A Dream Launched in Basking Ridge Spreads Education in India

Uplift Humanity, launched by Ridge High School graduate Anish Patel while he was a student at Ridge, continued this summer to bring education and life skills to at-risk youths in India, working with a corps of volunteers from Somerset County and elsewhere in the New York area.

In July, the team was invited to meet Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat and potential Prime Minister of India at a meeting in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gurajat, Patel said.

"Narendra Modi was truly intrigued by our organization and met with our entire team to discuss ideas on how we can make a larger impact in India," said Patel, a Ridge '12 graduate. 

The 15 U.S. volunteer students and one teacher from this area, including students who live in Bridgewater, spent nearly all of July working in a Bal-Gokulam facility with 60 at-risk youths in detention.

Group to march in parade on Sunday

Several Uplift Humanity members from this area, including those from Basking Ridge, Warren and Bridgewater, will be marching in the India Day Parade this Sunday at 1 p.m. on Madison Avenue, Patel said. He said this week he has returned from India, and "We have been busy preparing for the parade since we will be there to spread awareness."

Patel said the program's instruction of the juveniles is based on Uplift Humanity's newly established curriculum — "One Step Forward" – a handbook designed by Uplift teachers and faculty from the United States in order to facilitate a vibrant educational experience.

"The youth are learning basic life skills that will help them assimilate back into their societies," Patel said. Those lessons focus on values such as self-esteem, kindness and honesty, he said. "They also teach the youth the importance of proper communication and leadership," he said. 

Uplift Humanity expands to more locations in India 

This year, Uplift Humanity inaugurated a new location in Indore, India, a city marked with poverty and crime, Patel said. The high number of applicants to the program from the United States has allowed Uplift Humanity to work with the new facility, he said.

Uplift Humanity also is launching a continuation program at the facilities where it is working to teach English reading and writing and computer literacy to juveniles and orphans. 

"Vadodara, the city in which we work, is a major 'back office' city for international companies. Because of this, the demand for English-speaking computer users has increased dramatically," Patel noted.

He said Uplift Humanity’s goal is to therefore provide these students with steady incomes once they released from these facilities.

Thus far, Uplift Humanity has awarded a total of 150,000 rupees in scholarship money to nine juveniles, and some orphans, he said. This money has been directly given to educational institutions to ensure that those young people only spend it on education or vocational training, he said.

Patel, who currently is a student at New York University's Stern School of Business, has expanded to include a team at New York University.

"Our NYU team helps us spread awareness locally for our cause and helps us gain members. He said the entire U.S. team this year will be walking in the India Day Independence Parade in New York City.

Recently, Patel said, The Times of India featured the group in an article titled “U.S. Teens on Mission Uplift.” However, he added that Uplift Humanity was founded in his hometown and he wanted to update supporters and volunteers in Basking Ridge and the Somerset Hills area of advancements and updates on the group.