Outdoor Guide Development Program
DOING OUR PART
IN INDIA THE IDEA OF FAMILY IS BIG.
WELL QUITE LITERALLY IN MOST CASES.
Team Quest or the Quest Family as we fondly refer to it is also quite BIG. If you’ve traveled with us or even stopped by to enjoy lunch at the campsites you’re sure to interact with Upasna, Jehan, Felix, Gwen & Gavin. Other team members that assist and join on the go, But most importantly have you met Govinda?
I’m sure you have, if you’re trying to recollect he’s the kid who helped you with directions for rafting, briefed you for Kayaking, gave you a life jacket and made sure he entertained you the best he could so you enjoy your time.
Govinda is one of Our oldest sons in the family, He was raised by the team at Don Bosco Shelter Home in Matunga for orphans and street kids. Today we have 8 kids from the shelter as part of the BIG family we’re so proud of.
It has taken immense patience and time to help these kids loosen up the walls around them and give them a new way of life, work, friends & family here with us. The road has been tough with praise and hurtful criticism alike, But like any other family we have our share of ups and downs, We’re taking it all with a stride.
If you do bump into Govinda and his companions from the Shelter, Give them a little boost or maybe a few ‘ How to Says…” In English.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PATH
by Gayatri Joshi who is a social worker
It is easy for youth from good family backgrounds to pickup jobs and make their careers right . But for youth from the marginalized sections of our society is a difficult cup of tea.
Even though they may acquire the skill, a street youth/NGO child may not find employment. The challenge is to match the needs for specific education, training and employment for this group of vulnerable youth. The job market is competitive and many youth are exploited because of their lack of knowledge, education and skills.
Shelter Don Bosco aims to empower these youth by offering them career options, enhancing knowledge and skills with respect to job opportunities, enabling them to choose appropriate job training that will in turn lead to secure employment. Underprivileged Youth are counselled to educate ,trained in a skill and to aim to achieve a goal in their life
We are extremely grateful to the team at Quest Expeditions to help us by recruiting 8 boys at their Adventure campsites at Mandwa, Rishikesh & Kolad. With an aim to help them choose careers of their choice we were successful in helping these youth naming Govinda , Shiva, Sujeet, Vishnu, Jeetu, Subhash, Vinayak and Rizwaan .Coming from difficult backgrounds and various situations these youth have great difficulty in passing their school exams, dropping out from vocational training and jobs they were placed at. With great enthusiasm and determination to support Mr. Jehan Driver at Quest Expeditions has helped us train these youth and change their identities . It has been miraculous to see these youth change and become contributory and productive citizens of our society .
“I have known these youth since the time they were small kids. I was quite worried to think how their future would be like with the kind of results and improvements they showed during their academic life. It is just very surprising to see the way they have made efforts to do something in life and become such good Adventure instructors. I am happy to see them at Quest Expeditions and not the streets taking up random jobs . Have deep gratitude towards Mr. Jehan, Charmaine and the team at Quest to give them a chance to fulfill their dreams. Youll at Quest have given them a new identity and a Better life . God bless!”
- Gayatree Joshi ( Social worker with Don Bosco organizations , Mumbai
There are more..
Just like Govinda we have a number of youth in our family who come from various backgrounds from similar shelters & orphanages. Suman, Shinu, Akram, Rizwan, Shiva, Jeetu, Chetan, Suraj, Bheem, Sandesh, Arun, Ravi, Jesal, Suraj, to name a few. We have successfully placed our kids in leading adventure sports companies in the country.
In an effort to replenish fish stocks for subsistence fisherfolk, we have started a marine restoration program; through the installation of artificial reefs. The reef structures provide an ideal substrate for the recruitment and growth of coral polyps. In order to understand the ecological effectiveness of artificial reef systems within the local ecosystem, we conduct rigorous biodiversity monitoring at the reef installations.