School plays a big part in developing character. It helps build a student’s personality for the better, but sometimes when the method or environment of teaching isn’t apt, it impacts their education. My school, Riverside, not only encourages a study-driven atmosphere but provides comfortable surroundings to enhance the emotional quotient of every child. Citizenship advocates a quintessential stability between content and character.

In my previous school in Mumbai, the main focus was solely academics, though occasionally, we used to donate to specific causes or foundations. After coming to Riverside, I learned the true meaning of citizenship: taking ownership of being a citizen of this beautiful place and ensuring everyone can access their essential human rights.

Riverside has taught me how to learn citizenship. The “5E’s” consist of citizenship and Ethics, Empathy, Excellence, Elevation, and Evolution. The 5E’s help us understand citizenship and reflect on our day-to-day activities.

To implement this mindset, my school encourages experiments. We go through experiences like the Hunger Experience, in which we lead a typical day without food and water to understand what people who don’t have access to fundamental rights endure. Another is the Agarbatti Experience, where we make the sticks used in Indian Pooja for five hours, sitting on our haunches while people come and talk to us in a derogatory manner, to give us a glimpse into the way child laborers live.

The Riverside School is doing a tremendous job in developing our character. In my opinion, schools should implement the citizenship initiative worldwide to instill the aspect of kindness in kids’ lives, because children are the future. We are the future, and we should take all measures necessary to make this planet a better place for our generation.