December 5th is International Volunteers’ Day (IVD) and December 18th iVolunteer’s Birthday:) So from 5th to 18th, we at iVolunteer will target the volunteers of tomorrow – ‘students’, from 1st to 12th grade. We aim to inspire young minds and so we will reach out to schools – private, public and community driven – and work with students to instill in them both a sense of civic responsibility and how they can volunteer to act on it. We will complete this celebration by engaging students in volunteering acts that they will design for themselves.
In one of my interactions with the students at Rainbow Girls Home I started with asking what help (Sahaya in Kannada) means to them and what was 1 help they have done to someone starting this morning? Their answers were I put plat to that little girl, I helped my friend today by giving pencil, I helped my friend today by giving eraser and so on.. These reminded me of my good deed book, where to ensure that we write one good deed we gave pencil/scale/book eraser to someone on the day lol… by 5.15 I had high school kids joining in, who shared similar good deeds… I then drew a home a school and asked them apart from these which are other places around them, this then connected to park, hospitals, play grounds, Vidhan Soudha, Environment, zoo, Bus station, etc etc Then I asked so apart from school and home has any kid helped someone in these other places. Gave 2-3 simple examples of I helping a granny get down from bus. Got 2 answers of 1 girl Nowreen helping a disabled reach right office and blessing her good luck for her exam and other girl Geeta helping granny cross road who was scared to cross road and needed a help. I then gave them examples of how we can help blind, Hearing Impaired, kids, elders etc. Not to forget when I showed them alphabets in sign language, they were so excited that they requested me to teach them same. I said I would charge them fees which will be informed at end of today’s session:) A kid thought I would charge Rs 300 lol. Then started main activity the main topic i.e. civic issues.
I had 7 chits with me on Civic awareness:
1. No Spitting/Urinating in public places
2. Plant saplings
3. Walk on footpath
4. Help – Needy, differently able, Elderly
5. Clean Public park
6. Obeying Traffic Rules
7. Save Environment
We made 7 groups with group leaders from 7th to 10thstandard and asked them to make collage on 1 topic each. It took me good 15-20 mins to explain what is collage and what they need to do. This was first time they were doing a collage. 1 group leader was so scared about activity was she started cryingJ Went to each group, every group which started saying I have nothing about my topic in news papers to me making them understand how they could use pics and drawing available to making them understand their topic to final and very important the output… Yes each and every group creatively making their collageJ Check this out at Final Output
I was very happy seeing output. Prateek who came to pick me was chief guest to make them feel good about their efforts. All explained their collage and topic to group at large and their Prateek Bhaiyya…
The event ended with kids promising to take a step forward from “I helped someone with pencil/eraser/book” to “strictly following civic issues topics discussed and also volunteering atleast once in coming few months” and ya this also being my fees for teaching them A to Z in sign language in coming class:) BTW many kids grasped most of alphabets while I had showed it to them once…
Happy to see final impact, all this being managed with help from 2 staff members Sunita and Savitha who had kept all materials needed (News papers, scissors, fevicol bottle that replaced glue;), charts and sketch pens) ready before I reached:) Thanks to 2 Mothers Anuradha and Merlin for lovely tea/coffee and snacks:)
In Short I super loved my International Volunteer’s Day 2012 and looking forward to see volunteers doing few sessions in next few days at few schools and reach to many more kids:) Hats off to our iVolunteer team working tirelessly on this project and am super super happy to share that across India we reached to 13,000 kids through this initiative and am super happyyy to see so many Young Minds Getting Inspired:) Come join the Movement Of Inspiring Young minds to become responsible citizen and volunteer
Journey that started with these little angels by talking to them about Volunteering and Civic Awareness during my first visit to today have a special bond with these little angels who connect with me so well and ya they have learnt many words and alphabets in Sign Language To these little kids collage on their thoughts about Social Responsibility being displayed at Bengaluru Future – Horror or Hope event by Citizen Matters:) Memorable time:)
Adeos Amegos for now!!! Excited to inspire more young minds our future generation:)
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