. Project activities timeline

Here you can think about specific steps to reach your goal on a calendar Give yourself enough time to think and plan of each step, you can take your friends’, parents, teachers help for this and be realistic taking into account exams, classes, etc.)Eg. if the project is to be completed by February 2017 you could plan a calendar of activities working backwards to the start of the project in October 2016. So if you have 20 weeks (and roughly 1-2 hours/week to achieve their objective) for example, then plan the activities from week 1 to week 20.

Activity/task / When (which month,week, put dates for more clarity) / Who will do it? (you, team members) / Deadline

7. What resources do you have?

Think people, money, stuff, internet, etc. Name person/s who will be helping you out in your project. (People can be anyone from friends in your housing society, your teacher, your relatives, offering you help in anything from research on the topic, to help you spread the word, help with actual project activities, share their skills (eg. a friend good at designing material can help with designing flyers for you, your parent could be an expert at rain water harvesting and can help you with the technical details, somebody would help you with funding, etc. Think how people can do things for free for you if you ask rather than paying for those services.)

8. What will be the impact of your project , how will you measure it?

Ask who and what will benefit from this project (the school, the students, the environment, others?)? Think also about how long this change will last.)Decide how you will measure this impact, e.g. What is the amount of garbage produced before and after the project? Or How many student’s attendance record changed after you took care of the mosquito breeding menace in the school premises?

9. How do you plan to share results?

While doing your project you will come across successes (interesting findings, achieving milestones in your timeline), or come across roadblocks. We would love for you to share your success and roadblocks, your successes can spread environmental awareness and inspire others and others can help you out if you’re stuck). Think about taking photos, taking notes, writing a diary, making videos and sharing with us so we can share it on social media.. Also don’t forget your local media, etc.

10. When would you say that you have succeeded, how will you measure it?

Eg. My success would be when after convincing them, 50 students have been converted to washing hands after using the toilet.

Some points to keep in mind:

Support

Will the project have the support of the school authorities and/or your family, the relevant local authorities or community leaders? Determine this factor before finalising your action plan. Take the time to discuss this with the persons concerned to save yourself and your friends from being demoralized later when authorities are not willing to give the necessary permission or lend support.. If you’re not sure about support think of a Plan B, or C simultaneously.

Clear Focus

Is the project focused? Are the goals and objectives clear? In this situation, there is a strong tendency to take on too much, which may lead to a great deal of activity, but very little in terms of concrete results. Clarify the objectives of the project, and focus on "do-able" tasks.

Time

Is it possible to complete the project within the time frame available-in this case about 4 months. It is always useful to allot some extra time, as projects are rarely completed within the stipulated time frame.

Complexity

Does the project involve a variety of issues, resources, inputs and actors? A very complicated project is difficult to complete. If you are keen to take on a large project, try to identify the most feasible aspects of the project and initiate activities accordingly.

Results

You would naturally want to see outcomes of the activity, determine whether the project will demonstrate some concrete results within the planned time frame. It should be kept in view that some projects, though very exciting, may not show obvious results, which may cause feelings of disappointment or frustration.

Meeting Targets

Make sure that the targets you set are realistic and achievable. Do not be over ambitious as failing to meet targets can be de-motivating. If you have found the problem you have identified can have many targets, do not feel that you have to tackle them all at once - prioritise them by dividing them into what is achievable in the timeline of your project, then take up the others which will fall under short, medium and longer term targets.