Project inception year :

2006

Project supported by :

Government of Jharkhand
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation

Project area :

Jharkhand

Project reach :

Over 1 million students in classes 6-9 and 11 reached

Schools :

2941 middle and secondary government schools
68 private schools

Master trainers :

6048

Brochure : Download
Udaan: Adolescent Education Program

Goal :

To provide accurate age-appropriate information to young people in school on adolescence and growing up. To reinforce existing positive behavior and instill life skills essential to manage risk, communicate effectively, and deal with gender stereotypes and to cope with and resolve risky situations encountered in daily life

Need :

Adolescence. The time of coming of age. A time when girls and boys strive to define themselves, their choices and their boundaries. A time which is as magical and exhilarating as it is confusing and chaotic. Faced with pressures to conform, varying expectations from family, friends, peers and teachers, and their own growing ambitions and desires, adolescents tread a path that is demanding and can easily lead them astray.

UDAAN, initiated by C3 in Jharkhand in 2006, is an effort to give these girls and boys wings, and point them in right direction. It is our niche in-school adolescent education program, implemented in all secondary and senior secondary schools across the state. It seeks to promote positive and comprehensive adolescent development and establish a cadre of healthy and empowered young people.

Our program

The UDAAN curriculum, which is integrated with the school calenders, caters to girls and boys between classes 6 and 11. The program is implemented by the Jharkhand Council for Education, Research and Training, under the state’s Department of School Education and Literacy – with technical assistance provided by C3.

Some of the unique features of Udaan include age-appropriate life skills curriculum across grades, ensuring accurate information. Under this initiative, there are training modules for teachers on SRHR and life skills along with a variety of IEC material -- interactive learning games, flip charts, Implementation calendar Digital presentation of sessions in CDs. An array of resources for additional information and linkages to youth-friendly services is made available.

UDAAN has been documented by the World Health Organization as a first generation at-scale adolescence education program from South-East Asia. UDAAN has also been selected as a ‘Good and Replicable Practice and Innovation in Public Healthcare System in India’ by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Key Highlights :
  • National and state governments and agencies recognize the program and its contribution – state government implements the program as part of its annual plan.
  • Significant change observed among participating on the areas of positive self-efficacy and decision making independently and jointly with parents.
  • Adolescents and communities now are more aware and better informed, thanks to UDAAN – their communication skills have improved; they have correct knowledge about gender equity, life skills, sexual harassment and abuse, substance abuse and legal ages for marriage.
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Case story
Kalawati
A class 9 student from Gumla, Jharkhand

“I was able to put a stop to the violence at home. The UDAAN classes encouraged me to speak to my teachers about my stepmother. The constant beating and harassment came to an end when my teachers spoke to my parents.”