Call to volunteer for community development
Indrajeet Singh
Dear patriot,
There is a growing desire among the youth in India to volunteer their time and talent for community development. But most of them are not currently involved in volunteering work because of three major reasons:
1. Not knowing where to start
2. The fear that it may be too much of responsibility
3. Concern that it cannot be done with their limited time availability
“Youth for Seva” (YFS) was formed in April 2007 to fill this gap so that youth with an intention to volunteer and with different time commitments can easily find meaningful opportunities to serve the community. The mission of YFS is to inspire youth to volunteer, connect them to the grass roots projects, and provide ongoing support and training to the volunteers and the NGOs. Youth for Seva is a project of the ‘Hindu Seva Pratishthana (www.hinduseva.org), which has been in the forefront of social service for nearly three decades. YFS is privileged to have many prominent people on its advisory board who have been guiding the youth and providing support. YFS is also proud to have a very dedicated team of volunteers in the executive board
What YFS Does
Orphanages and Centers for Destitute Children
YFS volunteers mentor children to meet their aspirations. Our volunteers help
the children with their tuitions, play games with them, and conduct various
cultural activities.
Slums
Spoken English and computer skills are being taught to high school and college
students. Also, housewives have taken the initiative to teach the slum who
don’t go to schools. there are free health check ups in these slums.
Hospitals
The volunteers aim to provide a light atmosphere for the ailing children and
their parents. They play games, tell stories, play animated movies, etc. Yoga
classes, meditation and bhajans are organized for the parents.
Children having disability
Volunteers visit special schools and homes which provide comprehensive support
to children with multiple disabilities. the children here prepare files,
candles, and learning aids which are sold in charity sales. Volunteers help set
up these charity sales in their respective companies. YFS volunteers also
provide reading services for the visually impaired and write exams for them as
scribes.
Government Schools
Volunteers assist children schools with tuitions and cultural activities. YFS
also facilitates foundations and corporations to adopt government schools.
Environment
A number of environment issues are tackled by partnering with NGOs working on a range of environment benefiting activities like sapling plantations, waste clean ups, waste management and rain water harvesting. Also, YFS has a project called Green Commandos (www.greencommandos.com) that gets volunteers to create awareness and take action on environmental issues in their own residential areas and work place.
‘Sponsor a Child’ for Rs.500 a month
A large number of promising children are deprived of a good education due to
their family’s inability to financially support their education. This
initiative provides us with an opportunity to build a relationship with a
financially challenged student, encouraged by sponsorships. For as little as
Rs.500 a month, you provide a child with education and health care
- For every child, a mentor from our volunteers will be assigned.
- Child will be enrolled into health insurance scheme.
- donors will receive regular communications from the child and also progress report.
School Kit Distribution
A school kit, which includes a school bag, books, pencils, pens, and a geometry
kit, is given to the children in the slums and government in order to help them
with their ongoing education. In 2008 YFS school kits have reached over 4000
children.
Ways to volunteer
Youth for Seva offers various options to the youths with varying time commitments.
- Few months after graduation and before starting your professional career-Volunteering provides true-to-life experience and also helps you develop better communication skills and leadership qualities. If you volunteer for three months or more, you are eligible for a fellowship (stipend).
- For few hours every week throughout the year you can be associated with one or more projects closer to your home or college.
- Semester breaks-Here you can volunteer full time for 10 days or more. Your time will be utilized based on your interests and abilities. Remember that the longer you volunteer, the better are the fruits of service.
- We can assist Master of Social Works (MSW) students in doing their project work with credible NGOs.
- Non-field work- You can help us with your writing, photo and video skills, graphics work and/or website development. Just let us know your areas of specialization and we will try to find ways to help the NGOs which share the same interests.
- Something that everyone can do is subscribe to our e-newsletter. Give us your email-id and you will receive our monthly e-newsletter. Your email address will remain confidential
Please join YFS and make a positive impact to the community around you
To be an effective and confident volunteer, training is very essential. Youth For Seva is conducting a volunteer training camp for all volunteers this Republic Day on 26th Jan.
Various topics would be covered in the training session: Classroom Management, Health Camps, Environment Initiatives, Spoken English, Adolescent Girl Counseling, Science Experiments, Fun Maths, Computers etc.
It is your best chance to get trained and join the YFS team.
Date: Wednesday, 26th Jan
Time: 1PM - 5:30PM
Venue: Govt High School, Balamrai (Rasoolpura). Behind Anand Theatre Secunderabad
Directions to Venue
Contact Person: Swathi 9966604141
All are invited,