The Children’s Parliament is an initiative within the community where children, through informal elections, take on various leadership roles. It serves as a platform for children to come together and discuss issues they face, both individually and within their peer groups. These discussions are facilitated under the supervision of the SPAN team. If any concerns raised are deemed serious, they are escalated for appropriate action.

The forum encourages open dialogue, amplifies children's voices, and raises awareness about their rights and needs. It also fosters the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills. In some cases, children are supported in taking their demands further, such as advocating for the creation of community resources like football grounds, by engaging with local municipalities.

The Children’s Parliament holds weekly meetings and operates in all districts where SPAN is active. The Children’s Parliament consists of two houses: the Lower House, named ‘Ankur,’ which includes children aged 11 to 14, and the Upper House, named ‘Kishalaya,’ comprising children aged 15 to 18.

The goal of this program is to empower youth in local communities by providing access to knowledge and opportunities that inspire personal growth and foster responsible, active participation in society. It targets young people aged 14 to 25 from all districts where SPAN operates.

In each community, participants are organized into four sub-groups: Agriculture, Migrant Labor, Married Women under 25, and Students currently pursuing education in schools or colleges. These groups are designed to facilitate shared learning and exchange of experiences, helping each participant grow and contribute meaningfully to their community.

Activities carried out under this program are:

1. Knowledge Sharing: Sharing information and knowledge based on people's socio-economic backgrounds through meetings and discussions. This helps them learn about opportunities available and discover their interests and potential.
2. Providing Access: SPAN helps individuals access institutional support and entitlements, enabling youth to pursue skill development training and benefit from government schemes and support.
3.  Skill Training: SPAN operates skill training centers in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, and Jalpaiguri for youth aged 18-25. These centers offer vocational training in fields such as beautician services and computer skills. The training programs last for six months, and upon completion, participants receive a certificate.
4. Employment Opportunities: Career counselling and personality development training are provided to help individuals enhance their professional skills. Additionally, employment initiatives are actively pursued by connecting youth with potential employers and job placement opportunities.
5. Responsible Citizenship: Through interactions and training, youth are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and actively contribute to the development and empowerment of their communities.
6. Climate Action: Youth in the communities are made aware of environmental issues through training sessions on topics like waste segregation, waste management, and green practices for daily life. These sessions are followed by action, where youth participate in cleanliness drives, recycling, tree plantation, and other initiatives. They are also encouraged to promote these practices within their communities. The aim is to foster environmental awareness and encourage sustainable habits among youth. Monthly meetings of the Youth Council help decide climate action activities and interventions.

Narishakti (Women Council) is platform women, irrespective of caste, creed, and community, who are industrious to change her life situation and in the process become role model for others.

This program is designed for women aged 25-35 in the regions where SPAN operates. Its goals are threefold: first, to encourage greater participation of women in the economic workforce. Second, to aid their economic empowerment so that they are aware about their rights and are able to negotiate for fair wages. And third, to enhance their socio-economic capabilities, fostering their involvement in local governance and ensuring their representation in socio-political and development processes.

Activities carried out under this program are:

1. Capacity building and Handholding support to access their rights and entitlements: As part of the program, informative sessions are organized to raise awareness among women about various issues and opportunities. Regarding opportunities, the sessions provide information on entitlements, government schemes, the functioning of panchayats, and women’s role in these processes. On the issue side, women are sensitized on topics such as health, nutrition, childcare, development, and domestic violence. To further support these discussions, the program offers training and assistance to help women access their entitlements and address the issues they face effectively.
2. Capacity Building for Livelihood: Training sessions and interactions are organized to help women explore livelihood opportunities aligned with their interests and the available resources. Based on community needs and opportunities, relevant training programs are also offered. Additionally, support is provided to help women access government schemes to establish their own enterprises. SPAN primarily delivers these training sessions or facilitates connections to suitable opportunities that meet the women’s needs. Training areas include agriculture (e.g., vermicomposting), animal husbandry, tailoring, beautician services, healthcare (General Duty Assistant), personality development, and more.
3. Enabling Employment: Once women successfully complete their training and acquire the necessary skills for employment, SPAN provides support by connecting them with potential employers. For example, when a woman completes training in beautician services, she is linked to a beauty parlour for job opportunities.

PHULJHURI is the Creche Program for the children of 6 months - 3 Years of age group from the families where parents particularly mothers are engaged as informal workers and deprived from creche facilities for their children either from the employers of the government. SPAN runs 3 Creches for 90 children of tea garden labourers Kilkotte, Kalagatti and Washabari Tea gardens of Jalpaiguri District. These creches are organised in collaboration with respective Tea Garden Management. SPAN also Run 1 Creche at New Town, Kolkata for 20  children of urban informal labourers in collaboration with NKDA.

Gender based division of work assigns mothers, and in her absence other female members of the household, the responsibility of childcare. As a result, women, especially the poor and marginalized ones, bear the triple burden of housework, care work and paid work. Towards operationalizing the women led development SPAN runs these crèches in its operational area particularly in Jalpaiguri Tea Gardens  and Newtown Rajarhat, Kolkata.

Each of the creches under PHULJHURI Program have trained caregivers and teachers who provides following services to the children and parents for their optimum development.

1. Nutrition support
   • Providing meals 3 times a day (Breakfast, Lunch and evening snacks).
   • Children below normal grade are provided extra diet.
2. Health & Safety Measure
   • Monthly Doctor’s checkup and further interventions as advised by the Doctor.
   • Height weight monitoring and health card maintenance.
   • Capacitating with parents regarding hygeine and healthy habits.
   • Immunization tracking as per age.
   • Maintaining food chart.
3. Educational – Theme and Curriculum based Learning
   • Creche :- Khelpitara and other physical activities , cultural activities like music and dance.
   • Balwadi :- Me and my family, My family and house, domestic animal, wild animal, bird, plant, cultural activities like music and dance.
4. Community engagement & Parental Environment 
   • Regular FGD and meetings with parents,
   • Taking care of pregnant mothers.
   • Administering polio and other vaccines.
   • Days observation including parents.
   • 'Sathi Samuha' meeting.
   • Involved the parents with the help of youth volunteers in decorating the center.

SPAN could able to engage 10 Youth leaders who identified 182 child labourers from 6 Wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Youth leaders through regular educational sessions with identified child labourer could ensure regular school attendance of 129 child labourers. Youth and women councils are in process of formulation in these slums while the local schools are also connected with the process through conducting Jeevan Path sessions.

SPAN also have taken joint initiative with District Child Protection Unit of Kolkata to form Ward level Child Protection committees in 9 wards of Kolkata Municipal corporation.

Sensitization and awareness on prevention of child labour was  organised at community, local schools and with local citizen forum.

SPAN developed a community based child protection System in 5 Tea Gardens of Batabari 1 No GP of Matiali Block of Jalpaiguri district with the help of local Youth Councils and Woment Councils. The local Women and youth council could identify 400  cases of child trafficking in last 5 Years in 80 percent of cases they were able to push forward the process of rescue, rehabilitation and follow up.

Local Youth councils and selected 25 youth leaders were oriented and trained on the issue of child protection and state child protection system. They have taken lead role in formation of Village Level Child Protection Committees in different villages. They are in process of regular tracking of children through JEEVAN-PATH sessions in schools and children group Sessions.

SPAN is focussing on facilitating leadership among local youth and women in every villages of its operational area through formation of Youth and women councils. Selected Youth council leaders are mobilised and trained as CHILD RIGHTS DEFENDERS. Child Right Defenders are capacitated on the functional and operational areas of state child protection system which includes Integrated Child Protection System / Mission Vatsalya and all its local level provisions and services.

Child Rights Defenders along with local youth councils organise orientation of school Teachers, Students, Panchayat members, Village/Ward Child Protection Committees on the issue of Child Protection.

Child rights defenders regularly track the children of their respective villages through Home visit, JEEVAN-PATH sessions in schools, PATH-O-CHAKRA sessions in school, and Children Group/Child Club Meeting at Schools and community. Information or identification of the cases of Child Labour, Missing children, Child Abuse, Child Marriage is done through this process.

Village or Ward level Child Protection committee or Panchayat/Municipal Counsellor are informed about the cases of unprotected children by the Child Rights Defender and the case take on immediately for further rescue and rehabilitation action.
The Police, Block Welfare Officer, School Teachers are informed about the cases as per requirement
to take necessary action. The local youth councils through Child rights defenders follow up the cases.