Last Saturday we had a chance to
work with the students of Brindavan Tent School in Vignan Nagar, Bangalore, as part of Volunesia. To give a brief background,
Volunesia was started by a group of volunteers coming together once every week to
make goodies out of recycled/waste products. These goodies would then be
distributed to students in various underprivileged schools for their good work
and progress. What started off as morning sessions on Saturdays in Bangalore’s
iconic Cubbon Park, has now evolved into focused activities in Brindavan Tent
School with students who would also be a part and learn a little something
along the way.
This week’s theme was Cleanliness and we had decided to make
dustbins out of discarded cardboard boxes that they could take home with them.
After all, Cleanliness begins at home! The students were from Classes I to IV
and I was assigned a couple of Grade I kids along with another volunteer. It was
a wonderful two hour session at the end of which we, the volunteers, were left both
super charged and tired at the same time. Along with all the obvious flow of energy
that seemed to us like a high intensity workout (no kidding!), these kids ended
up teaching us a few subtle but important lessons, ones that I would be taking
with me to work every single day:
1) Be accepting of all ideas. At the same time, don’t hesitate to
give your suggestions
As soon as the cardboard boxes were handed over to us, the
students were wondering how to get started and approached us for ideas. But in
under 2 minutes, all that changed. It was them suggesting the number of stars
we needed to stick on one side or what to draw on the other. They were calling
the shots and every time it was implemented they made sure to inform us whether
or not they liked it.
Yes, it is safe to stick to the
original plan and would also save time and a lot of back-and-forth
conversations. However, what if while executing
your project, you come across an idea that you may want to try? Would it work?
Would it jeopardize the existing schedule? These are all valid questions but
what if, just what if there was real value in it? Shouldn’t we atleast explore
them?
2) Scarcity of resources is only an illusion
As a rule, we always carry a limited number of scissors, glue,
etc. for our Volunesia sessions. It gives us an opportunity to interact with
the volunteers since we would be meeting most of them for the first time. It
was our perfect conversation starter. So this time too, we had limited stationary,
which would have been fine if we didn’t have to also manage the kids. It was
becoming a little difficult for us to try and source what we needed from our
counterparts. The kids however had already started reaching out to their
friends in other groups for their favorite colour crayon, fevicol tube or
paper. They even knew what they could offer in exchange for what they needed.
Talk about effective bartering!
How many times do we let go of
ideas or delay our projects citing dependencies or low supply of resources? If
only we would roll up our sleeves and start collaborating.
3) If you’re done with what’s assigned to you, see if you can
contribute elsewhere
We started out as groups of 3-5 kids per volunteer, but once
some of the students were done with their beautiful dustbins, they did not want
to sit idle. They at once, started looking around for other groups that needed
cutting, sticking, painting, and what not! If there were unfinished ones, these
children were at it to make sure all of it was completed within the given time.
Most of us, while working in
teams get so involved in what’s assigned to us that we fail to see the bigger picture.
We forget that each individual’s contribution would only matter if the entire project
was a success. Let’s make sure we reach out and be that extra hand/brain,
whatever our team requires.
4) Once it’s done, move the hell on!
In around 2 hours, all the boxes were transformed into
colourful dustbins. We then began our usual process of salvaging all the
remaining materials that we could use during the coming sessions. While we were
busy assembling all this, the children got back to doing what they do best as
soon as they are free – they started playing in the ground. We literally had to
bring them together after a bit of a struggle to tell them what a fantastic job
they had done. They heard it, smiled, clapped with us patiently and then as
soon as we stopped talking, ran outside to resume their games. We volunteers on
the other hand, were so happy and proud of the small step we had taken that day
and spent a good half hour discussing how nice it felt to have a purpose, no
matter how trivial it may seem.
While it may good to debrief
and discuss at length, the various great and (ahem!) not-so-great aspects of
the project once it is completed, many of us hold on to it for the longest
time. If something went wrong, we break our heads over it either feeling guilty
or looking for others to blame. And if something turned out great, we keep
simmering in that success. Wouldn’t it just be better to not linger for too
long and start fresh each time?
5) Smile, and then smile some more
These children were in school on a Saturday morning when most
of us wouldn’t even have woken up and they were asked to make something with
people whom they were meeting for the very first time. Yet, there was not a
single bit of reluctance from their side. Just happy and non-judgmental faces
and hearts excited about what they were about to do and looking for ways to
contribute.
This one is definitely for
keeps. As Ketut instructs Liz in ‘Eat Pray Love’ – “Smile with face, smile with
mind, and good energy will come to you and clear away dirty energy. Even smile
in your liver.” Do this and watch the magic unfold automatically.
P.S: The author
is currently learning basic Kannada from her colleagues that would help her
communicate better with the students of the school. It’s all about Give and
Take.
