'Poiesis' is a Greek word meaning 'To Create/ To Make'. This word was first a verb depicting 'An action that transforms and continues the world.' In resonance with this meaning, a foremost thought in our minds while developing this foundation was, "How can we contribute to the society in a unique way which could have powerful, long-lasting and transformational impacts on the nation and the world?" We found the answer to this question in the idea that: The most powerful way to do this would be by playing a role in shaping the future of the society- 'Our Children and Youth'.

Poiesis has been established with an objective of motivating young people towards Accomplishment. Our Vision is, 'To be a high quality international centre for shaping young individuals into Powerful, Determined and Happy Achievers.'

It is not only 'possible' but also 'necessary' to motivate children from a very young age. Apart from orienting the children towards academics and other activities, it is also important to equip them with a mindset that craves for achievement. This would help them to realize their own potential and accomplish great things in life. From the success stories of great people, one can observe that they have had some crystallizing experiences at very young ages which helped them to facet their talents and personality, and motivated them to dream big and accomplish great deeds in life.

We, at Poiesis, aim to provide such crystallizing experiences to children so that they develop a desire and confidence to build a life of Achievement. The curriculum of our programs is made with a lot of thought and academic understanding developed around psychology, achievement motivation and novel teaching methods. We feel that it is equally important that the children enjoy the learning process, and so the curriculum is designed with innovative and creative activities to retain the element of fun in learning. Feedback from parents of our participants clearly points out a development of a strong outlook towards striving for achievement in children through the motivational platform provided here through our programs.

What is the team behind this Foundation?

Poiesis owes its establishment to a passionate team of corporate visionaries, behavioral scientists, young professionals and experienced teachers dedicated to translate our objective into action.

Mr. Sushil Handa, a successful entrepreneur and mentor to several young people has inspired us with his vision, expertise and resources in the founding of this institution. Mr. Handa is the Chairman of Fifth Veda Enterprises, an organization that has been established to provide potential entrepreneurs with a platform to create business success stories.

The team is led by Ms Beena Handa, Founder Director, who is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and has a vast experience in the learning and development of children and adults, as well as academics. She has been a visiting faculty at IIMA .Her contribution in H.R.M.is recognized by many organizations.

For the detailed profiles of all our team members, please visit 'Our Team' section.

Whom should I contact if I have a proposal for Poiesis or would like to consider working with the Foundation?

You could email us at poiesis@poiesisfoundation.org with your proposal. If you wish to work with us, do send your resume through 'Contact Us' section. You could also contact us at our centre.

What are the different programs offered by the foundation?

Currently Poiesis offers four programs as below:

No.	Program	Sessions	Age
1	The Explorer - Smarter Habits, Greater Joy	15	8 to 9.5 years
2	The Visionary - Building future Achievers	15	9.6.to 11.5 years
3	The Leader - One Step Ahead	15	11 to 13 years
4	The Thinker - Creative and Mindful	15	13 to 15 years

The first two are Entry Level and the next two are Advanced Programs. Direct Admission to any program is possibale, after meeting the child and parents. These programs are offered throughout the academic year in the evenings, once a week. During summers, they are offered on a continuous basis at different times of the day. All the programs have sessions with parents as a part of design. The objectives of each program and design elements are covered under Programs.

Apart from programs, workshops, place visits, film shows, and meetings with achievers are also offered to the current participants and alumni.

Can the children get direct enrollment to any of the program?

Yes, the children can either start from The Explorer-Smarter Habits, Greater Joy or The Visionary-Building Future Achievers program. For the other two, direct enrollment is done on case to case basis.

Our experience shows that children who have done entry level program/s before The Leader - One Step Ahead gain more from the inputs. Similarly doing The Leader - One Step Ahead Program before The Thinker-Creative and Mindful helps the child in grasping the thinking frameworks deeply. All the programs help to develop confidence and aspirations progressively.

What is the curriculum and teaching methodology of the programs?

We follow a fun based learning process and have designed an innovative pedagogy for each program built around these key themes:

1. INSPIRATI0N through Historic and Real-Life Role models
2. EXPLORATION of Personal Talents, Strengths and Weaknesses
3. DEVELOPMENT of a Personal Vision and Model of Achievement

These themes are addressed by building a creative and interactive classroom where the children typically engage in different hands-on activities individually as well as in collaborative groups. Through these activities, we also focus on observing and developing the essential Personal, Social and Cognitive skills in the children. Our pedagogy is built on the understanding of the Multiple Intelligences theory and the Teaching for Understanding Framework, both developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Experiential and Reflective learning is also included as a part of design.

What are the learning tools used?

All the sessions are interactive and generate a high level of participation and involvement. The child continuously learns with hands-on activities such as:

Exercises and Games
Role play and Creative drama
Film screenings and discussions
Creative team exercises
Class discussions and sharing
Library Research
Face to Face with Achievers
Place visits.

These methods help them to think individually or in teams and foster personal, social and cognitive skills while having fun.

Is 8 to 15 years an age to learn about Achievement? Why are the programs focusing on this age group?

Achievement is not gained simply by the efforts of a few years but it is a lifelong challenge and requires a motivated mindset and an attitude of accomplishing at even the small tasks of life from a very young age.

The theories of famous psychologists Erik H. Erikson and Sigmund Freud describe this stage of 7-12 years as a sort of 'entrance to life'. At this age, the inputs given to the children leave a deep impact and go a long way in developing their habits and values which guide their future actions in life. These psychologists believed that at this age, we need to develop the children from within, help them to find and excel at what they are naturally good at, and then they will achieve the sense of purpose and industry on which everything else can then be built.

We have observed that when children of varied ages learn together, it actually enriches the learnings derived from the program. Since this program does not focus on teaching academics, it is not required to separate children according to their knowledge capabilities. Working with people of different personalities and ages is an integral part of adult professional lives, and hence this program also helps them in practicing this by working with children of different ages and experiencing the challenges and benefits of working together in such diversity. It also goes a long way in developing their confidence, social skills and personality.

Why does the program include Parents' sessions?

At this stage of life, parents are the primary figure responsible for the child's development. The family is the most effective system for fostering and sustaining the child's development. Without family involvement, any educational intervention is likely to be unsuccessful, and the few effects are achieved during the programe are likely to disappear once the intervention is discontinued. Hence, parental involvement is an integral part of our program and the parents are required to attend some sessions designed to help them discover effective strategies to develop and sustain a motivational atmosphere at home as well.

Who are the faculty and what are their qualifications?

We have faculty who are well versed with Behavioral Psychology, Teaching For Understanding and Multiple Intelligences concepts, who have experience in working with children and who have a deep understanding and passion for teaching young children. We also invite guest faculties, who are experts in their respective fields, to come and interact with the children.

Does the association of a child stop after completion of a program?

The association of the children continues with the institution forever. We aim to develop and conduct different programs for different age groups, visits, workshops and film shows from time to time, so that the motivation and learning process of the children continues at this tender age. Reading and expanding self- knowledge is integral to becoming an Achiever.

Will my child get a certificate or a report card after the program?

All the children participating in our programs are given a 'Certificate of Participation'. At the end, we also give a progress report sharing our observations on their behavior and skills as displayed through the course of the program. This is more of an informal assessment, where our main objective is to share our observations with children and parents to help them gain deeper insights into their potential.