Sunita Aron started her working life as a young woman reporter at a time when there were very few women in journalism. She had to report in sometimes unsafe situations, and speak truth to power at very high levels of government — also traditionally the bastion of men. She held several editorial posts, for over 20 years in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mumbai and Jaipur, and three wrote books on Indian politics: Ballots and Breakups, Winds of Change and The Dynasty Born to Rule. During this Open Talk at The Goa School, Sunita tells us how media works, peppered with many personal stories.
Mental health issues are a growing problem for young people, and is higher than the national average in Goa. Peter Castellino is Founder & Director of COOJ Mental Health Foundation in Goa. Malini Patel works as an independent counsellor, is on the Board of The Goa School Trust and is also associated with Mother Teresa’s Roses, a home for Girls. In this talk, in conversation with Jonathan Sequeira, trainer at The Goa School, the panelists discuss various aspects of mental health including the size of the problem, how to recognise if someone has a problem and how to get help.
Karena de Souza is a futurist and author , who prepares adults for the future of work. During this talk, she shares the benefits of scenario planning with with The Goa School, to orient us to the framework and mindset needed to make an effective transition to the future: an Intelligence Era, where the very nature and structure of work and society will change. She is joined by Paloma Quadros, who, besides heading operations at The Goa School, is in touch with youngsters in college and preparing for the hotel industry. Kavita Dass, on the Board of The Goa School Trust, is director of ICS Education Ltd, a career counselling institute that works with students in India, South Asia and the Middle East.
Bipasha Biswas is a scholar-activist based in Spokane, Washington. A professor of social work and affiliated faculty of the school of gender, women and sexuality studies at Eastern Washington University, Bipasha is involved with resettlement agencies that welcome refugees and immigrants to Spokane through culturally responsive and relevant interventions. Her community development and participatory research activities in the Sundarban islands in India, helps support maternal and child health interventions among forest dwellers on the islands. Born and raised in India, Bipasha earned her MSW from the Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in 1997, and later earned her PhD in Social Work from George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
Mini Sinha is a Fellow of The Goa School who is now completing The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, whilst also interning at Godrej Capital in Mumbai. She is joined by Aparajita Sethi, who runs a facility known as ‘Beautiful Minds’ that provides therapy and counselling for people on the Autism spectrum, amongst other disabilities. Triveni Goswami Vernal is a registered special educator, psychologist and certified remedial therapist, with a special interest in process art for children with additional needs. Together, these speakers provide critical insights into the current discourse on Autism. They agree that cases on the Autism spectrum seem to be on the rise, and that while science is unable to tell us, definitively, what causes it, there are research-backed interventions that can help. Most importantly, parents and caregivers can and should seek support to take care of themselves, while they care for their loved ones on the spectrum.
Radhika Mishra strives to create a circular economy of plastic waste. She co-founded Sparkliv, which turns clean plastic waste into funky furniture. She started Sparkliv because she foresaw that waste management and plastic recycling — or the lack of it — is already a huge problem, and will continue to be in the years to come, if we as citizens do not take steps to solve the problem immediately. Radhika is in conversation with Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah, a mentor of The Goa School, who has been working on sustainable farming, and other ways to reduce our carbon footprint, for two decades. Check out Jyotsna’s work on the Lucknow Farmers’ Market. Together, Radhika and Jyotsna take you through why you must become a plastic avenger now! (Spoiler alert: Plastic never fully breaks down: microplastics that leach into the earth and clog up our oceans are already in the food chain, and are causing humans to get cancer and heart-attacks). See this link to sign up for the campaign, and receive email guidelines for the competition. Write to Radhika for help on locating a plastic recycler in your city.
This talk was held to mark World Environment Day on June 5.
Amar Habibullah has been co-founder of Transerv, a leader in payment processing and expense management, Senior Vice-President at HSBC and key roles in GE Money and Mashreq Bank. He went to the Doon School. St Stephen’s College and Georgetown University. Sandeep Seth has been an established retail businessman since 1991, prior to which he did his schooling in St. Paul’s in Darjeeling, followed by a B.Com degree at Canning College. Paloma Quadros is Head of Operations at The Goa School, and also co-founded Yomorebi Consulting in the hospitality consulting space. She graduated from the University of South Carolina-Beaufort, and has experience spanning five countries, including leadership roles at 5-star hotels. Panelists in this talk express their personal opinions on the elections in India, urging Fellows to pay more attention to political processes in the future. Their personal views and opinions are not endorsed by The Goa School.
Raushni Abraham is a development professional, with her passion for amplifying voices in the impact sector driving her work. With nine years of diverse experience, she’s taken on roles spanning from grassroots community organisations to international non-profits, focusing on poverty reduction, social justice, and global solidarity. Her journey in this space began in communications, fuelled by her curiosity about shaping dignified, respectful and impactful narratives that facilitate community-driven growth. Beyond work, Raushni loves to constantly create – writing has always been her way of processing the world. She’s currently exploring the theme of ‘generational gifts’ through poetry, prose, and short stories. During this talk, she describes how she overcomes a speech impediment.
Chantell Witten is a South African nutritionist and activist (see her professional profile). In her own words: “If today was my last day on earth, I would be happy with the life I have lived and how well I used my gift of life. I’m 52 years old, and I no longer define myself by accolades of social success – the positions, the marriage, the number of borders I have crossed. I measure my life by the quality of my relationships, the depth of my connections and my contribution to making life a little better for those I encounter, wherever I may encounter them. I am Dr. Chantell Witten, I am a dietitian by profession and a child rights advocate by passion. I work in social justice focused on food and nutrition. I am navigating life in my wholeness as a person. I bring all of who I am to everything I engage with now. I am happiness and pain, aggrieved and forgiver. I am trying to be better with myself and with others everyday.” Chantell shares her life story with The Goa School, rich with lessons.
Rajib Ghosal has 28 years of experience working on humanitarian response, development and climate change. He has worked with leading agencies and collaborative platforms like Save the Children International, The Green Climate Fund, The Loss and Damage Collaboration, Project Drawdown, ARNEC Secretariat, UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, ADB, WB, CARE, Aga Khan Foundation, Natural Resources International, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Rajib holds a Master’s in International Relations from the UK and Bachelor’s in International Studies from the US. He talks to The Goa School about children’s rights, and how they may be viewed through the broader lens of climate change.