By Jithin C Nedumala | Project Leader
As we enter the final months of 2016, at MAD we are not only wrapping up big projects started in the earlier months but getting ready for bigger, newer things with much eagerness and insurmountable enthusiasm!
Looking back at the previous few months, we completely immersed ourselves in recruitment, making sure that the volunteer base of 2016-17 is better, stronger and more dedicated than previous years. It is because our volunteers are no less than on ground heroes, it is their persistence, their energy and their willingness to make a difference that children in shelters are able to progress towards realising better outcomes. It is their undying unshakable belief in making change possible that MAD is able to strive towards a brighter future for vulnerable children. This year, close to 3400 number of young leaders [vol base number] responded to the clarion call of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ that we issued and have joined us to ensure a secure life for these kids.
As we make sure that we welcome more members in the MAD family who care deeply for the cause, we are looking back and feeling a deep sense of gratitude for the ones who are already on the team and have dedicated a year or more than that in ensuring that our kids and youth get quality attention. Through Propel and Aftercare, a project that provides transition and readiness support for 11-12 youth and beyond, through the rigour and combined efforts put in by both our volunteers and youth, this year we have successfully managed to place 78 youth [check number once] in various colleges, vocational trainings or jobs. From a secluded life in a shelter to a life beyond those walls, it is a time of extreme change for these youth and our Aftercare team is making sure that be it academic, emotional or financial support, our youth have whatever they need to make sure they are fully rehabilitated in the community. Let us share one such story about two of our youth from Chennai.
One is enthusiastic, worldly and makes friends really fast. The other is reserved, dreamy, plays the guitar and plays football. That’s Alex and Sachin respectively, two Vellore youth who travelled all the way to Chennai to begin their lives properly after years at a shelter home.
While their wingman, Tony, knew both of them while they were residents at the shelter in Vellore, they did not have much of a connect. Interactions would mostly be limited to brief visits and “hellos” as Tony would visit the shelter as a MAD volunteer. As fate would have it, after completing college Tony landed up in the city where these two decided to start with college-Chennai.
Having a rather sketchy context of their backgrounds but enjoying their confidence nonetheless, for being, perhaps, the only tenuous link to home that there was for both of them, Tony started his journey as their Aftercare wingman.
While most children growing up in shelters envision life beyond its walls as a sunny avenue to experience a fleeting sense of liberty, the truth that greets them is a stark, and initially harsh, contrast. With freedom comes responsibility and this was what hit Sachin and Alex like a rock. While they had dreamt of a new life in a new city to be free of cares, it meant to wake up in the morning early and be ready at a certain time to go to the mess to get breakfast. It meant coming back at a certain hour, making beds and taking care of yourself. It wasn’t much better than what they had in Vellore, and to top it off, it was a new strange city.
The hostel routine started to get the better of them. Sachin went so far as to declare his decision of quitting college. He said the course he was doing, physiotherapy, was not apt for him. Though academic pressure was definitely a concern, his real troubles lay elsewhere. It was the problem of not being able to fit anywhere or to find what he truly desired.
At this time, what he needed was a pillar of support, something he could fall back on or hold on to when everything around him seemed too chaotic or to change without warning. Fortunately, he found that in the form of his wingman, and of course, Alex. Between the three of them, they formed a WhatsApp group where they’d keep in touch daily (and still continue to do so). For Tony of course, this became an opportunity to finally know them better and gain their trust.
He soon started learning about Sachin’s background. Belonging to a troubled family with an alcoholic father, Sachin belonged to a household that was witness to daily disputes between his father and his sister and mother. Growing up mostly in the shelter and away from his family, he never found the courage or time to step up and take control. He grew more inward as the days passed.
Turning every hurdle into an opportunity is one of the better ways to live life and perhaps this is what Sachin needed to realise. With constant mentoring and letting everything settle at its own pace, he learnt to adjust to his hostel routine. Classes became comprehensible and not random words thrown at him. Though college was not what he has expected it to be, he learnt to accept it in his own way.
It slowly began to show-he began to enjoy his music more and started communicating with people with a newfound sense of confidence. He finally decided to connect with his family and as the eldest child of the house, started assuming more responsibilities and taking practical decisions. He finally broke his silence and decided to take charge.
If you meet Sachin today, chances are that you would hardly be able to match any of these details mentioned here with what you see. He is still reserved, but there is a quiet determination about him. Currently in his 3rd year, he wishes to study further, combine his training with his love for sports and pursue a Master’s in Sports Physiotherapy. For someone who had almost given up, Sachin has come a long way and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
They say, “When you make a difference, it shows.” Something similar happened to us and we are feel very blessed to have been featured amongst mega corporations in Subramanian Kalapathi's book "The Millennials". This book has sections ranging from the MAD Values, to our operating principles, MAD's 'people first' way of working, and a priority on empowerment, enablement and flat hierarchy. It even features an outline of how we've evolved Scrum Agile for use in impact organisations.
It looks like great things await us as we complete 10 years and enter another year of MADness! However, even before that, following tradition our volunteers have got together to celebrate MAD’s 10th birthday through MAD Week-a week long celebration by performing random acts of kindness for the community, our volunteers and kids. Because, as always, happiness is contagious!
Finally, looking forward to our 11th year, we have a ton of activities coming up starting with Community Fundraising (CFR). It is through CFR that we not only hope to raise funds but also build a network through which more people become aware and get involved in the cause. It is through coming together as a cohesive force that we hope to achieve better life outcomes for children at risk.
And if it is CFR season, it also means one more things-Dream Camps are coming! A three day transformational, outbound camps for our kids, these camps hope to connect our children to their dreams by motivating them, building experiential confidence, encouraging them to perform in group situations and providing a holiday experience like no other. We can’t wait!
By Jithin C Nedumala | Founder
By Jithin C Nedumala | Founder
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