Child Protection India Project #13595

Transform Outcomes for Children at Risk In India

by Make A Difference

Transform Outcomes for Children at Risk In India

Project Report | Aug 31, 2018
Capturing Dreams!

By Jithin C Nedumala | Founder & CEO

Every day brings with it new vitality, vigour and vast array of opportunities. Though a task may seem to be a struggle at a given moment, in the long term it always presents itself as being crucial and every bit worth the hard work. This strongly resonates with all of us at Make A Difference.

In 2015, Make A Difference broke new barriers when it was ranked in the prestigious Great Places to Work survey as one of the Top 100 Places to Work in the Great Midsize Workplaces category. Cut to 2018, Make A Difference scaled new heights as it secured a position in the Top 10! This is matter of great pride and reflects the efforts the volunteer pool over the years have put in to make MAD inclusive, positive and safe place. Talking about Make A Difference, one of our volunteers says, “It is a place which provides equal opportunities to everyone-irrespective of whether you are a fresher or someone with experience, MAD gives you a platform to build skill sets, put that to practical use and constantly exchange ideas with each other.” Apart from recognition, the award comes as a positive impetus for everyone in the organisation to be ahead of the curve and continue to strive towards attaining bigger goals.

Looking forward, we continue to invest in building a strong volunteer base. This is closely reflected in the changing model of our Recruitment Workshops which has evolved from merely a screening process to select quality volunteers to a one day immersive workshop about children at risk, the sector any the principles of care. In fact, MAD continues to incorporate the element of ‘care’ in all its designs, programmatic or otherwise, as we truly believe that healthy care can foster a feeling of goodwill and connectedness that translates to sustained and well-thought actions. Throughout the process of recruitment, right from the screening call till the PI, each MAD volunteer ensures that every applicant feels comfortable and gets constructive feedback that would enable him/her to develop their area of growth. As of now, we have conducted multiple rounds of RWs and Volunteer Leadership Circles (VLC) throughout the country. We have been able to kickstart operations in several cities and a new academic year has begun in full swing!

With new operations, we also continue to hold placements for youth-ensure a smooth college admission process or induction into a vocational training. Scholarships are presented to all youths by MAD, making it a one-of-a-kind programme where scholarships are given not on a system of “meritocracy” but discriminatorily to every youth and customised as per their need (as opposed to compelling them to adjust as per the terms laid by the scholarship). Our youths continue to soar high as several of them begin this new journey-Vellore alone this year has seen its youths opt for varied courses from microbiology to physiotherapy to nursing.

However, college is just the beginning of an arduous road ahead-for youths who have spent most of their lives within a shelter, re-orienting oneself to the outside world can be quite a task. Our Aftercare team continues to work tirelessly to facilitate the journey of these youths to becoming independent adults by creating an ecosystem where they can support themselves as well as other youths who have been through the same experiences. It goes without saying that most of these youths struggle, but with a little push they manage to overcome most of the obstacles that lie on their path. One such success story is that of Peter from Vellore who received an offer letter from Indigo Airlines earlier this year! He boarded his flight to a new life on August 16th!

In fact, there are instances where Aftercare youths, despite being labelled ‘second class citizens’ all their lives, manage to thrive at challenging workplaces. Here’s what an Academic Support Volunteer had to say about a youth called Guddu who recently completed his internship with the e-commerce giant, Jabong,

“At Guddu’s farewell in Jabong, just before cutting the cake, his team mates delivered a farewell speech for him. They said that they were extremely happy to have Guddu as an intern. He is a fast learner and adapted to the environment very quickly. Within this small span, he established a reputation of being dependable and performed outstandingly well. Overall, they thanked Guddu for his hardwork and dedication. When it was Guddu's turn, he said he learnt a lot there. Being from the shelter home, he got to experience very different things. This internship inspired him a lot and he found new role models here. He now wants to work hard and be a role model for others”

Every day hails new opportunities. How we capture and capitalise on the same depends on our approach. At MAD, we strive to reach a place where each child not only gets proper access to such opportunities but also is empowered enough to utilise the same towards a better life outcome.

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Jun 1, 2018
A mind without fear

By Jithin C Nedumala | Founder

A Mind without Fear

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high…”

As children, all of us were introduced to the mellifluous strains of this poem. However, it is ironical that it is mostly children who find themselves in the grip of fear for most things-be it the helplessness to control the environment or situation they are in, to a simple lack of trust in adults. The recent debate about child safety in the country forces us once again to revisit these lines and to probe deeper-do we really encourage children to be unafraid and build their self-esteem?

With millions of vulnerable children in the country, the matter is even more severe. These children lack exposure, confidence and most importantly, they lack assurance. Make A Difference with its annual event, Dream Camp, is on a mission to address this issue. Dream Camp is an annual three-day outbound experiential camp where children from shelters are provided exposure through building experiential confidence, are motivated to connect to their dream through the sessions held and are provided an unforgettable holiday experience!

The sessions held at Dream Camp are designed in conjunction with ‘Dream A Dream’, which has years of experience working in this field. By the end of three days, we aim for the children to achieve an ‘arc of transformation’-the child who walks into the camp should step out as a radiant, confident and rejuvenated mind!

One such story comes from Chennai this year. Mohan was mapped to around five children and had a mammoth task in front of him-to hold a River of Life session where children are encouraged to reconcile with their past. Being an introvert as he is, Mohan was nervous but could conduct the session. Till that time, he had little idea about what impact it had created. It surely created some effect on him as he too had been a participant. This happened sometime after the session when the children were playing a few games and Mohan was sitting near the door to ensure the children did not wander away. Suddenly, a child from his group came and sat near him and said, “Why do you look so sullen? I have suffered in my life but look at me-I am so happy! Every time I feel low from now on, I would know that it will be okay sometime. Everything is going to be okay. You cheer up too!” Mohan was stunned. That day he really witnessed a growth in that child.

This quarter also involved one of the most nerve wracking, yet the most rewarding times in MAD-board results! Through the year, both volunteers and the children/class 12 youth work hard to ensure that they not only earn knowledge but also earn the necessary qualification to propel forth in life.

This year MAD was blessed with stupendous results for both classes 10 and 12! In Coimbatore, for example, we recorded a 100% pass percentage. Each child performed well, with one particular child scoring 482/500. As it turned out, this bright young lad is the school topper!

Our class 12 youths were able to channel their hard work in the right direction as well, with their results reflecting it and how! In both Chennai and Coimbatore we had youths scoring a full 100/100 in accounts! And while results is not the final word but only an indicator, this is definitely a great positive push that our children/youth needed.

With Dream Camps finished and board results being published, it was now time to find the new generation of leaders-the MAD Fellowship cohort, a group of 310 young mobilisers passionate about bringing about a change, to bring together people to ensure a brighter future for children. MAD Fellows are at the forefront of city operations-with their energy, willingness to learn and fresh outlook they bring together volunteers and in turn enable them to cater to the needs of a child/youth. Fellowship is as exciting as it is challenging, and Fellows pick up a range of soft skills like non-violent communication, authentic listening, team management and so on. It is on this new wave of change which comprises care and empathy that fellows begin their journey of leadership development.

With our Leadership Team of 2018 in place, we eagerly look forward to holding our Leadership Circle in June for the new fellowship cohort. The Leadership Development program of MAD (LxD) hinges largely on the Leadership Circle where 3 days are dedicated to immersive learning with fellows, strategists and directors. It is a place for young change makers to congregate, plan, prepare and bond.

What next? The first thing we look forward to is placements-coordinated by the Transition Readiness and Aftercare verticals, this aims to ensure that youth have a smooth experience while entering college or vocational training courses or jobs, and have every possible support they need-be it accommodation, books, travel and so on. We also offer in-house scholarships to these youths which is not merit based. We believe each youth requires the right amount of support to sustain their dreams, and scholarships is just one component.

Finally, this year is extra special for us as we prepare to operationalize our Foundations Project, where we will focus on strengthening the basics of children with a focus on life skills and emotional health, so that by the time these children enter our other programs or reach higher classes they are better prepared and are more confident. Because each child should truly be empowered to have a mind without fear.

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Feb 7, 2018
Courage to dream

By Jithin C Nedumala | Project Leader

As we bear witness to seasons changing and time fleeting away, we also grow into our personal idiosyncrasies. Yet, there are some occasions and a few habits that bring people together. One such occasion is looking forward to the new year filled with childlike excitement and a sincere hope for a fresh start. At MAD, we feel the same kind of energy and are excited about converting it to create better opportunities for children in dire need of it.

The one thing we are focusing on is mobilising our volunteers to raise funds. Our vision is to encourage each volunteer to take the responsibility of all the children that we work with and immerse themselves in mobilising the community around them to get involved in the cause. We believe that once each volunteer gets a firsthand experience at raising funds, it would not only help in our volunteers’ personal development by breaking inhibitions and mental barriers but would provide volunteers with the right kind of impetus to always go beyond and care more.

The response has been amazing! While volunteers are spending each day to support each other and innovate, cities like Mumbai have come forward and started campaigns online to raise funds for the Dream Camp Programme! In fact, Mumbai has just realized the power of the collective as their Ketto campaign has managed to raise INR 200,000 within 2 weeks! They are still hard at it and hope to raise enough to provide the camp experience the children deserve.

Speaking of camps, we are happy to share that preparations for our annual Dream Camp are on in full swing! Over the years, these camps have evolved from providing just a holiday experience to shelter home children to a three-day experiential camp which aims to provide exposure through sessions, build confidence and motivate these children by connecting them to their dreams. Dream Camps are also primarily a safe space, where children not only find emotional relief but have access to the kind of care and protection each child is entitled to. We concluded our training workshop for our Lead Session Facilitators in Delhi a week are so back and are gearing to convert our learnings to unforgettable experiences at the camp!

Since collaborative experiences enable development, we initiated a virtual platform where volunteers across 23 cities can share and learn from one another. Introducing Ed Support Office Hours, a place where Academic Support Volunteers from different cities congregated and shared their knowledge, provided support and encouraged each other for better class practices, preparation and execution. In it, we discussed some challenges that were more common than the others, like children struggling with the English language, but for every ‘problem’ highlighted, there were several minds which came together, examined it to its core and came up with varied strategies. In a nutshell, Office Hours in its pilot form was something unprecedented yet an event that pleasantly surprised us and reaffirmed our belief in the power of collective effort.

Up next lies the critical topography of matriculation examinations coming for the youth in 10th standard. The Transition Readiness and Aftercare team is hard at making sure the youth are confident, prepared and clear about their future goals. Having said that, we are also speeding towards our new academic year! This year we are looking to solidify recruitment and start volunteer sourcing in the next month - the earliest we have ever done in an academic year before! Why? Because we want children to have all the support they need to head towards a brighter future and make their way round the world with their shoulders held high. For a new year brings a new hope, and also greater courage.

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