We have many new projects in the works for 2009, in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bodh Gaya, Delhi, and Mohammabad. Read more on our Giving Thanks 2009 page. These projects follow-up on work we started on our December 2008 visit.

History: Our initial contact with Indian Dalit youth was Ann's visit in December 2007, to teach English-as-a-Second-Language ("ESL") on the NNBY conference at Bor Dharan. She returned in May for a smaller retreat in Dehra Dun, and  taught again at the 2008 NNBY conference. 

 After the conference, in January 2009, Ann met with ESL teachers in the Nagpur area (central India) for a day-long Teaching Conference. The goals of this day were to connect with Indian ESL teachers, bring them together to discuss teaching, and assess teaching support they might need from Jai Bhim International. We spent the day reviewing student-centered learning, and brainstorming ways to collectively and individually strengthen our classroom teaching. Our long-term vision for this workshop is that it will evolve into a core Jai Bhim Teaching Project that :

*supports collaboration among Indian ESL teachers

*builds a core of Mentor Teachers in The Indian ESL teaching community, with the support of Jai Bhim International

*empowers Indian ESL teachers to create dynamic, student-centered English lessons

*provides an on-going forum for Indian and American ESL teachers to share teaching strategies  

Jai Bhim International has created an Advisory Board of ESL Teachers from the San Francisco community to brainstorm on this project. In the future, we will explore international Peer Mentorship among ESL teachers.

Jai Bhim International provides Indian Buddhist youth with the spiritual, educational, and emotional tools to create personal and social change, for a culture freed of caste prejudice and discrimination.

We collaborate with organizations and individuals in India to implement projects that include  youth conferences, English and computer literacy classes, leadership training, and cross-cultural mentoring.