“Thousands of candles can be lit from a
single lit candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness
never decreases on being shared”
– Buddha
Have you ever seen a labourer and wondered
if his children would ever be educated? Have you ever had the zeal to bring
about a change in society but not given the necessary platform for it? If yes,
then U&I gives you that platform where you can be, and make the change you
desire!
This summer U&I, staying true to its tag-line
of a making a difference, is doing its bit to bring about a change in the lives
of more than 400 underprivileged children in Bangalore by conducting summer
camps for them along the length and breadth of the city. The theme for the
camps this year is DREAMS, and our main objective is to motivate and inspire
the children to dream big and aim for the sky. As it’s rightly said, it’s kind
of fun to do the impossible!
The camps, needless to say, will involve a lot
of fun, games, and creative activities coupled with focused assessments which
will help in facilitating a better understanding of each child's needs. By doing
so, we hope to help them realize their untapped potential and then make
conscious efforts towards taking practical steps in realizing their dreams and
eventually achieving them. To help and guide them through this journey, over 40
interns and volunteers will be the facilitators in the administration of
intensive career planning and career counseling sessions in addition to
individual mentorship and language assessment activities. These introductory
sessions and assessments are only a
prologue to long-term projects with NGOs like Shishu Mandir,Bromeo
Society,Oasis,Crisis Intervention Center,Karunalaya,Balakiya Bala Mandira, and
the State Home for Mentally Challenged Boys."This project has the
potential to inspire young children to dream beyond their immediate
circumstances. This coupled with U&I's long-term investment into each
child, is a potent formula for success," says Ajit Sivaram,co-founder of
U&I.
The first camp of 2012 was held in Shishu
Mandir for about 70 students or more, where the camp was a huge success and the
commitment of every volunteer was deeply appreciated by the people in-charge at
Shishu Mandir. “In this age, where
youngsters spend their holidays in malls and watching movies, seeing youngsters
like you volunteering to make a change is rather refreshing and this country
needs youngsters like you” said the secretary of Shishu Mandir.
The second camp at
the State Home for the Mentally Challenged was even more fun! Taking the boys
out for an outing to Cubbon Park was met with a lot of delight by both the boys
and volunteers alike. For the next two days, detailed mental and physical
health assessment was taken, while everyone was also engaged in cleaning,washing
and organising their rooms and clothes. All in all,it was quite a fulfilling
and productive camp.
So,two camps down,
five more to go and if you are wondering what to do, its time you and
I(U&I) join hands and spread the language of joy, and let every child
realize that every cloud has a silver lining!
-Shruthi Kesavan
