Tag: news

Career Counselling at STOP’s Tigri Community

Posted on by stopglobalmovement

Facilitator & Trainer: Ms. Narayani Bhattacharya
Location: STOP Centre, Tigri Community

This week, students from Classes 10 and 12 at the Tigri Community participated in an engaging and insightful career counselling session led by Ms. Narayani Bhattacharya. The audience housed around thirty five participants, many of whom belonged to the Tigri Youth Group. The session focused on helping students build clarity and confidence as they prepare for life beyond school.

Breaking the Herd Mentality

The session opened with an important message: students should resist the pressure to follow paths simply because others are doing so. “Your career is YOUR path,” Ms. Bhattacharya emphasized. She encouraged the students to make informed, individual choices rather than follow trends or peer influence.

Degrees, Diplomas, and Market-Relevant Skills

Ms. Bhattacharya highlighted the importance of excelling academically in undergraduate and postgraduate studies (such as B.A. and M.A.). However, she also introduced students to short-term diploma courses and globally recognized online certifications—like those offered by Google—that can boost employability. She stressed the value of acquiring add-on skills that make one competitive in the job market.

Understanding Salaries and Pay Structures

The conversation also touched on real-world market-competitive salary expectations, performance-based pay, and so on. Students received practical insights into financial awareness and were encouraged to research and compare compensation across sectors.

Skits and Role-Plays: Learning by Doing

One of the most memorable parts of the session was a comical skit on One-to-One Interviews (OTOI), conceptualized and directed by Ms. Bhattacharya. Through the actresses from Tigri staff – Ms. Rani and Ms. Soniya-  the students got a hands-on demonstration of how to conduct themselves during interviews and group discussions—skills essential for future job readiness.

Linking Education with Aspiration

Ms. Bhattacharya also shared an original story, comically highlighting how education can open doors to dignity, opportunity, and independence. The story resonated deeply with the students and added a personal and reflective touch to the session.

Whether it’s selecting the right diploma, preparing for college entrances, or gearing up for their first interview, this session helped Tigri’s youth take meaningful steps toward building informed and empowered futures.

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Youth Group Meeting on Gender Issues at STOP’s Tigri Community

Posted on by stopglobalmovement

STOP’s Tigri Community held an engaging and impactful youth group session centered around the theme of “Gender and Social Realities.” The meeting created a vibrant space for adolescent girls to come together and share their lived experiences, reflect on social challenges, and explore the deeper nuances of gender in their daily lives.

The session witnessed enthusiastic participation, with several key highlights:

  • Sharing Lived Experiences: Young participants voluntarily stepped forward to share their personal stories related to gender. These narratives added depth and relatability to the discussion, transforming abstract concepts into real-life contexts.
  • Exploring Gender Roles: The group explored how traditional gender expectations affect young girls—ranging from unequal access to education to limitations placed on career aspirations and freedom of choice.
  • Voicing Discrimination: Several girls bravely shared instances of gender-based discrimination they face in schools, public spaces, and within their families. These conversations sparked collective reflection and empathy.
  • Focus on Safety: The issue of safety in public and private spaces emerged as a major concern. Participants emphasized the need for safer environments that empower girls to move freely and confidently.
  • Leadership and Volunteering: One of the most heartening aspects of the session was the number of girls who voluntarily chose to speak up. Their willingness to lead the conversation showcased a growing sense of agency and confidence.
  • Creating Safe Dialogue Spaces: The session reaffirmed the importance of safe and inclusive platforms where youth can express themselves freely, without judgment.
  • Inspiring Changemakers: The discussion concluded with a powerful message: young people are not just future leaders—they are changemakers today. Their voices are essential in challenging systemic injustices and promoting gender equality in their communities.

This youth group meeting is a testimony to STOP’s ongoing commitment to empowering young voices and fostering environments that promote gender justice. By providing platforms for open dialogue and expression, STOP continues to support the youth of Tigri in becoming informed, empathetic, and action-driven individuals.

Empowered Women, Empowering Communities!

Posted on by stopglobalmovement

In a remarkable initiative during the last week of March and the first half of April 2025, a group of 100 determined women from STOP India’s Tigri community came together to take part in an empowering series of training sessions. Organized through a powerful collaboration between Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) and STOP India, these sessions aimed to spark transformation — not just in knowledge, but in identity, awareness, and purpose.

These weren’t ordinary workshops. They were safe spaces where women could reflect, question, and rise — reclaiming their power, learning about their rights, and building the confidence to stand up against injustice. With a focus on real-world issues that affect their everyday lives, these sessions laid the groundwork for long-lasting change within families, communities, and society at large.

Key Modules Covered & The Experts Who Led Them

Each training module was led by passionate professionals who brought their expertise, empathy, and energy to the sessions. Together, they addressed some of the most pressing and often overlooked issues faced by women and girls:

  • Child Marriage was discussed in depth by Smritikana Ghosh Paul, Senior Programme Manager, who sensitively unpacked the social, psychological, and legal impacts of early marriage.
  • Human Trafficking was explained in depth by Narayani Bhattacharya, Documentation Officer, shedding light on the hidden dangers and equipping women with tools to identify and resist exploitation.
  • Health and Hygiene were championed by Sakshi Gaur, Psychological Counsellor, and Shirine Marian Tigga, Project Coordinator. They emphasized the importance of both physical well-being and mental health in leading empowered lives.

In addition to these, several other critical topics were explored:

  • Fundamental Rights & Freedom
  • Education
  • Cybercrime
  • Child Labour
  • Domestic Violence

These topics were facilitated by local changemakers including Mamta Gopal (Centre-In-Charge, Tigri), Kashish and Deepika (Teachers, STOP), and Rani (Centre Field Worker). Their grassroots connection made the sessions relatable and actionable, helping participants understand how legal rights, access to education, and personal safety intersect in daily life.

A Movement of Awareness and Action

For many women, these sessions were an eye-opening experience — a first step in a journey toward awareness and self-empowerment. Stories of courage, questions asked with curiosity, and silent moments of realization turned these sessions into transformative gatherings. As one participant shared, “The strength of a community lies in its women. These women showed us what dedication and courage look like.”

STOP’s Visit to Sunderbans, November 2024

Posted on by stopglobalmovement

The Senior Programme Manager of STOP, Smritikana Ghosh Paul, and Gerlinde Büchinger-Schmid, an important member of the STOP-Germany Friend Circle, visited the Sundarbans in West Bengal from the 23rd to the 28th of November, 2024. During those days, a number of meetings with at-risk women, children, aged people and survivors were held with the STOP Team.

This was our beloved Gerlinde Ma’am’s anecdote about her experience in there:

It was a deeply impressing und moving encounter with women whose husbands are killed mainly by tigers, and thanks to STOP, they receive vocational training in making dress and incense sticks which they can offer for sale on the local market, in order to finance their livlihood at a low level. Often however, the low income is not enough and requires local official support in the form of weekly food parcels known as “rations“. 

Learning how to use digital tools (cell phones) is an important source of support in addition and is particularly favored by the younger generation of women. At the same time, education and protection of women and girls regarding human trafficking is an essential part of STOP’s social work in that area. Poverty and social backwardness makes you vulnerable to trust the promises of human traffickers and thus falling in unknown dependence and abuse of all kinds.

The fate of widows in the Sundarbans is diverse. It is a struggle for living space for humans and animals. The forces of nature, such as annual cyclones and floods, not only destroy nature but also the livelihood of the people in the Sundarbans. Since women play a very tough role in the society of the Sundarbans, they need a strong, sustainable support for their empowerment.

During our home visits, we were told a few depressing life stories. Some of them were:

A young widow and her 6-year-old son were sent away by their in-laws and thus refused the existing right of inheritance to real property. She is currently living with her mother without a school leaving – certificate and financial security.

In another family, after the marriage of the daughter, the fatal injury of the father by a tiger led to a considerable financial burden, as the family had been heavily in debts for several years for managing finances for the daughter’s wedding. 

A grandmother whose husband was killed by a tiger and whose daughter was subjected to fatal domestic violence had to raise her orphaned grandchildren, aged 15 and 13.  Although the son-in-law, who meanwhile passed away, was punished by the court and was sent to prison, the children remain victimized. The grandmother’s daily income of 80 Rs for cutting 40 kg fish is a minimal financial help.

STOP has been working tirelessly to combat human trafficking, and since its inception, the region of Jharkhali has become a trafficking-free zone, as was stated by our Outreach-in-charge, Bishnupada Dey.