Volunesia Diaries – The Joy Of Forging Special Connections
Every week when we arrive at the Brindavan Tent School, we’re greeted by a row of cheerful faces – and I don’t just mean the kids! Now that we’ve been conducting Volunesia at the school for over a month, we can see the difference in both our mentors and the students. The connections that we have cultivated over the last few weeks are truly beautiful, and we love knowing that we will be around to watch them bloom!
Starting Off On A Strong Note
Though we had fewer volunteers this week than last, we were determined to keep our spirits up. It wasn’t hard – the kids were so excited and ready for their dose of Saturday fun. With Independence day coming up, we thought it might be a nice gesture to teach the kids how to make little flags. We also wanted to take the opportunity to teach them about what our flag stands for and the symbolism behind it.
Our little ones were thrilled with the idea and made quick work of their flags. They were extra careful with their masterpieces and loved posing for photos with them afterwards. All of them took their artwork home to show their parents.
We love seeing how creative the kids have gotten and every week they surprise us with new ideas and insights. This week, they were two steps ahead of us and before we knew it, they were drawing and making their own flags.
Before we closed the session, we gave the kids a chance to improve their lantern making skills. Again, we were surprised at how fast they picked up the technique, and when we were struggling with our first ones, they had already moved on to the next lantern. At the end of the exercise, we were flooded with lanterns of all colours and sizes!
Another Lovely Surprise
If you’ve been keeping up with our posts, you will know that last Saturday, two good samaritans, Cheran and Avinash, visited the school and distributed some goodies amongst the kids. This week, they were equally blessed when Madhura and her friend joined us and gifted them all some pencils and sharpeners. The kids were so excited and couldn’t wait to use their new stationery.
One of the best parts about starting Volunesia at the school is being able to see the way our efforts directly impact the kids. We’d like to say a special thank you to our wonderful benefactors who have contributed stationery and other items, and to our beloved volunteers who give us something equally valuable – their time.
The changes that we can see in the kids are really evident each week. They’ve really come out of their shells and are participating in the activities with so much confidence. We can’t help but compare it to a few months ago when we came to assess them, and half of them didn’t want to even draw us a picture! Now we have more than forty budding artists who are eager to learn every Saturday. It’s an amazing change and we’re lucky to play witness to it.
The Ties That Bind Us
Once we finished the session, we held our customary closing circle and had a chance to talk about our latest Volunesia experience. It was such a joy to see some familiar faces in the circle. Preeti, Swathi, Nivethitha, Ketki, Kiran sir, Mamatha and Gunita, some of our most dedicated Volunesians, were there to support us. Lakshmi and her daughter Mrinalini (Millie!) also joined us for the festivities. Shridevi, who has attended some of our Cubbon Park Volunesia events, also joined us at the school for the first time. It was so great to be able to show them the school and give them the chance to interact with the kids.
One of the reasons why we love seeing our volunteers bond with the students is because of the lovely connections that grow from it. Each of our repeat Volunteers now feels invested in their students and the sentiment is definitely reciprocated.
It’s an awesome feeling to see that the kids now trust their mentors and go to them with their problems. For our mentors, it’s also the opportunity to show these children, who we have grown to love, that they have our unflinching support.
Our circle was filled with outpourings of love and support this time and we couldn’t be happier! Volunesia was started to build a community of like-minded people and we are so proud that it has succeeded. Our little stars can only benefit from having so many great people invested in them. We are finally beginning to see the results of our collective investments in the best currency possible – love.
Thank you for your warm support and contributions. If you would like to participate in a Volunesia event, register here and we’ll get in touch with the details!
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read Volunesia Diaries- Moving From Controlled Chaos To Stillness.
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