aikya news letter

8/9/2019 AIKYA News letter

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GRUTHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue#

JagruthiAIKYA Newsletter

February 2015

rom the Director

iends,

his issue talks about volunteering. Volunteering is

nerally considered an altruistic activity and is intended

promote goodness or improve human quality of life. In

turn, this activity can produce a feeling of self-worth

d respect. There is no financial gain involved for the

dividual.

ne of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the

mpact on the community. Unpaid volunteers are often

e glue that holds a community together. Volunteeringows you to connect to your community and make it a

tter place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can

ake a real difference to the lives of people and

ganizations in need. And volunteering is a two-way

reet… It can benefit you and your family as much as the

use you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a

lunteer helps you make new friends, expand your

twork, and boost your social skills.

Our volunteers – You sure are our assets…!


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hile some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy

d have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering

ves one the opportunity to practice and develop his /

r social skills, since we are meeting regularly with a

oup of people with common interests.

olunteering provides many benefits to both mental and

hysical health, combats depression as key risk factor

r depression is social isolation and Volunteering keeps

u in regular contact with others and helps in

veloping a solid support system, which in turn

otects people against stress and depression while

ing through challenging times.

It helps one stay physically healthy. Volunteering is go

for your health at any age, but it’s especially benefic

for older adults by keeping them usefully occupied. A

the organization also benefits because they bring the

knowledge and wisdom to the organization.

Volunteering increases self-confidence, provides

healthy boost to your self-esteem, self worth and l

satisfaction.

Few of our volunteers share their experiences here a

we also see the impact of their work depicted here. L

us celebrate our volunteers.

Parvathy Viswanath

Founder Director

GRUTHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #16 2

Volunteers training kids on theatre skills

It all starts young… Right from school


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Life Lessons from Volunteering

– Shalini Ilanahai

JAGRUTHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #16

What if every child is nurtured to realize his true potential? The Element, a book by world-renowned

creativity expert Ken Robinson sparked this beautiful question in my mind. In the book, the author

illustrates how encouraging a child to find his/her element can change their life forever with the story

of Gillian Lynne, a successful choreographer.

So what is unique about her? As a child, Gillian could never sit still, she disrupted class and was labelled

a “trouble maker”. But Gillian also loved to dance. Her footwork was flawless. Her parents realized her

potential and did not let her learning disorder define her life. Soon enough, Gillian joined the Royal

ballet Company to become a world– class performer. Gillian, in her own words, describes herself as

‘someone who had to move to think’ .

Her story resonated with me. When I was volunteering in Aikya, I realized the importance of reading the

signs and helping children with special needs express themselves best. Keeping this in my mind, I fine-

tuned my lesson-planning with the following exercises:

Creative problem solving: Many children with Autism spectrum disorders have a fondness for

bikes, cars and trains. One of my students has a fascination for bikes. Tapping into hisenthusiasm for bikes, we worked out Maths problem related to automobiles for fun.

Writing a journal: This involved keeping a journal to help the child focus and write about

personal experiences .I tried this as an experiment with one of my students who had Aspergers

syndrome. Drawing from the rich sights, smells and sounds he experienced during his train

journey – from home to school – he penned his thoughts everyday in the journal with my

assistance. Some days, we even gave poetry writing a shot to help him ‘see the world’ with a

different set of lens.

Visual mapping: I found this as an effective strategy for slow learners. Tough concepts in

Science and Social science can be made simplified by drawing flow charts to help the child

connect the ideas.

Rhythm: Reading aloud rhymes turned out to be an interesting way to engage children with

fondness for repetition and rhythm.


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AGRUTHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #16 4

Life-skills: Trips to the neighborhood grocery store which comprised activities such as

shopping, money- counting and vegetable - cutting helped my students develop social skills

and motor skills.

Storytelling: As part of our storytelling sessions, we read aloud stories and captured the

characters of the story on paper to give room to their imagination.

Making handicrafts: An exercise that not only fostered creativity, but also helped my

students understand group work. Some of them also learnt to share their stationery and

stay on task without my help.

Encouraging children with special needs to find their element not only boosts the confidence level,but also motivates them to make sense of the world, in their own way. Of course, the medium of self-

expression may vary for each child. One size does not fit all. While one child may prefer doodling,

another may find solace in music. Or, like Gillian, some children may like to ‘move to think’. The big

idea, however, is to find a way to teach the child the way he/she learns. Volunteering with Aikya

taught me this valuable life-lesson.

Volunteers with the kids – During drawing sessions


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I have known AIKYA and Parvathy ma'am for quite sometime now. I see Parvathy ma'am more

of a teacher or a guide than the founder of AIKYA because anyone can start a school but not everyone

can provide good guidance. It is guidance that is most needed in today's society. Apart from her

phenomenal contribution towards special children, she serves as an inspiration to all by setting an

example that nothing is impossible. This makes us believe in ourselves and her constant motivation

drives us to aspire more. Very often she used to share her experiences that used to answer many

questions in my mind and helped me teach better. Parvathy madam’s indefatigable ene rgy and

enthusiasm has always made me admire her. She is truly one of a kind and I wish that her good work

continues to reach great heights.

Srilakshmi Ramaswamy

Volunteers training kids on Cricket & Football Music sessions by Volunteers at AIKYA


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Paint Your Way…!

Holiday Projects

agruthi


Jagruthi

It’s show time…! All of us are attracted to

colors and with kids the joy just multiplies. Come

Saturdays and you can see all our kids busy with

their coloring books and charts, creating marvelous

strokes of scenic beauty from their books and

things around.

Frequent drawing sessions are conducted

where they are given specific themes and in no

time the kids come back asking for more. They

astonish you with their beautiful paintings and one

is sure to stand awestruck by the very enthusiasm

they show. Such sessions motivate and help build

confidence in them.

Home works…?!? On holidays…? Most of the

school kids might even hate to hear this…! But for

our kids it means total fun. Exciting projects on

Science and Social Studies are given during the

holidays, based on their levels, to make them think

beyond their books and improve their creativity.The kids surprised us when they were back from the

winter vacation. Few of them brought charts that

explained Traffic Rules, one of them made a chart on

the Classification of Animal Kingdom and others

brought a mini herbarium explaining different

medicinal plants. Awesome, right..?!?


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Do you want to volunteer with AIKYA?

Please call 9444960643 or mail to [email protected]

Support us:

Volunteer / Donate / Adopt a project / Adopt a child

Visit our Website: www.aikya.org

Connect with us:

JAGRUTHI AIKYA NEWSLETTER | Issue #16

This biography, Challenging

Infirmity, is truly a tribute to

the commendable servicesrendered, and the positive

impact made, by Mrs. Parvathy

Viswanath on the lives of so

many people associated with

her.

Available as E-Book at :

http://pothi.com/pothi/book/e

book-r-komalavalli-challenging-infirmity

For hardcopies, write to:

[email protected]

Jagruthi

It was during a 5-day health camp held in the 1970s. I was in the starting stages

my career and had presented a seminar during the event. Many people who were mentall

challenged had gathered for the camp. I was confronted with mixed emotions when

realized that there were indeed many challenged individuals in the society who deserve

better care and opportunities like their so-called ‘normal’ counterparts. I often wondere

“Are there people in this world who really care for the challenged lot? Without any profit return?” Well, my questions remained unanswered until I happened to meet her – Mr

Parvathy Viswanath.

Lionism brought us together. We have worked on several projects and I must sa

there are very few who are with such commitment. And definitely, there is a scarcity fo

people who are dedicated and self-less in today’s world. She took it as a challenge to trai

kids with different disabilities and bring them to near normalcy. I have referred some of th

children to be trained at AIKYA and have received wonderful feedbacks about her trainin

from the parents. Her undivided attention and practical training has helped many such kid

to be included in the society.

And as a mother, she has been phenomenal in bringing up her son Prabhu as a

independent individual with such grace and it awes me to hear that he is gainfulemployed now in mainstream. Isn’t that commendable? I have seen parents of specia

children who go through an emotional turmoil and very few come out of it. Accepting an

facing reality is a challenge in itself. Mrs. Parvathy Viswanath has been inspiring an

helping parents to change the lives of their kids by methodical training.

A disciplinarian and respectful person, she does justice to whichever post sh

takes up. Someone who never falls for flattery. There are people who work for recognition

or awards. But she is someone who seldom cares about it. All that matters to her is servic

and the maximum lives she can change for good. Once I happened to attend a progra

where her son performed and won prizes. The first that came to my mind is h

determination and dedication in bringing up the challenged kid to such level. She neve

shows the agony that she might experience but keeps up the spirit.

People who meet her for the first time might mistake her strong personality f

toughness. But once you get to know her, she will be the most humble and affectiona

person one will ever see.

Indeed she is an epitome of service to be emulated by others.

PMJF Lion Prof. Dr. K. Girees

Neuro Paediatrician & Neuro Surgeo

An excerpt from ‘Challenging Infirmity’
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