Tarun (name changed) had been sexually abused, lacked confidence and was struggling to communicate when Soar Revolution took him into its folds. His eight-year association with the youth wing of Assembly of God Church has been a life-changer. The 26-year-old now shares his story with other children to help them through dark times.
Sewell Munro, a Class XI student of The Assembly of God Church School, Park Street, was an angry young man with few friends. But music, moral teachings and an occasional game of football have helped the Cristiano Ronaldo fan calm down.
Soar Revolution has changed many a life with music, football and value education classes, where youngsters are lent a patient ear and a helping hand.
"Some of the people who joined Soar Revolution were high on drugs and found freedom after coming here, some had been so lonely that they attempted suicide. We got them connected to different young people and they found hope to live. There are some who had walked in as weak students, low on confidence, but they were helped to improve," said Jacob Mathew, the director of Soar Revolution.
Tarun was a student of The Assembly of God Church School, Tollygunge, and had friends in the Park Street branch of the school who invited him to their campus every Sunday evening. "They played music and I really love music a lot, I got hooked," said the Tyler Perry fan. "They would also discuss various topics and the moral instructions had me motivated. I was again able to grasp who I was."
Music is at the heart of activities at Soar Revolution. The youth wing of Assembly of God Church has been hosting programmes called Soar Live every weekend for the past nine years.
"Around seven years ago, we thought of forming Soar Revolution because we felt the need for holistic education. Our goal is the same as that of The Assembly of God Church School - to build a better India. We want to make sure the students become good moral citizens with right values and they become great achievers in all aspects of life. This is also a platform where we challenge the students to take a pledge and say no to drugs and suicide and maintain a healthy lifestyle," Mathew said.
Soar Revolution holds programmes at schools and colleges and imparts lessons on values and self-esteem. The 80-odd volunteers also help students understand issues such as human trafficking, how to handle stress and how to be good citizens.
"We often come across students who seem happy, but if you sit down and talk with them you realise they have a lot of problems that they can't share with anybody. We create a safe environment where young people are not afraid to express themselves," said Phillip Harris of Soar Revolution.
The weekend programmes are attended by around 300 people, aged 18 to 35. Soar Revolution also hosts annual events such as Rave (Radical And Vibrant Encounters), a youth fest, Elevate, a music concert, and Soar Street Soccer, a two-day football tournament for youths aged 16 to 25.
"Calcuttans' hearts beat for football and we thought it would be easy to connect with students through the game. We have also found encouragement from the likes of Jose Ramirez Barreto and Ranti Martins who visit us," Mathew said.
This year's Soar Street Soccer, in its third edition, will be held on June 20-21. "Soar Street Soccer is a five-a-side football tournament played on concrete, hence the name 'street soccer'. There were 10 teams in the first year, 14 in the second year and this time we have 18," said Rohan Satyavrata, a volunteer with Soar Revolution who came up with the idea of the tournament.
Several schools, including St. Xavier's Collegiate School, La Martiniere for Boys, The Frank Anthony Public School and AG School, Park Street, take part in the tournament.
Liam Bain, who passed out of Frank Anthony Public School this year and received the best player award in the inaugural edition of Soar Street Soccer, says the tournament is very close to his heart.
"Our school won the first two editions and remained unbeaten. I thoroughly enjoy the tournament as the atmosphere is amazing, especially under the floodlights. It's not like a mainstream tournament. It's played on a cemented pitch and the commentary from the sidelines adds to the fun. Overall it's a unique experience," said the No. 10.
Donnawyn Savyell, 19, is a promising footballer who would keep to himself when he took part in Soar Street Soccer in its first year. But his association with the Soar Revolution gang helped him open up. The left winger now plays for Parsi Club and loves spending time with friends when he isn't dreaming of making it to a big club.
