To be perfectly honest, I was quite nervous going into the schools. Not only was my Bengali a bit rusty but the expectations of someone stepping into a classroom in front of students was that of poise and authority. Both of which I had no plans of attempting to be. My plan was to be someone by their side supporting them along their journey of self-discovery, and then standing up everytime I walked in somehow went against that. So slowly, painstakingly, I got them to see me as someone more equal to them, just here as a friendly hand. 

The teacher of the first school spoke about how arts and crafts used to be a bigger part of the curriculum but after governments pulling out funding, and students being unable to afford supplies, it was taken out. Students in the second school were very eager to learn English from me, despite being given the open of more fun alternatives, I taught them some english slang and more informal ways of talking that we use day-to-day. 

When putting up the posters, a lot of people were curious as to what I was doing. It also didn't help that a woman was doing the manual work. A man even stopping to comment about 'why are you letting the girl do the hard work?' to my male cousin who was helping me out. But I took it in a stride and answered questions of chidredn, adults and factory officers. Overall, most people were very supportive, some didn't really get the point but that's to be expected. More than the messages of the postes however, the promise I had made to the students about making their drawings a reality was the most important thing. I wanted them to know that creativity is a path to action, and it was possible for them to make change. 

This was important to me especially because a lot of them didn't believe they had any power to make change. When asked the question of 'what makes a good leader?' most answered 'someone older with a lot of experience' and some responded 'someone not too young'. It was upsetting of course but through these workshops I believe I got my message across, even a tiny bit.

I will continue working with them, online and checking-in to make sure they keep up with weekly sessions done by their self-elected committee. This is only the beginning!