Minutes of Meeting 25 11 2007
Dr. Prahalathan KK
Minutes of Meeting of the Chennai Chapter of Bharat Uday Mission held at Guindy National Park on 25 11 2007
Avinash, Ayyanar, Dharini, Hari Shankar, Mallieswaran, Indumathi, Karthik V, Lakshmi, Prahalathan Dr., Prakash, Sivabalan, Vaishnavi, Vijayaraghavan, Vivek attended the meeting
KANINI:
-- SOS Tambaram Batch has completed. Group photo to be taken and certificates of Participation/Excellence to be distributed in December.
-- Anbu Karangal Team (Ayyanar, Hari Shankar, Mallieswaran) has started with the third batch of children from the same orphanage. Certificates of Participation/Excellence to be distributed in December.
-- Avinash, Smrithi & Vivek to begin programme at Kaakum Karangal if permission is granted this week. Alternatively school at Perungudi.
Prakash to assemble the computer.
-- Prakash to keep in touch with Seva Mandir for new team to begin programmes. Dharini, Karthik V and Vijayaraghavan to begin at Seva Mandir if Permission is granted by the board of directors this week.
-- Vaishnavi has begun teaching the children at Home of HOPE, Sembakkam, East Tambaram. This is the fourth orphanage where KANINI has begun. Home of HOPE is for AIDS affected children, we should so a lot more for the children here. Any ideas?
-- Programme at Jeroham temporarily put on hold because they’re trying to shift to a more permanent accommodation. They’re leaking for a house for 25-30 children to stay in and around St. Thomas Mount, Madipakkam etc. If anybody knows a place where these children can move in PLEASE contact Prakash.
CAREER COUNSELLING FOR UNDER-PRIVILEGED CHILDREN
-- Vivek has career counselling/education expert Jayaprakash Gandhi about conducting a career counselling session for us and to train our volunteers/members. He has agreed if we arrange a big session.
-- Target for a session for around 1000 children of classes 10-12 by Mr. Jayaprakash Gandhi by Jan 5-15.
-- Prakash to identify 4-5 schools in an area for the programme and also a suitable hall for the same.
-- Ayyanar to get permission from Government Model School, Saidapet.
-- Vivek & Prahalathan to deal with Mr. Gandhi regarding the programme..
-- Vivek has also collected detailed information about a few professional courses. Further information on Polytechnic courses/Vocational Training etc remains to be collected.
-- Vivek to pass on material to be developed by Nandini & Indumathi
SPOKEN ENGLISH AND MOVIE SCREENING FOR UNDER-PRIVILEGED CHILDREN
-- AIM: To make the children functionally comfortable with Speaking English through a professionally designed/proven fun learning programme.
-- Sources for Material: Lakshmi and Prahalathan to try and get material from Sanjeevini HR services/EZ vidhya. Material may or may not be provided to us free. I’ll mail the group about this after speaking to both organisations.
-- Surendran and Prahalathan have already contacted Make A Difference, Kerala who are involved in a similar initiative.
-- Vaishnavi and Lakshmi to decide on the material/modus operandi etc and coordinate programme.
-- Target for Programme to begin at either Anbu Karangal or Home of HOPE before next meeting.
-- Ayyanar Had already suggested screening of carefully selected movies at the Orphanages where we teach. (This was an activity Sowndarya and Pradeep had suggested when we were teaching at Bala Mandir... we didn’t go ahead with it then due to various reasons, we should be able to do it now)
-- The Movie should be thought provoking/have a positive impact on the children. Suggestions Please...
GREEN CHENNAI INITIATIVE
-- AIM: To create awareness regarding Global Warming and plant tree saplings through active participation of colony members/Resident Welfare Associations
-- To Encourage preferably to take care of the trees planted in their area/home.
-- Surendran, Vaishnavi, Prakash to identify possible Locations and coordinate the Programme.
-- Vaishnavi has contacted Agricultural & Horticultural Society regarding the saplings. Surendran / Hari Shankar to collect further details from the society. Forest Department may provide free saplings, should be contacted.
-- FUTURE PLANS: - To Exhibit a thought provoking Movie on Climate Change and have a discussion on the same with the children after the movie
- The Children will then be encouraged to take a sapling home and plant it at their home
- Tentatively we decided on the Academy Award Winning ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ by Al Gore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth) Any better Suggestions?
- It was also decided that we should try to give a Tamil voice over for the movie if needed so that it can be screened at Govt. Schools also. I’m not sure if we will have copyright issues.
ROAD SAFETY PROGRAMME
-- AIM: To educate people on fines for traffic violations to be as a deterrent to violations and to prevent fleecing by the Traffic Police.
-- Hari Shankar to collect details of fines for Traffic Violations through contacts including ‘Citizens for Safe Roads’
-- Hari to file RTI Application to collect information regarding the same
-- NO PROGRESS SINCE LAST MEETING. Detailed proposals to be worked out further decisions at next meet
NEXT MEETING
Date: December 16th or 23rd ,2007.
Venue: Guindy National Park unless someone can suggest a better place comfortably located for most people and that can accommodate 15-20 of us for two hours.
Rs.1230 was collected at this meeting, Accounts to be sent separately.
Vande Mataram!
Prahalathan
http://www.prahalathan.blogspot.com/
www.BhumiChennai.co.nr
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