CHANGE-MAKERS
Rapid urbanisation is taking place all over the world and our Pune is no exception. However along with it, come a number of banes that compromise our quality of living. Our desires for luxuries in the fast paced city life, leave us with many unwanted impacts such as traffic congestion, increasing pollution, garbage accumulation, deteriorating public health, rising crime, creation of concrete jungles and decreasing green cover.
Urban lifestyle is levying a heavy cost on the planet as a whole, as well as on our health and that of our future generations.
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We all know it, and we want to do something about it. The question is always, 'What can I do? And how?.
Governments at all levels are addressing these issues and it is time that we as citizens take a step forward to do our bit.
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'Change-Makers' is an opportunity for all of us to lead the way to realise the Pune of our dreams, and bring about a change at the grassroots, through public participation. Taking SMILE Saheli a step further, 'Change-Makers' was launched in 2015. The main idea of the program is to bring about a positive change to our city at the grassroots, through public participation.
"Change-Makers" invites groups of five citizens, with a minimum of three women, to lead community transformation projects in Pune. Each group, led by a woman, will identify an area encompassing at least 100 homes to improve. Participants will map out the area's issues, develop an action plan, and submit their initial plans by July 5th. The action plan, documented on FORM A, FORM B, and FORM C, will guide their efforts, with support from local authorities as needed.
Starting from July 5th, teams implement their plans, documenting progress monthly with reports on FORM D. These reports, due by the 5th of each month from August to December, should include photographs, citizen reviews, and other relevant documentation. The program concludes on January 5th, with teams submitting a final report on FORM E, detailing their achievements and the impact on the community. This structured approach ensures sustained and impactful community-led improvements.