Bangalore, India

ASTEP at Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project

ASTEP Volunteer Artists deliver arts intensive programs for Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, a school and home for economically and socially disadvantaged children outside Bangalore, India. With a team of 5-10 volunteers, ASTEP delivers multi-week arts camps, which include music, theatre, dance, and visual art. The power of the arts can be used to enhance personal development, academic achievement, and leadership skills for students in Pre-K through high school.

A project of The George Foundation, Shanti Bhavan is grounded in the belief that the effects of extreme poverty can be overcome if the problems are tackled in the early stages of a child’s development. In partnership, ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan’s main objectives are:

• To provide a comprehensive program to meet the students’ emotional, social, health, and educational needs, build character and self-esteem, and strengthen their skills and mental discipline to succeed in life
• To prepare the students to succeed socially in their current community and globally
• To recruit, train, and maintain volunteer educators at Shanti Bhavan.

+ Visit Get Involved to learn more about becoming an ASTEP Volunteer Artist!

“When I initially heard about Shanti Bhavan, I was looking for a way to volunteer which would enable me to feel I had directly contributed to making someone’s life better. Teaching is a great way to accomplish this.

I absolutely grew in that I was able to feel fulfilled in this mission. However, I also grew by specifically teaching biology. After fighting an urge to apply to medical school for a few years now, teaching biology to high school students at Shanti Bhavan [SB] gave me a new perspective on pure scientific knowledge. I now have a renewed drive to go to medical school that I believe might not have been there if I hadn’t been at Shanti Bhavan [SB].”

- Leah Dlugolecki, ASTEP Volunteer Artist Educator

Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project – is a school and home that provides a world class education and instills globally shared values to enable children of deprived backgrounds to aspire to careers and professions of their choice. Shanti Bhavan believes that breaking the cycle of poverty requires a long-term focus on high quality education and the all-round development of children. Shanti Bhavan empowers children with the tools to carry others forward. www.shantibhavanonline.org