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Dear Volunteers,
Greetings!!
Once again here I am with news from the volunteering space at Janaagraha. This summer a large number of volunteers joined us on several programmes. Area Suraksha Mitra - our campaign with Civil Defence for citizen preparedness, brought to the fold over 2000 volunteers from across the city, 70 volunteers have engaged with Bala Janaagraha, 20 student volunteers supported the WISA project amongst many others who are contributing.
New partnerships have come to fruition this year with academic institutions nationally and from overseas sending their students on internship/fellowship programmes. They choose to engage as they perceive our work to be relevant and timely in the context of improving the urban quality of life. We are always struck by the passion of our volunteers who directly impact – issues such as infrastructure development, voter enablement, citizen safety, civic literacy, education for children and so on. It is heartening to witness the ever-increasing energy from people from all walks of life who explore and choose ways to give back to society. We believe that volunteering is the first step towards active citizenship, and we are committed to support our volunteers in this journey.
The volunteer base this year has widened considerably as a result of the Jaago Re! One Billion Votes, the One Billion Voters campaigns and the Area Suraksha Mitra programmes. Our volunteers contribute from across the country, and catalyse citizenship values in different cities. Bala Janaagraha has oriented volunteers this month to teach in 40 schools in Bangalore beginning July. The programme is also set to launch in Ahmedabad later this year.
It has been a month replete with seminars, conferences and book discussions. Our partner programme India Urban Space held its conferences on energy efficiency and urban eco-planning: Go-Green-It Pays in Bangalore and Hyderabad. In collaboration with Bangalore International Centre, we hosted a seminar on the World Development Report of the World Bank, and later we hosted a book discussion of Jeb Brugmann’s book Welcome to the Urban Revolution-How Cities Are Changing The World. It’s been an exciting month of learning and sharing on urban issues, challenges and solutions. Looking forward to more such fulfilling times, and more volunteers of course!
The Bala Janaagraha Programme for 09-10 will be launching next month and is looking for volunteers to aid the programme in schools. In this edition you will hear from the many volunteers who contributed across diverse areas of Jaago Re! One Billion Votes and One Billion Voters. They along with hundreds of volunteers across the country in various cities have aided in taking the campaign to the ground.
It does not end here, activities are being detailed and consolidated across Janaagraha to ensure we achieve the maximum impact through our work in affecting the quality of life and in ensuring richer democratic processes. We always end these notes with a quote on volunteering, this time around in keeping with the current season of elections & voting, we take a quote on democracy!
“A civilization flourishes when people plant trees under which they will never sit” - Greek proverb
Sapna Karim
Coordinator - HR & Volunteer Management
RIBBON OF HONOUR:
Shanti Abedin, Volunteer with India Urban Space
UShanti was an excellent performer, who adapted herself to the role and requirements immediately. Shanti played a key role in planning and organising two state-wide conferences titled Go Green – It Pays, on the theme of urban ecoplanning and energy efficiency in the urban sector. She multi-tasked with great efficacy, met deadlines and could rally other volunteers around her work. Shanti brought in her relevant past experiences and background as an urban planner to demonstrate effectiveness in the work. I wish her well in her future endeavours.
Shrinivas K
CEO, India Urban Space
MBA students from MS Ramaiah Institue of Management
MBA students from MSRIM volunteered with the WISA program. Over the duration of a week they surveyed Vasanthnagar ward identifying various problems that the ward faced.They performed their duties with utmost zeal and hard work putting in close to 300 man-hours into surveying. The diligence with which they worked and the sincerity of their efforts have gladdened the WISA team. These students have demonstrated the spirit of professional volunteerism that pervades and energizes Janaagraha.
Gautham Ravichander
WISA Coordinator
WEARING THE V HAT
Deepta Holalkere,Volunteer with Janaagraha Communications
"Working in the communications department has given me the exciting opportunity to support Janaagraha’s various programs and initiatives and thus observe a wholesome approach to improving urban governance. What enriched this experience was the opportunity to write press releases, contribute website content and help coordinate events. I have thoroughly enjoyed developing my work ethic and interpersonal communications skills with an organization that enables progress."
Neha Kudva, Volunteer with One Billion Voters
"My experience in Janaagraha has been very enriching. I joined at the peak of the ‘Jaago re’ campaign, when elections were at its feverish pitch. The promotion of the Jaago re program was well carried out. Team work and adequate planning coupled with a passion to deliver has helped the campaign achieve great heights. The website was practically a spoon-feeding tool which made it easy for people to become registered voters. Also, the detailed profile of the contesting candidates turned people into making an informed choice. This indeed has been a stimulant in improving the efficiency of our system. Janaagraha has thus given me an opportunity to channelize my energy in the right direction and work towards making India a better place to live in !! "
LOOK WHO'S TALKING
Interview with Interview with Aashita, One Billion Voters
1) How did you get to know of Janaagraha?
I first heard about Janaagraha from my sister's friend Sazana Jayadeva who had volunteered with Janaagraha for a couple of months.Also during the Jaagore campaign i had seen advertisements and even awareness drives being held in my college...Read More
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