Transform Outcomes for Children at Risk In India

Lofty Dreams, Sea of Stories and Wind of Change

You can only achieve big if you dream big-and dream big we did with this year’s Dream Camps. A three day outdoor camp aimed at building experiential confidence, motivation and providing a holiday experience like no other for shelter home children, Dream Camps require staggering amount of confidence to pull off. With enormous effort, persistence and heroic levels of patience, our team of volunteers spread across 22 cities were able to successfully execute 34 camps. And what did we gain in return? We made 3200 children happier, inspired and more connected to their dreams.

Here is what a volunteer from Dehradun told us about his camp experience,

“It has been more than 24 hours since the Dream Camp ended, but I still can’t get over it. For me, those two days were full of pure joy, catharsis and a whole new set of revelations which changed my perception about the human condition.

What happened during those two days which changed me as a thinker, as a person?

Was it the affection that the mentors showered on their children? Was it the strength of the children and their mentors during ‘River of Life?’ Was it the tight embrace of the kids to their respective mentor as the camp ended? It was all of these and more. The manner in which those two days unfolded is beyond words.

On the second day of the Camp, there was a session called ‘River of Life’ wherein the children and the volunteers shared the story of their lives with each other. During River of Life, we got to learn about all those incidences in the lives of the children which affected them deeply, recounting which some of them were brought to tears. We learnt how fragile and vulnerable they were, but at the same time the strength which they displayed was insurmountable. It takes real courage to unveil the dark parts of one’s life to someone, and our kids did this. It also takes real courage to cry in front of others. Our kids did this as well.

The Camp taught me what ‘real friendship’ meant, and how it had nothing to do with age and gender. On an average, the mentors are about ten years elder to the kids that they teach. But the manner in which they listened, taught and comforted their children was something that only a real friend could do. How some of the mentors fought back their tears during River of Life only to let them out once the kids had left the hall just goes on to prove the intricate connection that they had established with their children.

All of us know about the importance of stories in our lives; they cause us to reflect upon things pertinent to our existence, enable us to understand ourselves better and allow us to focus our energies on things that matter. Our stories make us who we are. Through the different sessions during the Dream Camp, I learnt many things, but the most profound learning from the camp was that no matter how miserable we might have felt at some point of time in our life, we must always remember the positives along with the negatives. The positives allow us to smile more, while the negatives teach us lessons which shall remain with us forever. In sharing our stories with others, we should always be grateful for everything that happened in our lives, as we wouldn’t have been the same person with the same emotional quotient and sensibility had it not been for all the countless moments where we’ve writhed in pain or glowed with bliss.

In a span of two days, these children taught me about strength, love and friendship more than what my entire 22 years of existence has taught me. I have learnt to be more grateful about my life, to respect the story of my life, to lend ears to the stories of others and to bring a smile to a child’s face just by writing him/her a short note of gratitude. In changing me as a thinker and pushing me to dream more, love more, this Dream Camp has surely left an indelible imprint on my mind, all thanks to all these larger than life children and Make A Difference.

Let’s continue to fight the rocks and celebrate the trees, because after all, the River of Life keeps flowing.”

And indeed, like a meandering river that keeps flowing through little creeks overcoming all other obstacles, so do we at MAD continue with our journey. This time of the year is especially crucial as it is the time of getting some of our best minds on board as Fellows.

MAD is run by people who see a problem in the way vulnerable children are treated in our country. People who refuse to accept that there is nothing we can do about it. And today we are 5000 strong, spread across 23 cities, providing the most comprehensive support system for children in shelters. Today when a child enters the MAD program we know that they will have a lifelong support system to help them thrive in the real world. We also know that we’ll solve the problem in full scale in the years to come

If there is one thing that we know from the MAD experience is that the solutions to some of the biggest problems plaguing our world today will come from people like you. We believe MAD is the breeding ground for the future problem solvers and change makers of tomorrow.

Make A Difference Leadership Team 2016

As of April 2017, we are on the lookout for this new generation of change leaders and problem solvers who will come together to empower vulnerable children. Together, we make a difference.