“We can change people and bring them together and give them a thought to stay happy inside.” - Sahil Balmiki, PFP India Trainer
18-year-old Sahil Balmiki studies in a government school in India. He serves as a volunteer facilitator for diverse children in his club, Jagran. Some of these children are very shy, some are competitive. But all are positively impacted by the PFP games Sahil shares. Jagran Club was birthed out of Sahil's dream to establish PFP in his community. At first, there were setbacks, failures, and restrictions in the club, but everyone in his team helped him stay motivated. He said that he has faith in PFP’s mission to resolve conflicts around the world through the promotion of peace among children and youth. With only 6 young facilitators on his team, he sees PFP as a blessing and he revels in the games, action songs, and activities every day.
“PFP games have meaning. If we understand the values of these games, and try to think deeply, these games can change anyone." A profound statement from a young schoolboy in India who revealed that he was never interested in play as a child and couldn't recall why. True to his testament of being changed by the PFP mission, it was only when he learned and got involved in PFP that he began to like play. “Play is not only a way of joy. It helps people stay motivated in life, to live better, and to grow,” he added. For Sahil, PFP is more than games. The thing he likes most about PFP is that during play sessions and cooperative games, there is no such place for greediness, jealousy, and fighting. During the global compassion week, Jagran participated with children from slums and streets of India.
Although the event was challenging and exhausting, Sahil's team was able to bring the children together. He shared that the moonwalk activity was his favorite during Compassion Games. “I have dreamed since childhood to make my community as well as my country child-labor-free. Through Play for Peace, I want to take the initiative to be a facilitator. After a lot of failures and trying different NGOs, and because they said no to us, I will do something different through PFP,” Sahil said. Inspired by Mother Theresa, Sahil reminded me that we cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love. In a time of war, or in a time of peace, compassion is the single, most powerful element that continues to bind humankind. PFP Jagran Club lives to show compassion to its community.
“Children in our community always want to play and because we do spiritual things and share along with PFP games, they have something interesting every Sunday. We are not focusing on games in Play for Peace. We are here making a change through smiles,” he concluded. Where Jagran lives, compassion also lives.
