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Dear Volunteers,
2009 has been an extremely eventful year for us. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you once again for contributing with your passion in making a difference. Today on December 5th-International Volunteers Day - we celebrate your spirit of giving.
A very Happy Volunteers’ Day to all!
Over the years we have tried to get better at giving volunteers an engaging experience by streamlining our processes and bringing about a sense of achievement in the tasks they undertake. It is truly satisfying to witness the steady inflow of volunteer energy every week over the last year. Volunteers have been involved in myriad roles bringing existing skills to the table and imbibing new ones along the way.
Through this year a large part of our volunteering opportunities have come from a few of our key initiatives. Jaagte Raho! : our campaign to inspire active citizenship through voting and by promoting participation in neighbourhoods through Area Voter Mitras; Ward Infrastructure & Services Assessment [WISA]-building an infrastructure index as perceived by the citizen and the Area Suraksha Mitra programme which aims to enhance neighbourhood security through citizen participation in partnership with the Civil Defence and Home Guards.
Your continued support in the work that we do and in sharing it with your friends and family is appreciated.
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” - Oscar Wilde
Sapna Karim
Coordinator - HR & Volunteer Management
RIBBON OF HONOUR:
Karthik Krishnan, Bits, Pilani
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"Many volunteers had come forward to volunteer with the JaagoRe! and later Jaagte Raho! campaigns for various reasons, but none as altruistic as Karthik Krishnan. After completing his Engineering degree from BITS, Pilani, Karthik chose to do something bigger that he believed in before getting into the grind of the corporate environment. My first meeting with Karthik was during the first Saturday Outreach Meeting since the completion of the earlier JaagoRe! campaign. Karthik joined the team as a full time volunteer in June and stayed on to volunteer with Community Outreach for Jaagte Raho! till the end of October.Karthik was highly motivated and more importantly owned whatever he had taken on. He has played a vital role in designing and documenting various aspects of Community Outreach. Though a bit shy and a self proclaimed ‘background guy’, he had a very affable nature and a wonderful sense of humour. He quickly became an integral part of the team
and shouldered key responsibilities. By the time he had to leave, the background guy was someone who motivated others and led by example. We are sure he will succeed in his next venture. "
Abhinand UP
Outreach Communities Jaagte Raho!
WEARING THE V HAT
Pooja Menon - Communications Volunteer, Commits
"For it is in giving that we receive" - St Francis of Assisi
" Janaagraha has given me a lot more than I had expected. This organisation not only gave me an opportunity to learn, but also an insight into issues that I was otherwise ignorant about. I had the opportunity of working on some great projects like the Jaagte Raho! campaign and to be a part of a very lively team. Their enthusiasm and dedication inspired and motivated me to work towards the project goals. I will never forget all the Monday morning meetings, the brainstorming sessions and the work that followed after! But at the end of the day working at Janaagraha was a very fulfilling experience and I hope in the future I will be able to contribute to the organisation."
Jayshree Shroff - Communications Volunteer, Commits
" My experience at Janaagraha has been great. Never knew how a month passed by. I had to work with the communications team where I worked on new campaigns, some old and some in different areas (Area Suraksha Mitra for example). ‘There are some changes to make’ was the phrase I heard often, since my work was inspected by everyone in the team.
One thing which I am not going to forget is the people in the team, dedicated and fun loving. They always found time to share a joke or two (sometimes I was at the receiving end of their jokes), but that is what made the work less stressful. Not to forget the brainstorming sessions I attended for every single work of mine. Work experience and memories of the team is going along with me back to college."
LOOK WHO'S TALKING
Interview with James Pitman, Volunteer for Communications Programme, YCA
1) How did you get to know of Janaagraha?I was sent by Youth Challenge Australia (YCA) who place young professionals in voluntary positions around the world. Janaagraha is the only Urban NGO that YCA sends interns to. I was thrilled learning about Janaagraha, discovering the amazing work which is being done and jumped at the opportunity to participate in real change for India... Read More |
