Community service is not only a valuable addition but a quite fulfilling activity to indulge in. The satisfaction derived after giving back to the community is boundless. There are several organizations in which you can volunteer. Apart from this, you can start your own community service projects as well! I was able to initiate 2 projects of my own with assistance from the PPRO EED team.

1. Solution For Pollution

Passionate about the environment, I started a project, ‘Solution for Pollution’ which aims to eradicate plastic bags from specific areas by providing people cloth bags. It also included cleanliness drives and spreading awareness on the harms of plastic. As I had initiated this project all on my own, it came along with a tremendous amount of responsibility and hard work. During the fieldwork, I gained a sense of my social duty and a feeling of accomplishment. Likewise, it further aided me to put my knowledge into a practical situation.

2. The Mystery Maniac

I formulated and initiated a game series, ‘The Mystery Maniac,’ taking into account the impediments caused by the pandemic to help decrease the financial strain on underprivileged people. The game series included numerous mental agility games which served as a donor incentive to encourage people to contribute to and get involved in the process. Creating a website and social media accounts for this project further aided my abilities to reach a larger audience. Collecting funds from participation fees, I was able to organize donation drives and spread awareness. During fieldwork, I gained a strong sense of my social responsibilities and a feeling of accomplishment. I also inspired and motivated my peers to team up with me in this initiative and use their distinct strengths to maximize the impact of our work.

3. Project Bagiya- Sanshil Foundation

My realization of the harsh and adverse situations of the under deserved was accompanied by an ardent desire to provide them the aid which led me to join the Baghiya NGO. Being a high-school student myself, I never anticipated that I would get an opportunity to serve as an art teacher. The most toilsome job of all was to reach out to the children and build up a comfortable bubble around them, where they could express themselves without the fear of being deemed. Also, I observed a lack of art supplies with few students which made them develop a feeling of inferiority to others. I was able to help them by funding and the amount of gratitude that they displayed was profound. The experience of being a teacher was one of the most rewarding and exhausting simultaneously. Earlier, I only taught a class of 5 but gradually the number doubled making it quite arduous for me. This made me truly empathize with the hardships that our teachers go through in a much larger setting.

4. Animals Welfare Group

I have been associated with an animal lovers’ group for past four years. I started by distributing food to stray dogs, expanding my reach by getting them vaccinated, sterilized, adopted, etc. I have fostered six dogs that were either abandoned or injured and adopted one as well! I never anticipated that lending a helping hand could earn me unconditional warmth and loyalty.

Recently, I was interning at the IAmGurgaon NGO during the second wave of COVID 19 by helping in creating a database for medical supplies and available beds. I also helped in verifying leads and this small contribution was also highly satisfactory as I could directly help some people. In conclusion, community service is quite essential for your profile but it significantly helps in your overall development as well.

Credit:

This blog has been contributed by Tanveen Kaur, a  student of K.R. Mangalam World School, Gurgaon.