“Aspiring, Achieving, Being the Change….”
When you decide to “Be the change, that you want to see in the world”, you realize how clear your vision of the world has become. This is exactly what I learnt, in the most cherished moments that I spent at “The Akanksha Foundation” as part of my social communication internship in the month of April 2008.
The curriculum at Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, alongwith media studies helps us become better individuals, stronger and more kind hearted by the time we leave this sacred village of knowledge. And this was proven by the one month of social communication internships, scheduled in the month of April 2008. As said earlier, I did my stint of social work or let me put as selfless work at the Akanksha Foundation, which is a non – profit organization based out of Mumbai working towards the education of the less privileged children from the slums of the city.
The first day at Akanksha was a thriller, purely because there were so many people who were eager to welcome me and share their personal experiences and journey at Akanksha. It indeed set the right mood to jump onto the joy ride that I saw, each employee or rather didi’s and bhaiyya’s of Akanksha took, everyday of their lives. The smiling faces, the abundant energy and the vibrant walls coloured by kids, made the office the most comfortable place to be in. The main purpose of my tenure with them was to assist Ruchika didi, General Manager with all the presentations, designing, writing scripts, gifts, certificates and other event co-ordination for the Annual General Meeting to be held on 23rd April, from start till end. My challenge was to ensure everything was perfectly in place for the gala day and that it was a flawless evening of celebration, an evening that each member of the organization eagerly awaited for the entire year. The AGM is the annual event whereby all Akanksha students, teachers, mentors, volunteers, staff members, donors and board members come together to celebrate the year gone by and look forward for another beautiful year bringing smiles to millions who are a part of the mission.
The most interesting part about doing anything at Akanksha was the touch of youth and innocence in all the work. Every little space in the organization had a feeling of happiness and sunshine. My work started from day 1, by designing invites for the AGM, the theme for which was Sunshine 2008. Even for making the invites we used actual hand painted artwork made by the kids at their Art class which made the invite an imperfectly perfect piece of beauty. From then on every design I created, like the presentation templates, the centre score cards as well as the diary which was gifted at the AGM, was a creation made out of something drawn and painted by the children themselves. What this showed to me was that children who are the very essence for Akanksha’s existence are present in every part of their being. They are the focus and at no
point are they forgotten in the mundane chores at the office.
I was humbled by the affection and love I received from each member I worked with in the office for my different projects. I was more than welcomed and helped at every stage by one and all, and this feeling made me a part of the organization even though for a short period of time. I could ask any didi or bhaiyya to provide me with needed information or seek their guidance without hesitation and they would readily help me with their ever smiling faces. Another lesson learnt, always help people around you and do it with all your heart.
The work that I completed as part of the AGM preparations was designing the invites, certificates, diary, presentations and score cards; preparing a short film for the graduating students of the year 2008, helped in the scripting of the acts to be played on stage on the final day, content re-development for the website and the final day event co-ordination. The motivation that Ruchi didi provided me at all times was something I will never forget all my life. It was purely because of her belief in me and my work that I could handle the whole event confidently. It makes me feel honoured to have had Ruchi didi and Shaheen didi as my mentors. Their dedication and involvement with the organization is worth applause and it makes me proud to have been associated with such clean hearted and selfless women of substance.
During the one month I spent with them, I got to learn everything about the organization since the AGM was an all encompassing event which involved each little part of Akanksha’s functions for the entire year. In the beginning itself I got an opportunity to interact with members from all departments and understand what their role was in this fun family. It was indeed a humbling experience to witness the amount of selfless work every individual puts in and this boosted my confidence and made me work harder for the days to come. Thanks to my boss, Ruchi didi, everyone in the office knew I came from SIMC and was treated with respect and love. They readily shared their work and helped me with my projects without hesitation. I also got an opportunity to get involved in teachers’ meetings, staff meetings, goal setting meetings and volunteer briefings, which made me, see through the vision and mission of Akanksha very clearly.
All my days at Akanksha were fruitful only when I saw the million smiles in the Sophia Bhabha Auditorium on the day of the AGM and saw the event flow as graciously as I has envisioned. It gives me immense pleasure to have been a part of an organization that gives millions of children a reason to live, a reason to smile and to ASPIRE, ACHIEVE and BE THE CHANGE!!!
Personal Growth and Learning
Though I spent a very short time at the office, I learnt many small things that make huge differences, and more importantly a difference in someone else’s life. The people at Akanksha have taught me to be more patient and tolerant with colleagues, to understand human beings in a better way, to be extremely happy with the work that I do and do it with all my heart, smile at every obstacle and accept challenges with courage and determination. The enthusiasm and eager will of every individual working with Akanksha has shown me that it gives us immense satisfaction and inner peace to work towards the betterment and happiness of others, especially those who need our help and support at a very young age. The most important thing that I take back from Akanksha is, if you have a dream, you must see it turn into Reality!
When you decide to “Be the change, that you want to see in the world”, you realize how clear your vision of the world has become. This is exactly what I learnt, in the most cherished moments that I spent at “The Akanksha Foundation” as part of my social communication internship in the month of April 2008.
The curriculum at Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, alongwith media studies helps us become better individuals, stronger and more kind hearted by the time we leave this sacred village of knowledge. And this was proven by the one month of social communication internships, scheduled in the month of April 2008. As said earlier, I did my stint of social work or let me put as selfless work at the Akanksha Foundation, which is a non – profit organization based out of Mumbai working towards the education of the less privileged children from the slums of the city.
The first day at Akanksha was a thriller, purely because there were so many people who were eager to welcome me and share their personal experiences and journey at Akanksha. It indeed set the right mood to jump onto the joy ride that I saw, each employee or rather didi’s and bhaiyya’s of Akanksha took, everyday of their lives. The smiling faces, the abundant energy and the vibrant walls coloured by kids, made the office the most comfortable place to be in. The main purpose of my tenure with them was to assist Ruchika didi, General Manager with all the presentations, designing, writing scripts, gifts, certificates and other event co-ordination for the Annual General Meeting to be held on 23rd April, from start till end. My challenge was to ensure everything was perfectly in place for the gala day and that it was a flawless evening of celebration, an evening that each member of the organization eagerly awaited for the entire year. The AGM is the annual event whereby all Akanksha students, teachers, mentors, volunteers, staff members, donors and board members come together to celebrate the year gone by and look forward for another beautiful year bringing smiles to millions who are a part of the mission.
The most interesting part about doing anything at Akanksha was the touch of youth and innocence in all the work. Every little space in the organization had a feeling of happiness and sunshine. My work started from day 1, by designing invites for the AGM, the theme for which was Sunshine 2008. Even for making the invites we used actual hand painted artwork made by the kids at their Art class which made the invite an imperfectly perfect piece of beauty. From then on every design I created, like the presentation templates, the centre score cards as well as the diary which was gifted at the AGM, was a creation made out of something drawn and painted by the children themselves. What this showed to me was that children who are the very essence for Akanksha’s existence are present in every part of their being. They are the focus and at no
point are they forgotten in the mundane chores at the office.
I was humbled by the affection and love I received from each member I worked with in the office for my different projects. I was more than welcomed and helped at every stage by one and all, and this feeling made me a part of the organization even though for a short period of time. I could ask any didi or bhaiyya to provide me with needed information or seek their guidance without hesitation and they would readily help me with their ever smiling faces. Another lesson learnt, always help people around you and do it with all your heart.
The work that I completed as part of the AGM preparations was designing the invites, certificates, diary, presentations and score cards; preparing a short film for the graduating students of the year 2008, helped in the scripting of the acts to be played on stage on the final day, content re-development for the website and the final day event co-ordination. The motivation that Ruchi didi provided me at all times was something I will never forget all my life. It was purely because of her belief in me and my work that I could handle the whole event confidently. It makes me feel honoured to have had Ruchi didi and Shaheen didi as my mentors. Their dedication and involvement with the organization is worth applause and it makes me proud to have been associated with such clean hearted and selfless women of substance.
During the one month I spent with them, I got to learn everything about the organization since the AGM was an all encompassing event which involved each little part of Akanksha’s functions for the entire year. In the beginning itself I got an opportunity to interact with members from all departments and understand what their role was in this fun family. It was indeed a humbling experience to witness the amount of selfless work every individual puts in and this boosted my confidence and made me work harder for the days to come. Thanks to my boss, Ruchi didi, everyone in the office knew I came from SIMC and was treated with respect and love. They readily shared their work and helped me with my projects without hesitation. I also got an opportunity to get involved in teachers’ meetings, staff meetings, goal setting meetings and volunteer briefings, which made me, see through the vision and mission of Akanksha very clearly.
All my days at Akanksha were fruitful only when I saw the million smiles in the Sophia Bhabha Auditorium on the day of the AGM and saw the event flow as graciously as I has envisioned. It gives me immense pleasure to have been a part of an organization that gives millions of children a reason to live, a reason to smile and to ASPIRE, ACHIEVE and BE THE CHANGE!!!
Personal Growth and Learning
Though I spent a very short time at the office, I learnt many small things that make huge differences, and more importantly a difference in someone else’s life. The people at Akanksha have taught me to be more patient and tolerant with colleagues, to understand human beings in a better way, to be extremely happy with the work that I do and do it with all my heart, smile at every obstacle and accept challenges with courage and determination. The enthusiasm and eager will of every individual working with Akanksha has shown me that it gives us immense satisfaction and inner peace to work towards the betterment and happiness of others, especially those who need our help and support at a very young age. The most important thing that I take back from Akanksha is, if you have a dream, you must see it turn into Reality!
