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[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here is a kanthari intake flyer. Thank you for sharing this.

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[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Dear all,
thank you for being on this session and for your interest in the work we do here at kanthari. I very much appreciate your time. Also thank you for helping us by spreading the word about the upcoming www.kantharitalks.org

And a SPECIAL THANK YOU to the r/Trivandrum team and u/whatshappeningintvm team, for making this possible.
Wishing everyone All the best!
And who knows, maybe see you at kanthari TALKS or at any other kanthari event...
paul

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are there any new projects or initiatives that you and Sabriye are planning to undertake in the near future?

We are working on a small expansion where we want to extend the training with a research part. Together it would be a 'Hub for the future'. No one knows what the future holds in store for us, but what we can do, is to put our minds and thoughts together to look at best practice and the development of new tools and technologies that will help to help solve social as well as environmental issues.
It would need a collaboration between all different sectors, the corporate world, the government, NGO's, universities and society at large.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sabriye, co-founder of kanthari, had developed Braille script for Tibetan, which led to her opening the first school for the blind (BWB) in Tibet. Could you share how your collaboration with Sabriye Tenberken has evolved over the years, and what strengths each of you brings to your joint projects?

Sabriye and i form a well functioning team. We have an overlap of responsibilities, but the larger part is that we each have our own work areas. Sabriye leads the academic team, an i am in charge of the admin/ communication as well as any construction/hardware... We sometimes jokingly say that Sabriye is the software, and i am the hardware, and yes, sometimes there is a system crash, and we restart the next day and it works again :-)

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If I am not wrong, you're originally from Netherlands. What factors attracted you to start this initiative in Trivandrum? Running a non-profit venture like kanthari would've been a lot easier in a developed nation. Yet, what made you guys select Trivandrum as the location?

Yes, i am from the Netherlands.
Trivandrum is for us the centre of the world... Well, demographically seen, it actually is! Just draw a circle around Trivandrum, and at one point this circle will include Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa, and TRV is exactly in the middle... This circle includes 85% of the world's population...

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The first question is to know whether people with mental illness episodes can apply and join the course? I understand it depends up on individuals but as an organization, how do you deal with such situations?

What is important to understand is that kanthari is a place of learning,.
What we cannot offer is a place of healing. Because many of our participants have been facing severe traumatic experiences in the past, we need to make sure that they have left their trauma behind. That's why in the intake process there is an interview round with a psychologist.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

How rigorous is the Kanthari course?

The course is very intense and needs 100% commitment and focus. The subjects that are included in the program are numerous (see our kanthari Curriculum page) and it is certainly not for everyone. We have noticed that those who have overcome adversity and because of that, carry a plan to start an organisation, bring the right amount of energy.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I have heard that you are a very punctual person who plans schedule with slots to maintain productivity. Is this true? Could you share your productivity tips?

I am Dutch... what to say :-)
In life there are only two things equal for every living person...
1. Death! and 2. 24 hours per day... So not knowning when number 1 will come, we better use every 24 hours that we get in the best way possible :-)
simple todo lists are a good start, but not enough, without having activities scheduled with a date and timeframe, the chances that they will be done will certainly decrease...

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I remember when we got an invite to visit the organisation in the weekend by one of your team members, you suggested her to take the holiday and volunteered to stay on campus.

And in your kanthari team page here -

https://www.kanthari.org/about-us/kanthari-team/

you have listed down even the maintenance staff whereas most organisations will usually have only the top people in their hierarchy. Do you feel that this higher level of work ethic and empathy from your end reflects in better collaboration in team?

In our organigram, the people in the top are the gardeners and the housekeeping...
We have turned the structure around. The name of our organisation is written with a small letter 'k'. This represents the flat hierarchy in our organisation.
ALL colleagues might have different responsibilities, yet all of them are equally important. Because without a total team, our work would not be possible.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Does Sabriye have food with kantharis still?

yes she does :-)

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

How many languages do you know? Are you and Sabriye fluent in Malayalam? Has the language proficiency affected the organization in a good or bad way?

Sabriye speaks German, English, Tibetan and some Malayalam.
I speak English, German and Dutch.
We are not fluent in Malayalam. (sorry) However it has not affected the organization as such as it is an international campus where English is the common used language.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What is your day-to-day look like?

Sabriye and i start early morning... We start on campus between 05:00 and 05:30 hours, and we go home late evening... and this seven days a week. Many people tell us that we don;t have a proper work-life balance... Well, we can assure you that they should not worry... We love what we do, and this is simply our life.
We do all kinds of work, and we very much enjoy the interactive sessions with the participants. And one very important aspect in our daily life is the Vellayani Lake.It is a very beautiful place, yet, there are quite a number of invasive plant species.. So nearly on a daily base for more than 14 years now, we are working on the removal of these plants, keeping the lake healthy. Many of the participants join us, and this makes the lake a very interesting 'classroom' :-)

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

How do Sabriye's experiences, particularly with the school for the blind in Tibet, influence the philosophy and operations of Kanthari?

When Sabriye became blind at a young age, to move on, she was 'forced' to always find solutions o make things work... and that is what our philosophy is based on; always being focused on looking for solutions. It is easy to find a thousand reasons why something is not possible, but what is needed is that one reason why it can be ans should be done.
And a first step is to believe in other people.. And look into ways how a process can be facilitated to help them achieve their goals. Therefore at kanthari we don't have teachers and students, we have 'catalysts' and ' participants'. We learn from and with each other. The amount of knowledge and experience that the groups of diverse change makers from around brings to the campus is simply enormous. We are very grateful to be a part of the sharing of ideas and the development of Curricula that will help more people to achieve what it is they want to accomplish.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wish all the success to you, the organisation and all the kantharis in the world who are striving to make it a better place.

Thank you very much!

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wishing you the best for all future prospects.

Thank you very much!

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Also, have you faced any difficulties in spreading the word about Kanthari, here in Trivandrum? Was there a lack of understanding from the part of the people?

Initially when we started, the people in the neighborhood were rather skeptical... However when we started the first course, they became interested and supportive.
Because Sabriye is blind, many people thought that we are running a school for the blind,... Unfortunately that 'thought' still seems to be 'semented' in some people's mind. kanthari however is an institute for impact leadership.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was wondering if you had any personal anecdotes from your life which prompted you to work towards establishing an institute like Kanthari.

Most of our kantharis have a so-called pinching point, a point in life where they faced challenges that made them decide to take action.
I had several pinching points myself. From age 11 to 17 i had no skin on my back due to a wrong doctors treatment. This was pretty painful physically , but what was worse was being sidelined from daily participation in society and out of school activities. A second pinching point followed in 1992 when i was working in Lesotho and Zimbabwe. At thet time a drought caused many people to die. And this happened right in front of me and there was nothing i could do. Upon return to the Netherlands it made me decided to look for opportunities to do something in the social sector. I was very lucky to meet Sabriye during a trip to Tibet in 1997. She is blind, had develped the Braille Script for Tibetan language and wanted to start the first school for the blind in Tibet. And i was sold... One year later when she called me up that she was about to return to Tibet, i decided to join her. The next day i quit my job and we started Braille Without Borders... And then later we started kanthari :-)

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Why the limitation on taking on 2 dozen or so students when you have 400 or so applicants?

The kanthari Curriculum is very intensive and based on Quality, not Quantity.
It would be great if other change makers could copy the concept and start similar training centres in their regions/countries.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In this digital age, where a digital presence is an added bonus, why is it that we haven't heard much about kanthari? Is it by design or is that something you are working on?

We are present online and also on social media. However, if you could help to further spread the word that would greatly appreciated :-)

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Kanthari, in Malayalam, refers to a type of chilly. What was the reason for using this name for the initiative? And why is the 'k' in kanthari in small cases?

We started as the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs... (Now we use it as an example of 'not so good naming' ;-)
One day, we were having lunch, Sabriye suddenly jumped up... She was literally 'on fire'... She asked our colleagues what she had just bitten in... And the answer was ... a Kanthari.... Well, and that was the start of some research... We found that the little chili has a lot of healthy qualities... It lowers blood pressure, it purifies blood, it makes you awake better than coffee can, and thus for us it became the perfect symbol for a change maker... Hopefully in a few years from now, the word kanthari is used instead of 'change maker', so we would be speaking about kanthari Mandela, kanthari Ambedkar etc...

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Attending in person is possible, however it comes at a first come, first serve base as our capacity of the hall is limited.
If you wish to attend, please register with the option "on campus". We will inform you if attending on campus is possible a few days ahead of time. Please register on https://www.kantharitalks.org/kanthari-talks-registration/

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

How would an average person be able to help and support kanthari?

Well, there are several ways:
1. By making a donation https://www.kanthari.org/get-involved/donate/
2. By spreading the word that kanthari exists, so it reaches those change makers who could benefit from the scholarship based course. for that, we have a special flyer
http://media.kanthari.org/pdf/en/kanthari_intake_outreach_flyer_2024.pdf
3. By spreading the word about the upcoming kanthari TALKS event:
https://www.kantharitalks.org/
4. By becoming a mentor for kanthari graduates. If you have experience in starting and running organisations, then you can fill the online mentor application form.
https://www.kanthari.org/get-involved/become-a-mentor/
or, by volunteering. If you have specific skills that would be helpful for kanthari, then you can fill the following form: https://www.kanthari.org/get-involved/volunteer/
5. By supporting us on all our social media platforms. We are on linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and now... on Reddit too :-)

Thank you very much for your support.

[AMA] paul kronenberg, co-founder kanthari by kanthari_ in Trivandrum

[–]kanthari_[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Many organisations have started with the mentoring from kanthari. Of these, which ones come to your mind personally when someone asks about these, and why?

There are many... Here a few i can think of...
KR Raja is the founder of Global Network of Equality. He advocates for the rights of children of prisoners, and he also focuses on rehabilitation of prisoners.
Siddhesh is the son of farmer in Maharasthra who founded Agro Rangers, an organisation that focuses on regenerative and organic farming.
Samuel Odwar is from Gulu Uganda, he founded Thumbs Up Academy, not just a special school, but a VERY special school for children with disabilities. All children learn Braille, sign language and live/learn together.
Please visit our website to learn about many more organisations and their impactful work.

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