MPower
Magic Academy in association with Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM) under Social Justice Department, Government of Kerala, given free magical training camp for the differently abled children of our society titled –Anuyatra. 23 children affected with various disorders like Autism, Cerebral palsy, mental disorders and other learning disabilities were selected as the brand ambassadors of the campaign. They were given continuous training in magic.
On the debut performance itself children displayed their talents before the dignitaries which include Vice President of India, Governor and Chief Minister of Kerala. The young performers were given standing ovation by the entire one present at the Theatre. By breaking all protocol procedures Vice President of India and other dignitaries went on to the stage and congratulated the budding magicians.
It was our thought that it’s not fair to leave these children at a half way stage. In 2017, Magic Academy has opened a permanent centre, MPower, for these children at Magic Planet situated at the capital city of Kerala state, Thiruvananthapuram. It’s for the first time in the entire world a permanent magical performance centre is opened for the differently abled children. Now the centre imparts employment to differently abled children in a mode that they can earn their daily bread for their family members. Now these children are highly motivated and they feel recognized.
Child Development Centre (CDC), Government of Kerala, evaluated the program and assessed the impact of the initial program on these children. The assessment found that the program had several positive results on the children. According to the CDC report, the Mpower program helped these children and their parents in improving the mental health status and social development. The report also recommended that the pilot effort be replicated to reach larger numbers of specially abled children.