Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra (BGVK) organized an engaging and innovative Bal Panchayat Awareness Programme at Pimpalgaon Ujjaini and other villages in Ahmednagar district. Implemented under the Remedial Education and Development project generously supported by BoscoNet, this initiative represents strategic investment in empowering vulnerable children and systematically nurturing their leadership potential—building the next generation of socially conscious, democratically engaged citizens. Child participation represents a revolutionary concept in many rural communities—one that challenges traditional hierarchies where children's lives are determined entirely by adult decisions. Bal Panchayats generate benefits extending far beyond individual child development:
Amplifying Child Voice in Decision-Making By creating formal structures for child participation, Bal Panchayats ensure children's perspectives genuinely influence community and school decisions. Child leaders can present issues to school administration, village panchayats, and government officials Bal Panchayats provide experiential learning in democratic governance. Children learn how to articulate issues, debate proposals, build consensus, hold colleagues accountable, and make decisions collectively When children develop voice and participate in community decisions, exploitation becomes more difficult. Child labor, child marriage, gender discrimination, and violence are more easily perpetrated against children whose voices are silenced. BGVK's Bal Panchayat programme at Pimpalgaon Ujjaini and other villages involved: BGVK conducted awareness sessions with children explaining Bal Panchayat concept, democratic processes, and opportunities for participation. These sessions ensured children understood they would have genuine decision-making authority, not merely symbolic roles.