Character building vital for better today & brighter tomorrow, say experts at SOS virtual event

Jammu Tawi: SOS Children's of Villages works towards enabling children under care to become self-supporting and
contributing members of society. For this, education and skills are important, but sound character is paramount. Character
strength exhibits itself in a host of situations and contexts, contributing to an individual's psychological and physiological
well-being and functioning; hence, this is critical for the wholesome development of children and young adults. Character
building sessions have, hence, been introduced to empower Mothers, co-workers and children. During the session,
Sumanta Kar, Secretary General, SOS Children's Villages of India said, “Through character building we prepare our
children and youth with 21st century skill sets and attributes that enable them to become self-reliant and contributing
members of society. These sessions are based on three pillars: Concern for Others, Concern for the Environment and
Citizenship Concern. Implementation of the ‘learnt' in actual life; creating an environment where elements of character
building are applied on a daily basis, becoming a part of life; and consistent exchange between participants to share
experiences, feedback, inputs, solutions, and much more, are essential, and hence encouraged.” Speaking of qualitative and
quantitative impact of character building on children, Prof. Nandita Babu, Senior Professor, Department of Psychology,
University of Delhi & Developmental Psychologist said, “To lead a life in sync with the individual's community values, and to
contribute to universal concerns for human rights and welfare, character development of the child is extremely important.
Character development of the child mostly takes place within the family; therefore, every individual involved in the child's life
should be able to emulate a strong character that is considered of value societally, and globally.” Raja, ex-President, Bal
Panchayat, former Balpanchayat Member, recalled the rich learning experience he had during his time as President, “One of
the most important things one learns is to acquire a sense of responsibility towards the community by addressing pressing
social challenges and designing concerned innovative solutions, ensuring good citizenship. The confidence with which one
approaches concerned authorities in position to take action, where needed, is enhanced manifold. The journey empowered
me with 21st century skill sets, including communication, social and life skills. Decision making power, public speaking and
facilitating awareness generation on a wide variety of subjects were some of the many other skills inculcated.” Being the
leader of the Bal Panchayat, Raja, along with his other friends, mobilised children and their parents to encourage education
and preventing school drop-out rate, which is now zero in the cluster; another challenge: the cluster is situated on the banks
of the river Ganga; depending on the situation of the village, floods can increase the spread of vector-borne diseases.