Replenishing Self Care

Way to go! You have made it to the end of 2022 and you survived and, dare I say, thrived!  I don't know about you, but seeing the world "back to normal" and trying to live as if this pandemic still doesn't exist around us has shown me my endurance isn't quite back to what it used to be.  But we are all trying - we are showing up, doing all the things again and doing the best we can.  And if you showed up to your mat even once this year, I am so proud of you!  

Self care can and should look different to everyone.  What works for me will certainly be different than what works for you.  But Pilates will always be self care for every body who shows up.  With attention to detail, breath, flow, you will always feel as if you meditated and got a great workout in all at the same time.  Your mind and body will feel clear, energized and replenished. 

And with that, the holiday season is always a great reminder that self care and Pilates are not about weight loss and being as skinny as you can be.  They are both about nurturing the body you live in and giving it the love, movement, joy and breath that it deserves.  And that is what we will always be about here at Pilates On Demand.  

And as always, the first day of the month means it's time to check out the On Demand library for a whole new set of videos! I so hope you enjoy!

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This month, 20% of our proceeds goes to Child Rights and You India. 

 
In honor of our current trip to India, this month, it was important to us that we give back.  Child Rights and you (CRY) envisions a happy, healthy and creative child whose rights are protected and honored in a society that is built on respect for dignity, justice and equity for all.  Their mission: 1) take responsibility - to enable people to take responsibility for the situation of the deprived Indian child and so motivate them to seek resolution through individual and collective action thereby enabling children to realize their full potential, 2) mobilizing potential - to make people discover their potential for action and change, and 3) inspiring collective action - to enable peoples’ collectives and movements encompassing diverse segments, to pledge their particular strengths, working in partnership to secure, protect and honor the rights of India’s children.

CRY was born of a dream to ensure happier childhoods for all children.  In 1979, Rippan Kapur – an Indian Airlines purser – started CRY with 6 friends and just Rs. 50. Today, over 4 decades later, CRY works with 102 local NGOs across 19 states in India and has impacted the lives of over 3 million children.

CRY works with project partners at the grassroots level to create sustainable change for India’s children. Their approach is modeled around bringing change at all levels. With our support, they address children’s critical needs by working with parents, teachers, Anganwadi workers, communities, district and state level governments as well as the children themselves.  They focus on changing behaviors and practices at the grassroots level and influencing public policy at a systemic level – thereby creating an ecosystem where children are made the nation’s priority. They currently have 102 project partners across 19 states in India that work on various child rights issues.  

In 2021-2022, 908,479 children were impacted overall; 85% of children in CRY project areas, between the ages of 6-18 years, in school*In the 6-14 age group, our enrollment and retention rate are 15% better than the all India enrollment status, based on the ASER report; 86% children in CRY project areas, under the age of 5 years, prevented from malnutrition with only 17% children in CRY project areas underweight, as compared to 32% all India status as per NFHS 5; 99% of adolescent girls, in CRY project areas, between 11-18 years, protected from child marriage; 96% children, in CRY project areas, between the ages of 6-18 years, protected from child labor.  CRY endeavors to multiply the impact of every rupee spent by getting infrastructure and services from the state that benefit the entire community in perpetuity.  

At CRY, they advocate for children’s rights at multiple levels and influence policy by engaging with key stakeholders in the government: 1) Free and Compulsory Education for India's Children - CRY participated in the ‘Voice Of India’ campaign, as a part of the National Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education (NAFRE), to propose a constitutional amendment to the government for free and compulsory education to all children and as a result of the ‘Voice of India’ campaign, NAFRE contributed towards bringing in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009; 2) Member of Technical & Advisory Committees - CRY is recognized as a child rights expert and is a member of Niti Ayog’s sub-committee on ‘Child Rights and Child Protection’ and is also on the central advisory board on child and adolescent labor under the Ministry of Labour and Employment; 3) Providing Technical Support in Policy Making - CRY provided technical support to State governments in drafting the following policies: Chhattisgarh State Policy for Children, Manipur State Policy for Children, Jharkhand State Policy for Early Childhood Care and Education; 4) Sensitizing Policy Makers to the Needs of "Childescents" - CRY conducted an in-depth study, based on secondary data, on the status and needs of children between 15-18 years of age – the first of its kind that recognized those over the age of 14 as children as well. The resulting report, “Childescents In India: We Are Children too!” was presented to policy makers, academicians and practitioners.  It was also carried in the G20 Summit Summary Briefing Booklet. The G20 summit is a global economic summit of leaders from countries across the world; 5) Enabling Capacity Building of Government Officials on Child Rights - CRY makes submissions to various relevant ministries and statutory bodies, which has contributed towards system strengthening and capacity building of government officials on child education including early childhood care and development, elementary education as well as juvenile justice, child labour, child trafficking, child marriage and child sexual abuse.

To learn more about their incredible work, visit their website: https://www.cry.org/