I’m going to tell you three stories. Let me begin by penning down the first story. I am sure all of us must have heard about Terry Fox. Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east to west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research, with over $750 million raised in his name, as of January 2018.
You must be wondering why I am narrating the story of Terry Fox. What I want all of you to think is that this is not just the story of Terry Fox. It is the story of you and me. It is the story of what young people can do to change the world!
From my experiences, I have noticed that we the young generation are often not taken seriously. Sometimes, we are told that we are young and we can’t take any responsibilities. Sometimes we are told that we are old enough and we should take responsibilities. Honestly, we the young generation have the power to create an impact in the world and non-profit organizations like Make a Difference provides the perfect platform for us to showcase our abilities.
Let me begin by narrating my story. When I first entered NITK, I was shy and withdrawn. Because of a few events in the past, I had lost my self-confidence. I was scared to even initiate a conversation. I had really low self-esteem. This continued even after I joined Make a Difference. I joined as an academic support volunteer. I had to teach a 9th-grade child. The fact that I was a mentor, a friend, a guide and a role model to that child inspired me to work harder. I learnt to be a good teacher, understanding the needs of the child and motivating him to excel in life. I was much more than a teacher to him. Even though the smile, energy and positive attitude of children in shelter homes captivated me the most, I felt something was missing. But everything changed after I was given one of the lead roles for organizing Dream camp for children in shelter homes. Dream camps are 2-3 experimental camps which help children build and connect with their dreams through a process of self-growth and transformation. Since I was selected as one of the leads, I had to attend a training program in Bangalore. We were made to undergo the same activities which we had to organize for the children. There was one activity in which we were asked to introspect about what moulded us into the personalities we were back then. It is in this session, that I started to realize who I am. This was the starting step in my journey of transformation. I learnt about how to work in teams, how to organize events, how to handle people and how to go about tricky situations during the setup phase of the camp. In the past, I was very uncomfortable whenever I needed to ask for help. There was this situation where we needed to arrange transportation for children, free of cost. I was assigned to find a sponsor. I was very hesitant to approach. But I took the first step and pitched this issue in front of sponsors. To my surprise, they agreed. This gave a huge boost to my self-confidence. Raising funds from the community was something that I was hesitant to do. But I took the leap the faith, learnt the skills required for pitching and raising funds and managed to raise Rs 19200 last year.
Then I applied for a Fellowship in Make a Difference. I got selected as City Team Lead of Mangalore Chapter. Being frank, I had assumed that I have most of the skills required to execute this role. This was until the realization hit me that I had none. I had to unlearn everything, learn how to think and learn how to learn. My first role was to build a team. I really love this quote “Throw me into wolves. I’ll return with a Pack”. I realized that just building a team is not sufficient. The energy of the team should be high. This brings me to my second role, i.e. being a mobilizer. We have a lot of projects which are to be carried out in the city. The Recruitment process which we have in Make a Difference is very professional and very strict criteria are followed while selecting Volunteers. We have numerous Training Sessions for the ones who are selected as Volunteers. During these recruitments and training, I got to know about the art of facilitation, the skill of taking an HR interview, providing inspiration to people, organizing logistical aspects of a program effectively and so on. I am learning how to enable people and listen to them authentically. Basically, these are the components under strategic thinking. Most importantly, I am learning how to be a team player.
But to be frank, this was not easy. There were so many incidents where I did what I was not supposed to do. I did have fights and misunderstandings. But all these are a part of my learning experience. I learnt from the mistakes. I learnt how to deal with certain situations. I learnt how to overcome certain incidents which I wanted to forget.
Basically, by working in Make a Difference, I invested in myself, my growth and the growth of others. There is nothing better when we come to know that we are growing as an individual and people around us are growing too. I can proudly write in my CV that I am the City Manager of a team of 86 young minds who are willing to make a difference. I can write about the skills that I have mentioned above. This is the first time I am writing an article for a blog. Before I started to write, I did a little research on how to write an article. So, in this process, I attained a new skill! Currently, I am learning about project management, team mobilization and team bonding. In the last 5 months as a City Team Lead, I have attained a wide array of skills and have gained countless memorable experiences. This has opened doors to a wide array of thoughts. My thought process has become much more efficient and mature. I am in a position to analyze things in a much better way.
This sums up my journey in Make a Difference.
Now you must be wondering about the third Story, right? The third story is for you to write! Join a non-profit like Make a Difference and experience what you have never experienced!
Just giving context about the organization, Make a Difference is a youth-driven non-profit organization which is working towards ensuring equitable outcomes to the most vulnerable children living in shelter homes. We work with children beginning from age of 10 and go on till late 20’s. Our work with children involves emotional health, life skills, educational support, exposure, readiness to help them gain necessary skills so that they can smoothly come out of shelter homes and an Aftercare Program to support them once they enter the real world. Currently, we work with 3420 children living in 67 shelter homes in 23 cities of India. Volunteers commit a minimum of 3 hours a week for at least one year and ensure that children get all the support which they require. Sign up in the below link if you are interested in volunteering for Make a Difference.
http://makeadiff.in/volunteer/
– Rakshith Kumar J