Our Activities

We offer individualised guidance for gifted children between 6 and 18 years of age (Std. 1 to Std. 12). It is aimed at ascertaining the specific educational needs of such children based on their demonstrated interests, aptitudes and abilities. Our services will assist parents and teachers in chalking out appropriate academic paths for such children.

Swanand Talent Nurture Group

Membership to the group is open to all children (upto Std. 12) from the following categories:

  • Recipients of the National Talent Search scholarship conducted by the NCERT.
  • Children who have cleared the first level (NSEs, RMO, ZIO, etc.) of the olympiads sponsored by the government.
  • Fellows of the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana.
  • Children who have qualified for the National Camp of the National Bal Shree Honour Scheme.
  • Children who have received honours in examinations conducted by the Maharashtra Ganit Adhyapak Mahamandal, Association of Mathematics Teachers of India (AMTI), Mumbai Science Teachers’ Association (MSTA) and other similar organisations.
  • Children who have represented their state in any sport.
  • Children who have been selected through the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme of the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training.
  • Children who have obtained a score of 98th percentile and above in the IQ test conducted by Mensa India.
  • Children who have been identified by teachers as gifted and have been further assessed by Swanand Foundation.

The members will get individualised guidance and useful information for their career development, until they pass Std. 12. They will also get a chance to remain in touch with other talented children through the activities conducted by Swanand Foundation.

Need-Based Assistance for Gifted Children

Gifted children who have financial constraints will be provided the following need-based help:

  • They can avail of the library facility of the Swanand Foundation.
  • They may be given need-based financial help.
  • They can avail of internet facility for the use of educational purposes.

Public Outreach Programmes

We run a number of public outreach events for awareness generation in parents, motivation of children and training of teachers. The following programmes are currenty being conducted:

  • Olympiads for excellence in Science, Technology & Mathematics
  • Undergraduate Education in USA: Facts & Myths
  • Affordable & excellent career options in sciences after XIIth Std
  • Identification & nurturing of gifted children

For specific information about upcoming and past events, please see the Events page.

Assessment and Counselling for Gifted Children

Early assessment and appropriate counselling from time to time is essential for helping gifted children reach their fullest potential. We provide such assessment and counselling in the following cases.

  • A child, parents or teachers feel that the school curriculum is not challenging enough for the child, and that he/she should be exposed to different avenues beyond school.
  • A child has consistently demonstrated high academic achievement in school or in open contests, but the family is not sure if the child is capable of achieving more.
  • A child has displayed extraordinary ability in one or more of the curricular subjects, but is ordinary or below par in other curricular subjects.
  • A child has shown extraordinary potential in visual or performing arts, leadership skills or sports and the family needs guidance for grooming the child’s talent.
  • A child has been identified as gifted, and the parents find it difficult to handle the child.

Our assessment is based on a one-on-one interview with the child and the parents, taking into consideration the child’s academic graph, socio-economic background and aspirations of the child as well as the parents. We do not conduct aptitude tests. After assessment, we provide specialized and case-specific career counselling.

Consultation for Schools

We provide the following customised services for schools to groom gifted children.

  • Conducting training programmes for teachers for identifying giftedness.
  • Helping teachers to design special activites and stimulation programmes for gifted children.

Research

We plan to follow the development of gifted children through their lives over the years to come and hope to get significant results from the research.