Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) – STEER India 2016

STEER India 2016, an exciting two-week journey, took place as part of the new Senior Seminar UTC2404 (Re)Building Communities: Insights from India offered at CAPT. The team of 27 CAPTains, including Ms Wong Soon Fen, Dr Kankana Mukhopadhyay and Mr Christopher Ong, commenced their trip to the Land of Diversity on 4 December 2016. They visited various institutions, organisations and sites in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, interacting with the different communities to fulfill the main objective of understanding the different concepts, issues and models of community development and culture, and critically assessing different practices in community development.

Significant institutions and organisations they visited include the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Hunnarshala Foundation, Khamir Foundation and Arid Communities and Technology (ACT) in Gujarat, and Aajeevika Bureau and Aavaran in Rajasthan. Through these visits, the team had opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers and marginalised communities and learn about community development on the ground. In addition, they also visited Kumbhalgarh Fort, the second-longest wall in the world, and the Great Rann of Kachchh, the largest salt desert in the world.

For more details and thoughtful reflections from the team, visit their website here.