Volunteers Feedback on Summer Camp

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“   When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things."

This is exactly what happened when the North Mumbai group came together for a summer camp. It was super fun with kids and a very memorable experience. Every child seemed to be so happy and excited, learning many new things. No one wanted to leave. We conducted many sessions to teach them how to get a better and safe life and more importantly helped them cope with such circumstances, turning everything negative into something positive that they can look forward to. These fun filled sessions enabled them to look at life positively and enjoy life to its best. Dance, Fancy dress, Music, theatre workshop and a session on child sexual abuse were among the things that the volunteers conducted. A memorable experience to gather knowledge, the camp was a very good platform to maintain the enthusiasm and recall the fun which a child can have with education.”

-Malvika Saini

Senior motion graphic artist

Volunteer since 2014.

Ø  “The summer camp was a pretty good experience for the volunteers as well as for the kids. I think the parents should also be invited to such events, as they drive their children into the future. The camp was a fun-filled experience and more such camps should be held for the children.”

Dewang Kamdar

Internal audit head at Parekh Integrated Services pvt. ltd.

Volunteer since 2015.

Ø  “The CRY summer camp gave me a chance to peek in my own childhood. It taught me to be humble and sincere for what life has given me. I see a lot of them growing up to achieve greater heights. I wish the best of life to kids and appreciate CRY for accepting me into their wonderful world.”

Kush Sharma

Research Scientist at Reliance Industries,

Volunteer since 2014.

Ø  “It was my privilege to be a part of the CRY summer camp. It was a fantastic experience where we got to know about kids and their dreams. Video clips were shown to the children on informative topics like cleanliness and child sexual abuse which will help kids to improve and stay alert. I look forward to participating more in CRY events.”

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Vijay Singh,

Manager, Chola MS general insurance
Volunteer since 2015.

Summer Fun 2015

200 children, 30 volunteers, 6 interns, 2 locations and 3 weekends

From last year CRY west VA started conducting summer camp for children. Last year it was one location and 80 children and this year we expanded, with help of volunteers and interns we were not able to just have fun activities but talk about some serious issues like child sexual abuse ,  health and hygiene; mad science experiments ,  child labour and education also touch base on motivational activities for children.

It was amazing to see how volunteers from different PAGS came together to help each other reach out to their friends and family to arrange for resource people to conduct sessions, we had professional dancers and their team , musicians , counsellors and theatre artists to help us

Philips supported us again this year to distribute bottle and Tiffin packs ; also sponsored food and stationary material for the summer camp. There 10 employees and senior officials also volunteered.

We conducted camp in Aeroli government school –  80 children were regular participants and on last day we had 120 children join us .

Jogeshwari with Aakar children – 80 children 

Modern Melody helped get professional musicians and singers to conduct sessions

Paper dance helped them understand if you work as a team you can always win 

Children understanding safe and unsafe touch 

We had coordinator from Child Line ( Anupama ) come and talk about good touch and bad touch and what to do in the difficult situation. Volunteers were divided among the children to make sure children understand the whole session. 

 Art and Craft workshop children learnt to make pen stand , quilling etc

Philips senior officials dressed as warrior by children in fashion show workshop 

Little dance and little exercise can make you healthy wealthy and wise ( North Mumbai PAG summer camp 

Theater workshop by Amey ( New Mumbai PAG)

Thank You to all volunteers , interns and CRY team it was not possible without their support


Volunteers                                              Interns
Suraj                                                      komal
Amey                                                    Prinson
Ajay                                                      Amrit
Suman                                                   Prithvi
Kush                                                      Ishita
Mohit
Ashish                                                    Maria
Rahul                                                    
Rahul
Suchi
Rashid
Bhakti
Pavitra
Surbhi
Madiha
chandani
Vijay
Anupama
Fatema
Nilesh
Hitakshi
Shweta
Neha
Malvika

Jogeshwari Community – Our Recalls

Jogeshwari Community – Our Recalls

Creating a balance and breaking the ice

We started with a motive of getting to know the community well by interacting with the kids. To make it attractive for them we preferred the mode of games. We also tried to get into showing them alphabets and numbers but we realised getting someone introduced to these basics required sustained efforts and most of the kids used to mix up the alphabets and numbers.

The group therefore started to tell them about shapes and even more basic “holding the pencil”.

The response was good for this activity and kids loved to colour and draw shapes.

The level of knowledge & way of communication

Moving ahead we felt that we had a good mix of kids of various age groups and we were telling them the same things. As a result some found it too naïve or for some it was above their level.

The group then decided to split the kids into groups and the volunteers also started interacting with the groups and spoke to them as per their level.

We employed games, origami, storytelling, dance and acting as our mode of communication.

A good innovation was BINGO number game a customised version of housie to get used to numbers

Motivation for enrolment in schools

After spending some time in the community we now had our next target getting the kids go to school. However it was not possible without the engagement of the parents in our program.

We planned a pseudo enrolment drive and invited the parents. There we explained the importance of education and noted down the names of kids who wished to attend the school.

The kids were divided into groups and a volunteer was assigned to each group to mentor them.

Are our plans working?

After the school session started we came to know that the attendance is poor in school. It was a setback as we had worked hard and got everyone aboard.

Our group therefore proposed the following strategy:

1.       Getting the attendance collected from school every 15 days and emailed to all. So that each mentor can actually figure the exact situation.

2.       Allotment of an intern to keep moving the initiative on weekdays.

We did our best before the festive season to get the kids to school. Our group members even visited the community in the mornings and evenings to take them to school personally or to discuss the issues.

We even visited the schools and discussed the problems with headmaster to figure out a solution.

The attendance improved but still was not impressive.

What to do we feel stuck?

After a break of two months when we resumed our activities we felt stuck. We felt we are doing the same activities that we were doing few months back.

We really had to decide what to do we want? Are we teachers or just mentors?

The group decided to give it a fresh start and we started with teaching them basics. Like alphabets and numbers. We used blackboard, chalk to make the session more interactive.

The result looks to be better this time.

Getting closer

We decided to celebrate Diwali with the community this year. All of us who could make it went to the community, lit diyas, made rangolis and spread love.

We wanted to make them feel special and we hope we have succeeded. We have made some changes by being more closer to children and they hear our basic instructions on health and hygiene,  taking bath etc. they show the excitement of us being there and doing various activities. 

The Road Ahead

We wish to inspire and motivate them to realise the importance of education and try to get most of them to school.

The Thorns:

1.       Kids have a habit of begging.

2.       No one to take care of a small kid at home so the elder one misses school.

3.       Kids work and support their family so making them attend school increases burden on the other earning members.

4.       Lack on constant motivation for education.

5.       Volunteer availability.

Thorns which we can pluck:

1.       We came across a kid who was brilliant and needed tution for English. We managed it in the end somehow but we can have something better for them or else whats the use of motivation.

2.       We should filter our bright kids and run some scholarships or lets say a scheme where if a kid attends 75% in a year the parents get some money. This will reduce their financial burden will more willing to make the kids to go to school.

3.       We should have a permanent member to take care of the activities we do and we act as enablers.

4.       The permanent member should collect various datas and inform our group weekly. We never know the exact situation and our impact. We make guesses.

5.       We should let them if there is some scheme under which small kids can be taken care of like a day crèche which allows the other one to go to school.

Special Applause:

Rashmi’s friend Katyayani has really helped us in a great way by taking up the tuition responsibilities of the kid in need of it. Her efforts will surely help him ahead.

We the team:

Kaustubh, Malvika, Siddhartha, Abhishek, Ananya, Rashmi, Hitakshi, Sudeepta, Kavita Ghosh,  Kavita More, Priyanshi, Avanish and the new volunteers.

Introducing Bandra Group

The group started small with 4 people and  started learning more about volunteering by talking to other PAG members and helped New Mumbai group with summer camp helped in Click Rights campaign.

Now it was their time to start our community work.  They had 2 training sessions on dos and don’t s of the community work plus the ECCE. 

The group then decided to start the awareness programme with a small skit on the issue of immunization. Simple information of immunization can bring lot of change in the thinking of the community. So the skit was finalized and the day was decided for the big Nukkad Naatak

Practice Practice Practice

They were all going crazy learning dialogues sequence of the play and got lot of help from New Mumbai Volunteers. The Big Day came with lot of excitement they assembled community members and start performing within seconds they had a crowd to hear them.

It was wonderful feeling of getting people reaction of staying and listening to the volunteers. With every reaction and scream we gained our confidence to scream out loud our dialogues and reach out to as many as they could.

They  performed the street play in two places  in the community

Ravi Bandra Volunteer experience “It isn’t always that we get time from the hustle bustle of life and spend it to cheer other faces. Fortunately, we at CRY ‘Bandra’ - a relatively naive group in years but full of enthusiasm in ideas – happened to enlighten the Kherwadi Community at Bandra East on the importance of immunization and vaccination on the 12th of October, 2014.

They say “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one”. Pondering days on when to enact the skit on immunization in the Community, we were getting a bit late. And we finally met on 11thOctober – a three hour preparation – and all set to rock. We needed to act!!

The skit was performed at two places in the community and the response, we humbly state, was commendable. One could overhear “ You people should keep coming; no matter polio immunization has been taken care of in this country at large”. Ah! We were talking of smiles, right! How about seeing the happiness of the children through the day’s pics!!

The Bandra Team was guided by the veterans Abha Mam and Ravindra Sir along with the fantastic members of Navi Mumbai group comprising Sagar, Amey, Suman and Ajay. The participants from Bandra group were : Mohit, Madiha Yash, Rahul, Akshay, Ravi 1 and Ravi 2.

We tried our best to pass on the message to the audience of leading a healthy life, to be extra vigilant on immunization and vaccination front.

The whole group eagerly awaits our further tasks which include teaching kids on a regular weekend basis, health care among others.

Video link -- Nukkad Naatak Video

Culminating Ujjawal's 2500 km ride.

Christopher Morley once said, "The bicycle,  surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets". So, for Ujjawal’s efforts, we can surely say that it is also the vehicle of an enthusiastic volunteer set out on a journey to show that he cares

On Sunday morning of 29^th June, - Finally Ujjwal was here in Mumbai after his month long journey the Mumbai VA team with volunteers were eagerly waiting for him at Bandra so that he can cover his last patch with us . Lake City Peddlers  and Bandra Cycle group with 40 cyclist cycled around and supported the child rights issue 

The second leg of culmination was office welcome for Ujjwal 

Mumbai location was very eager to meet Ujjwal hear his story and know what was going in his mind while deciding this journey and completing it as wel on time 

A weather worn and content Ujjawal entered the office to be greeted by a thunderous round of applause. A surprise in store was waiting for him, his parents had been invited for the event as well. He was mildly flustered and greatly happy meeting them.

The event commenced with a welcome address by Abha Duggal, after that there was a short movie on Ujjawal’s trip. Mr.  Chandrashekhar Ponda , GM HO HR  gave a short speech and presented him a scrapbook that summarized his entire journey and contained hundreds of congratulatory messages.  He and his cycle companion were also felicitate with plaque. Ujjawal shared his experiences with everyone, and replied to all the questions put that were asked. Ujjawal’s   father also spoke about Ujjawal’s ride.

Ujjwal welcomes with standing ovation and claps in Mumbai office 

Many aptly utilized the opportunity to click photos with Ujjawal and his cycle. Then came the most awaited lunch session, a potluck had been planned which had each person bring something special from home that was to be shared to everyone else. The lunch break was an happy, sumptuous affair with people scuttling between tables to try and taste all the delicious dishes.

Lastly, a HANGOUT session at 3:00 pm was conducted inviting the volunteers from all over India to discuss their experiences with Click Rights event and pose questions to Ujjawal.

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All’s well that ends well

All good things come to an end. So did the summer camp that was organized by CRY for the students of Chattarpati Rajayshree Shahu Maharaj Vidyalaya. Guess who joined the students on the last day. Their parents! The parents and students seemed to eagerly wait to find out what was in store for them on the last day.

After welcoming the parents, Amey started the ice-breaking session. He made a few students stand in a row and asked them to switch between emotions at the snap of his fingers. One moment the students roared with laughter, snap and then they were hysterically sobbing, of course just pretending to sob. It got even more interesting when the parents were randomly chosen to do the same. One parent had to make the sound of a pressure cooker whistle, while another had to stick out their tongue and say oh ai, all this to the cue of students’ “Lights, camera, action!”

Next came Modern Melody’s session on singing. After 3 sessions of practicing, it was time for the students to flaunt their musical skills in front of their parents. The students faced their parents and filled the room with Aashayeinand Mera bhi toh adhikaar hai in their booming voices. The parents were overjoyed at their kids belting out the songs with confidence.

Summer camp is not just about fun, but also about learning. Sticking to that agenda, CRY volunteer Suman and Kush informed the audience about adulteration and its ill effects. The presentation began with fun interaction with the kids and the parents. They were shown fake toffees and real ones and were asked to differentiate between the two. The chocolate experts easily recognised the fake ones. They were also told about milk, pulses and other common food items that are adulterated; and were given pointers to avoid buying such adulterated products.

Children and Parents are looking at samples of chocolates and tofees and identifying asli and nakli

 

 

 

Towards the end of the event, the principal of the school expressed her gratitude towards CRY for organizing the camp for the students.

 

A peppy video presentation on the summer camp followed the principal’s speech. From the crafts session to the singing session, everything that was covered in the four weekend classes was highlighted in the presentation. The kids cheered and applauded at the end of the presentation.

The event came to an end with the distribution of organic holi colours and (Funskool’s) Lego blocks to all the students.

Prapti’s mother expressed, “It was an innovative camp. The children have hugely benefitted from it. When it is difficult to acquire skills such as quilling without spending significantly, CRY gave an opportunity to learn it without the worry of burning our pockets. ” She even added that this camp should be conducted every year. Mahadevi’s mother said, “My daughter enjoyed attending the camp. It was very convenient to have the camps on Saturday. Thank you, CRY.”

Arti Kate gleefully said, “I loved this camp. I loved all tais and dadas. They helped me make beautiful kandils.” Nagesh frankly added, “Before attending the camp, I thought it will be boring but it wasn’t boring! We would love to come again.”

The students who had become quite attached to the bhaiyas and didis came up to them and thanked them individually before leaving.

 

#Ride4ChildRights

 Ujjawal Chauhan, IIT-Kharagpur student and ardent CRY Volunteer is        embarking on what his friends are calling the 'Madness Project' but   we at CRY and Ujjawal see it as a unique #Ride4ChildRights. Join Ujjawal, his cycle and camera as they travel across 4 states and 2500 kms to capture the reality of children in #India to raise awareness and funds to end child labour. Stay tuned for more photos and pledge your support for Ujjawal here : http://bit.ly/1tJUrUo

Ujjawal Tumblr: http://ujjawal-ride4childrights.tumblr.com/  Here you will find Ujjawal’s updates and Photos along his journey being documented on a  daily  basis

Ujjawal bitgiving: http://bitgi.co/stopchildlabour  This is Ujjawal’s bitgiving page where he will be raising funds for CRY through his journey.

CRY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRYINDIA

The link where you can collect the badge for Ujjawal. http://www.picbadges.com/badge/3651545/