ENVISION Fellow, Second Chance School, Ritinjali
February 1st, 2022
Topchen(ENVISION Programme Coordinator): Tell us about yourself and how did you come to know about the second chance programme?
Karma: My name is Karma Gyurmey and I am 21 years old. I am a resident of Ritinjali Second Chance School in Mahipalpur, New Delhi.
I did my schooling at Tibetan Homes Foundation Rajpur until class IX. After not being able to get through my math’s exam twice, I was disheartened and so I decided to quit school.
I worked as a waiter at restaurants in Majnu ka Tilla (MT) for some time.
One day my mother took me to the Tibetan Career Help Desk which was run by ENVISION at Majnu ka Tilla to seek guidance. ENVISION Staff at the Help Desk introduced me to the Second Chance Programme and that’s how I came to know about the programme. It has been two years since I joined Ritanjali Second Chance Programme.
Topchen: What were your expectations when you first heard about second chance school? Did it meet your expectations?
Karma: I thought it would be really boring and strict at the same time that I wouldn’t be able to spend two years. But after reaching here, It was all opposite. I really like staying here with my new Indian friends. The staff over here are really helpful and are always ready to guide us in every way possible.
Topchen: Did you face any challenges at second chance school like staying and sharing a room with boys from different communities?
Karma: Apart from the pandemic and the lockdown leading to the closure of my school, I never really had any big challenges. The lockdown prolonged and hindered my class X exam. I also had to attend my graphic design course from offline to online.
Topchen: What are you currently studying at Second Chance School?
Karma: Before answering this question, I would like to thank Ritinjali and ENVISION for giving me this second opportunity to better my life for the future. I have cleared my class X board exam and at present, I am preparing for the class XII exam. I am also continuing my Graphic Design course at MAAC institute. Some of the programs they teach are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Corel Draw. I learnt about photo editing through Photoshop and creating logos in Corel Draw. Currently, I am focusing more on Adobe Illustrator.
Topchen: What are you most passionate about or something that you want to learn? Are you able to follow your passion at Second Chance School?
Karma: I was always fascinated by digital graphics and the virtual effects(VFX) being used in filmmaking. So, that’s why I chose to learn Graphic Designing. Hopefully, I get to master my skills in graphic design and then further my interest in VFX.
Topchen: Can you share a bit about what are the things that you have learnt at second chance school that you think you would have missed otherwise?
Karma: I was kind of lost before joining here with no motivation and drive to achieve something in my life. Only after joining Second Chance school, I could say I feel motivated or at least I know what I am interested in and what I want to learn and achieve from it.
I have learnt many new things here that I think I would have missed if it wasn’t for ENVISION and Ritinjali Second Chance school. I am forever grateful for that.
Topchen: Why do you think other Tibetans your age are not interested in Second Chance Programmes such as this?
Karma: I am not sure, but I think it may be because they feel shy to apply for such programmes. I think many of them are not aware of the opportunities that they would have from joining such programmes. I also think some of them may not be comfortable with phrases like ‘Second Chance’.
Topchen: Would you recommend this programme to your friends?
Karma: Yes, I would highly recommend this programme to all the young people like me, who have gone through the same situation and want to improve themselves. I think joining the Second Chance programme is one of the best decisions I have ever made.