Strides Newsletter - February -2019
- Academy of Teaching Excellence
- Counseling & Assessments
- Early Intervention
- Kaleidoscope Learning Center
- V-Excel Educational Trust
- V-Excel Remedial Center
- Satellite Centers
- Vocational Training Unit
- Youth Empowerment Services
Academy of Teaching Excellence
From Meera Suresh's Desk
Batch 4 of ATE classes for P.G in Multiple disabilities is going on in earnest. The weekend classes of Inclusive classes have completed. The New batch of inclusive classes on weekdays started from Feb. 7. A review meeting with the weekend faculty members was held to discuss the portion completion and classroom status. Guidelines for on-job training have been given and students have been sent to different units/schools for the same. Handouts and formats for the OJT were given and explained. Letters for a few who were doing their OJT outside of V-Excel were also given with the expected reports from the concerned schools. Preferred timings were taken from the candidates regarding their OJT in coordination with the units .
Mobilization activities have been taken up since admissions have to be concentrated for the batch to be commenced in June. Letters and personal appointments were made to meet the HOD/Principals of schools and colleges. Prof. Anand and Bhaskaran visited Seesha, a TMF partner centre, to understand its functioning. Bhaskaran also visited Presidency College, Soka Ikeda, Ethiraj College, NKT college, MSW and Pachayappa's handed over letters to the HOD to request us to address the Final year students. The confirmation is pending from the colleges.
Mrs. Meera Suresh addressed around 40 Class 12 students of Lady Willington School on awareness about the course and the job placements available thereafter. The Principal and the class teacher have promised to send the students with their parents to meet us after the Board Examinations. This meeting was made possible by Mrs. Rama Nagarajan.
Sports Day events went of smoothly with a few of the ATE candidates offering to volunteer for the preparation of the banners and flags, distribution of juices and snacks as well as walk with the children during the events and march past. Dr. Vasudha Prakash met all the candidates of the new ATE batch to get to know them. She was accompanied by Mrs. Lalitha Sridhar and Prof. Anand Jagadeesan.
Counseling & Assessments
The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
How absolutely true is that! The children and trainees in our care constantly remind us of this when we are in a hurry to see changes. We need to develop these faculties in us as the counsellors to be able to give them the space needed for growth. Precisely this is offered through all the Artistic therapies and movement therapies that the children receive.
In the midst of all the unrest and tensions between neighbours, appeals or peace attempts, our children had been quietly teaching us the language of healing and peace. The children at KLC continue their crusade ( I want to call it that as it denotes that we require a crusade) for love. They painted, gave foot massage , wrote poem for each of our friend from Admin department. It reminds me of what I recently read in an article by Shiv Visvanathan,' That PEACE requires courage'. I see that every day in our children and trainees who constantly take courageous steps to deal with these difficulties that they face within themselves.
Puja our art therapist and music therapist assisted them in their mission love (as they call it).
During this month our counsellors worked with the parents , teachers , children and met a few people for counselling from outside. Puja was mainly involved in conducting and developing the races and music for the sports day with Neha (KLC). Mrs Suryarekha our counsellor prepared the victory banner with beautifully painted motifs and appliqué work.
In KLC the counsellors met six parents. The play therapy sessions started after sports day and a few children found it difficult to settle. We have suggested individual sessions for a couple of students. Regular sessions were held with teachers for mentorship and counselling.
In VTU our counsellors met the two parents and had their individual sessions with the trainees. One of the trainees, able to learn to go slow in her colouring and understand boundaries, others are able to draw conclusion based on their own observation demonstrating a very important cognitive skills, also ability to describe a picture. We can slowly a sense one's own self developing which will eventually lead to self regulation.
At YES , our counsellor met four parents for counselling and discussions, mainly regarding their behaviour or the placement of the trainees at various places. We have noticed that, the placements which often work therapeutically in terms of developing confidence and giving the trainees a sense of fulfilment and purpose, can also generate anxiety at times. Supporting them before, during their placement periodically helps them to make the most of the placement opportunities. In case of one of the trainees it was noticed how the friends at the center have become a source of support for him as he feels their unconditional acceptance. It was recently noticed how this trainee who had been disturbed at home, slowly calmed down once he was at the center by being around his friends.
It is often noticed when children from regular school or outside are brought for consultation, the space provided for them either in the play therapy room, sand pit or art can serve dual purpose , the consultant is able to observe the children much better and also the child gets the space he or she needs. Many a times children refuse to leave the play therapy room or the stop drawing. It's a bit breath out time for them.
We had four counselling desks at our corporate partners. We met eleven people and these are times for appraisals the sense of anxiety was all palpable. Being at these desks has given us a deep insight as to how much we need to revolutionise education to build resilient, skilled and compassionate youngsters.
Wishing and praying for the peace to prevail within us and around us.
Early Intervention
From Lalitha Sridhar's Desk
Joint Attention
Joint attention is the shared focus of two individuals on an object. One individual alerts another to an object by means of eye gazing, pointing or other verbal or non-verbal indications.
Joint attention is a pre communication skill and helps develop an important social skill such as bonding and seeing other’s point of view. Steps to improve joint attention in young children:
- Copy what the child does. Play alongside and see if the child will notice. If he notices give a smile and act like you’re enjoying yourself. Then comment on what he is doing. Talk about what he may be thinking, feeling or experiencing.
- Find something motivating to the child.
- Reinforce proximity. Reinforcing the child for coming closer to you is the first step of joint attention.
- Gradually increase the level of engagement you expect. That is,
- Increase the amount of time the child is engaged.
- Increase the variety of activities that the child will share attention.
• Looking directly at the object or you.
• Reaching for the object.
• Pointing at the object.
• Pointing at the object and looking at you.
Kaleidoscope Learning Centre
From Gita Bhalla's Desk
Activities for Children who walk on their Toes
The well rehearsed and much awaited Sports Day finally dawned on 16 February 2019, and the unending, unruly, wild grasses that covered the Olcott School in Besant Nagar had got a complete make over! The land was flattened and the tracks were laid out. Cheerful flags and balloons beckoned the sports day to a start. The two months of preparation and rehearsals culminated in a colourful display of dances, drills, races and other sports from all over the world. "Around the world in eighty minutes!" was the theme, and around this theme all units of V-Excel wove their games and races. The KLC teachers and students explored the sports of Africa , Scandinavia, America, Cuba, Korea,Mexico, Philippines and designed the races around it. The costumes worn by the Austrian dancers as well as the Scandinavian troupe were really authentic and a very special thanks to the teachers who designed and got it ready in time! The drills were colourful and fun and the outstanding feature of the entire sports day remained the music which was authentic and brought out the essence of each country. KLC was also the coordinating unit for the entire sports day and we wish to thank all the units for cooperating and coming for all the practice sessions.
Some highlights:
Kailash a student of senior school who was a human hurdle in one of the races, flattened himself to the ground so that his friend could jump over him.
Akshay Nathan waited patiently for his friend to join him so that they could run to the finishing line together. Brotherhood was important not competition...
The parents, teachers and all staff and guests came together in a large dance and moved together singing "Havenu Shalom Aleichem".... an Israeli greeting to say May Peace be with you. It was a spectacular sight and also one where the whole place felt like one big community.
These occasions are really very important in the life of an organisation, as all units come together in a seamless manner and the team work and bonhomie that results from such a coming together unites the organisation. One goal, one vision is never more apparent than at such times and it’s perhaps the best way to create that space for interaction and spirit of belonging.
Some photos are included...
On the 3rd of February, there was a story telling workshop arranged by the World storytelling institute and I attended and learnt how story telling and a bit of drama could enhance the understanding and participation of students. It was indeed an enriching session.
A day earlier than that,about nine students participated in Javate... the cultural festival organised by Lady Andal School every year for showcasing the talents of children with special needs. It was a proud moment for us to see most of our students win prizes and accolades. Prajwal, Abhishek, Yadavi, Rekha, Niharika were some of the children who participated and were appreciated for their efforts. A special thank you to the teachers who trained the children. A few first timers in Javate were Yadavi for the recitation , Prajwal at solo instrumental and Abhishek for story telling.
The students of the JBAS college had chosen to do a project with us and were guided into writing a set of books to explain emotions to the students with autism. These books got completed and the girls from the department of English came after the sports day to circulate and test out their series. We were happy to partner with them .
Lakshmi our senior OT arranged for a follow up,session for hygiene and health of the young girls and their sanitary needs along with their parents. A very useful session which now completes the training session for these young girls.
V-Excel Educational Trust
Blue Blue Sky Choir at the MaKERs Summit
Blue Blue Sky Choir performed at Madras Kids Education Revolution (MaKERs) Summit on 20th January, 2019 at 3.45 pm during their closing ceremony. This was an initiative of Teach For India of Times of India Group. There were nearly 500 to 600 students with their mentors from Teach For India.
Feedback from the Mentors :
"Blue Blue Sky was beautiful. The kids had had a long and presumably exhausting day and the choir had them and the adults who were accompanying them dancing and singing along. The experience was just something else altogether. I heard that some of the kids couldn't wait to approach you and express just how much they loved the choir and truly, that's the most telling feedback I or any of the organizing team members can give.
The success of the Summit, if we had to have parameters to judge it, could be measured along the lines of:
1. Did all the participating children see joy in learning?
2. Did the event rekindle hope in the education of all children in the teachers and other adults present?
And blue blue sky hits the mark and then some on both those criteria. Thank you!"
Javate
Students of our special school participated in 'JAVATE' - Special Culturals organised by Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao Higher Secondary School, Chetpet on February 02, 2019. Seven students participated and won prizes for arts, music and dance.
A Visit to the Lighthouse
The trainees and the teachers of the Vocational Training Unit, Adyar branch, went on a trip to the Light House and the Marina Beach on 30th January, 2019.
The purpose of the trip was to familiarise the trainees with some of the important landmarks of Chennai. The breath taking view of the Marina beach from the 9th floor of the light house, the Police Headquarters, Chepauk stadium, the Doordarshan Tower and the fisheries settlements were all a thrilling experience for these individual with special needs.
The visit to the lighthouse museum and the rotating light was interesting and the briefing about the lives of Gandhi and Kamaraj while strolling across their statues was lively. 30th of January being significant with Gandhiji's remembrance day, the trainees were able to relate to his struggle for freedom and they sang 'Raghupati Raghav', paying tribute to the great leader.
While returning, important landmarks like the University of Madras, Presidency College, Vivekananda House and the Police Headquarters were eye catching. Some trainees could really connect and understand the importance these heritage buildings. They also saw the statues of Thiruvalluvar, Kannagi, Avvaiyar, Bharathidasan and Subash Chandra Bose. On the whole it was a very enjoyable and educative experience for all the trainees as well as the teachers.
An Honour from Indian Overseas Bank
On the eve Indian Overseas Bank's 82nd Foundation Day, on Sunday Feb 10, 2019, the bank recognised and honoured customers and people who have positively impacted the society. V-Excel was one among them. IOB sponsored medals and head caps for all our students for our upcoming Sports Day. The award cheque was received by our PRO, Ms. Charumathi Sriram from IOB's Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Subramania Kumar. The event was held at the Loyola College auditorium in Chennai. We thank Mr. Mohan, Chief Manager, who approached us and requested us to submit the proposal. We also thank the management team of Indian Overseas Bank for recognising and supporting our Sports Day to be held on Feb 16, 2019
Around the World in Eighty Minutes
V-Excel's grand and spectacular Sports Day 2019 was held on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at the Olcott Memorial school, Besant Nagar from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Our Associate Director Mrs. Gita Bhalla was the emcee. The event started with everyone observing a minute's silence as a mark of respect for the soldiers who lost their lives in the terrorist attack in Kashmir last week.
The march-past began with Neha Bharadwaj leading all the units, (Early Intervention, KLC's Special School, Youth Empowerment Services and Vocational Training Unit). The parade torch was carried by Ms. Lakshmi Sudhakar, (Head of Therapies) followed by trainees Chinmaye, Samyukth, a parent and a child from our EI unit.
Our Special Guest for the day, Mr. Vidhyashankar Krishnan, Managing Director of MM Forgings Ltd., released orange and white balloons. Dr. R. Nataraj, Former DGP, MLA, Mylapore Constituency came for few minutes and graced the event.
In keeping with the theme of "Around the World in Eighty Minutes", every item featured our children dressed in colorful costumes signifying different global cultures. With rhythmic movements and entertaining music, the event featured several dances and races.
The soft launch of our new initiative Tiffin Times, supported by Rane Foundation and Hotel Savera was also a part of the day's proceedings and a great sucess. We served sandwiches made by our YES trainees along with Chef Rajnikanth from Hotel Savera. The truck was flagged off by our Trustee Mr. Radhakrishnan Iyer, Mr. Radhish Kumar, GM-HR, Hotel Savera, Dr. Denis Amirtharaj, Head – Training, Hotel Savera and Mr. Ramasubramanian, GM – HR, Rane Group. The truck was driven around the ground for all to watch.
We had races for all our support staff followed by dance movements by the parents and concluding with the teacher's performing Hevenu Shalom Aleichem Dance of Universal Peace led by Puja Bhalla.
We thank our Special Guests Mr. Vidhyashankar Krishnan, Ms. Amberin Memon (CPO, Hexaware Technologies), Dr. R. Nataraj, MLA, Mr. Vaithyanathan (IIMA Alumini and Founder of The Ganga Trust), Ms. Jeyalatha Martin (Founding-Director, Jey Kids), Mr. N.K. Ranganath (CEO, Grundfos), Mr. D. Kanagavel (Business Head, Blue Lagoon Resort), Mr. J.S. Padmanabhan (Director, Jayam Consultants) Trustees of V-Excel, parents, teachers and staff who made this event a great success.
Special Guests Mr. Vidhyashankar Krishnan, in spite of his busy schedule, stayed for long and was overwhelmed watching the events. Ms. Amberin Memon flew all the way from Mumbai just to be with us for this event and said she was amazed to see the coordination and team work by all the teachers and staff and was proud of Hexaware's continuing association with V-Excel.
Some comments:
From our Trustee Mr. Radhakrishan Iyer
I was so impressed by the outstanding sports day program this morning. The events were colourful , energetic and so well coordinated that it kept us glued to the action on the ground. 3.5 hours we spent just flew away! Every guest I spoke to was very impressed and had only beautiful things to say about V-Excel. I know this is a collective effort and I want to thank the teachers parents staff and Every one involved! Overall a fabulous morning !
From our Trustee Mr. Kandaswamy Bharathan
The events was very well planned and coordinated and there was so much life in all the events! Only one thought.... could we have started this by 7:30 am and wrapped up by 10:30 or around? Was difficult seeing the kids and teachers braving the heat! It was a revelation that a sports event can be spun around a theme. The common thread running through the whole programme kept the whole thing alive from start to finish. Kudos to those brains who planned so meticulously and those limbs who executed it so extraordinarily.
From Ms. Jeyalatha Martin
This is to congratulate you, Vasudha and the entire team of V-Excel on the fabulous Sports Day. It was a well executed and well coordinated event. Kudos for conceptualizing such a theme. Races, props used and the entertainments were very innovative and out of the box thinking. Being a owner of a preschool I can see the amount of work, time and efforts put in by the management and the staff. Performance of the students showed the serious practices behind it. I appreciate the team's vision and hard work. Wishes and prayers for many Many more fabulous years to V-Excel. God bless. Thank you for inviting me and I felt honoured in being a part of your community for a while. Congratulations once again.
Sitar Performance by Pratibha Kamath
A sitar performance by Ms. Prathiba Kamath, a young adult with special needs from Mumbai was held at Sharada on Sunday, February 24th. It was followed by Lec-demo by her guru. Ms. Aparna Deodhar.
Tarang in Chennai
This month's Tarang at BVB, Mylapore on Thursday, February 28, 2019 featured the Bliss of Bhajans by Hamsaanandham. The phrase 'Hamsaanandham' occurs in the nottuswara ‘Varashivabalam’ of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar. One meaning of ‘hamsa’ is ‘a realised soul’ – one who has attained enlightenment. The indescribable bliss such a soul experiences is hamsaanandham. Nadopasana is one of the ways to experience this bliss. Hamsa also means swan. At Hamsaanandham, Dr R Asha, its director, imparts her music knowledge to the aspiring students with focus on the sahitya and the intent of the composer.
V-Excel Remedial Center
From Lekshmi Ramesh's Desk
Remedial Unit
Our remedial unit children who are part of morning group, were integrated for Sports day, participating in drills. The objectives were to facilitate to adapt to a different set of activities, environment and make them understand- enjoy their participation with the rest of the school children.
It was a wonderful opportunity for we teachers to observe the child in a different setting and coordinate for the smooth participation ensuring their presence, convincing parents to send kids little early and to take them to the grounds for practice. We observed Shyam initially for hyperactivity to the maximum and then was slowly getting settled with different environments with consistent support and reward strategies. He also started to imitate the actions for the drill. He was seen to be getting ready to move on( without prompting) once the starting music of the drill was played. He would be promptly getting ready once the school bus was on sight. He would be the first to board the bus once practice was over!
Parents too felt very good to look their son performing with others in a team and was enjoying the new experience. Yogesh and Sivasaran were happy to stay outside skipping the classroom activities! They enjoyed practice sessions outside school premises and there came up a good bonding as Yogesh took responsibility to keep Siva composed. Both the boys were eagerly waiting to step on to the podium to receive their medals for participation.
All the three of them were proud to pose with medals and discuss about the event. Shyam indeed missed out the practice gathering downstairs and he compromised to go to 'swing' for a while. They have all started to wear their sports day- white uniform on Fridays!
Bridges Learning Academy
Over the years, we have come across many students who lack motivation in learning and little disorganized. But these children can also succeed by incorporating innovative teaching strategies from the teacher’s side and motivation from the parent's side.
Sandhya, age of 12 was referred by VRC who was a school refusal. She was taken by BLA, which incorporated teaching strategies, developed a standardized curriculum and brought her upto class 2 level. She is now happy to come and also takes part in the activities.
Sabarinathan, age of 12 was attending a normal school ,but was not gaining anything and was also considered as a misfit in the class. He was then recommended by the Neev project, became a student of BLA. He started showing interest in studies, his verbal skills have improved. Apart from academics, He is also a Level 2 Champion in skating and participated in 7 Km marathon.
NIOS
- TMA ( Tutor Marked assignments)has been submitted by students in the study center
- Students are attending PCP(Personal Contact Program) classes on a regular basis
- Intensive remedial coaching and periodical tests are conducted.
- Records and albums are being prepared for practical evaluation
- NIOS exams are commencing from 3rd week of March
Primary & Pre NIOS
Academics for Pre-NIOS students is on progress.
Neev
Neev Group:
Cathedral School celebrated its 106th Annual Day on 22nd February 2019. Children from 2nd and 3rd standards participated in a group dance. The 5th standard children participated in a mime show with the theme "Say No to Plastic", followed by a fast beat song on the same theme. Our students have exhibited good coordination skills in the dance program. They had no stage fear and performed on par with classmates of their age. It was indeed a proud moment for NEEV staff at the school. The children thoroughly enjoyed their participation.
The Annual sports was conducted on February 16th 2019 by the KLC team. The students thoroughly enjoyed the event. The BLA students were part of the volunteer team.
NalandaWay
We had a full month in February with no holidays and not many absentees. Please find below a few activities done with pictures.
Meghanathan is a 10 year old with Downs Syndrome. In the picture he is learning numbers with counting. He matches numbers with corresponding number cards and he uses beads for counting and ordering.
The picture of Krithika shows her doing crossing hurdles activity. She is a 9 year intellectually challenged child with severe attention deficit. She is extremely malnourished and has very poor motor skills.
In the picture of Bharath, a 10 year old with speech and hearing impaired, he is learning his name by arranging the letters cut from strips.
Satellite Centers
From Jayanthi Vishwanath in Nashik
This month, all the three units of Nashik center were abuzz with Art & Craft related activities. Eco-friendly and waste material were being used to prepare beautiful craft show products. Some useful items like coasters, table mats, flower vases, etc. were made with jute strings, old CDs and empty cans and bottles. (Photo Enclosed)
The third term IEP was implemented from this month. Another important thing that happened this month was the individual meeting with parents to understand whether they and the school were on the same page with respect to the progress of the child, the expectations and their plan for the next Academic year.
Seven students from BLA and VTU appeared for the Final A level Exam of the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling).As expected, many of the students have performed well in all the 5 theory subjects. Our school was the Center for NIOS exams for all the students appearing for various levels of OBE(Open Basic Education) from Nashik city.
This month, the VTU students were taken on a field trip to a huge Nursery. In the nursery, the students were introduced to different types of plants, their cultivation and the care to be taken to nurture flowering plants. They enjoyed walking around the nursery and the Green-house garden. (Photos Enclosed)
On 28th and 29th July, the art and craft and paper products made by the trainees in the Vocational Training Unit were displayed in the exhibition called Saavan Mela organized by the Agarwal Community at the Indraprastha Hall, Nashik.
From Gopal Jahagirdar in Solapur
On 1st February Sri Prakash Mhadik from TATA Capital CSR team Visited our Center and he observed our center and he assured us support from TATA Capital CSR.
On 2nd February Sri Shaha and Sri Deepak Ghaisas, close friends of Sri Dilip Kulkarni, visited and they appreciated our work. Sri Shaha's niece donated Rs. 25,000 to our Center.
On 20th February Shivaji Maharaj Jayanthi was celebrated by Assistant Physiotherapist Sri Shashikant Jadhav of our center with his friends circle. They gave snacks to the students and donated a sound system with Bluetooth and two cordless mikes.
On Sunday 24th February our center students and staff and some parents participated in rally arranged by Cactus foundation. The rally was called "Chuppi Todo" and was held to protest child sexual abuse.
From Outreach Centre - Pollachi
Value Education Programme
To inculcate values of empathy among children, an interactive session with Mr.Sukumar, Social activist, Kunjipalayam, Pollachi, was organized in our center on 04/02/2019. Children were given a brief introduction about the social activist who serves 250 homeless people in Pollachi by providing them with one course meal daily and gives dress materials along with medicines. He is serving the homeless since 2013 in Pollachi.
Children were interacting with Mr.Sukumar asking about his family and children and how do they help in his service. Our children donated the newspapers which were stacked in our center for past 1 year to pack the food items. We also contributed a sum of Rs.1000/- as donation. Children learnt the value of empathy and they promised to help the needy.
Link of YouTube on service of Sri Sukumar - https://youtu.be/loS86DScxmE
Vocational Training Unit
From Usha Rajagopal's Desk
The significant event of this month was the Sports Day conducted at Olcott school on February 16th. This month a few visitors came to our centre, our trustee, Mr. Radhakrishnan Iyer and Ms. Jeyalatha Martin, guest came in to observe our trainees. They felt happy to see our trainees engaged in the production activities and were quite impressed with various handwork items and products made by them.
In the middle of the month, we were introduced to Dr. Kalarani Ramachandran, a dance teacher, who is interested in teaching dance movements to the trainees of VTU and teachers. Month end, Mrs. Vinoo Ashok, Kindergarten teacher, and a friend of Mrs. Usha Rajagopal, in her personal capacity visited VTU Sreyes to know about our institution.
In the first two weeks of the month, the practise sessions and props preparation at VTU gained momentum. There were many preliminary sports practise sessions in Sharada, Mandaveli under the guidance of Ms. Neha Bharadwaj and Ms. Puja Bhalla. Later there were combined practise sessions for all units together that took place in the order of events. Thanks to Mrs. Gita Bhalla for her guidance and suggestions on the costumes for the events.
Amidst all the hectic preparations for the sports day, production work in various divisions and other class-room activities continued as usual at VTU. Tags and product story labels were attached to the bhoomi mitra bags, jute bags, jute bowls, jute folders etc. followed by the quality check. All these products made at VTU were displayed for sale by Mrs. Kantha at Cottage Industries exhibition held at Egmore for 10 days from 5th, February.
Wedding order of 1 Kasiyatirai set was made ready. Simultaneously, Sanitary Napkin division carried out production and packing work. Against this month's order, 500 Sanitary napkin pieces were delivered at Lady Sivaswami school, Mylapore. Block printing division trainers carried out the block printing work on the wedding thamboolam bags. With the combined efforts of the tailoring and block printing divisions, a couple of bulk wedding orders got executed successfully within the deadline.
Final preparations for the sports day were witnessed during the 3rd week. Everyone pitched in the last minute work and all things were made ready on time. Unit heads from all units attended the final round up of the Sports meeting held by Gita mam at Sharada. She explained about the order of events and roles and responsibilities for the Sports day and everyone felt fully charged for the sports day.
On the eve of sports day, dress rehearsal and final practise took place at Olcott school. 2 BALM interns were also part of the VTU team. Finally, the D-day arrived. VTU team assembled around 7.30 a.m. and everyone helped the trainees to get dressed up in their costumes. The much awaited Annual Sports Day began at 9 a.m.The sports day was conducted with great zeal, excitement and frolicsome atmosphere. Words would be insufficient to describe. The students thoroughly enjoyed taking part, supported by a great crowd of audience. Everyone was glued to the colourful events that took place on the ground which were beautifully co-ordinated and executed perfectly by one and all. The students splendid and unbelievable performances mesmerised the audience with their energetic performances right from the start till the end. One could not miss the true happiness in the face of everyone present over there especially the students.
Some new initiatives took off in this month end. Dr. Kalarani began teaching simple dance movements to the Sreyes trainees twice a week. The trainees showed keen interest and were happy to learn dance steps. Much awaited regular field trip to Sreyes farm resumed after 2 months gap. 8 trainees and teachers from Sreyes and Sharada enjoyed the experience of over-night stay in the farm. VTU Sreyes team attended Tarang musical programme at BVM. The students of Hamsaanandam group captured everyones hearts with their beautiful rendition of bhajan songs. Thus the month ended on a happy note.
Youth Empowerment Services
From Rama Nagarajan's Desk
Month of February started with a very interesting activity. All our trainees at YES got assessed for their Movement Education Program. The trainees were assessed on their Coordination, Body balance and Rhythm. This was done by Mr.Vijay, Director Smart 7 wellness. Based on the assessments, Mr.Vijay has suggested a structured program and has started visiting our centre twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays), between 9 am and 10 am to conduct the same. This program aims at enhancing their eye-hand coordination, gait and posture, body balance and rhythm. This will be group activity and gradually move into individual sessions.
We are happy to inform you all that we have purchased a new two wheeler for YES unit. Thanks to one of our parents who willingly and generously supported on that.
February month became more colourful as we had our Sports day on 16th. While most our YES trainees took part in the marchpast, our trainee Samyukth was one of the torch bearers representing YES. Samyukth was very happy for the recognition and was very proud to have represented his team. Also, few of our trainees performed in two different drills, Spanish and Russian, to go with the theme of our sports day which is ‘Around the world’. They were well led by our trainers and their performance, costumes, coordination and the excitement were well noticed and appreciated.
February had one more reason for us to rejoice and enjoy. Our trainee Adithya Sai Anand was placed as Senior Executive at Hexaware Technologies (BPS – Thoripakkam) on 25 February 2019. This is certainly a huge breakthrough for us into the corporate sector as far as our placements are concerned. We can certainly now say that this is social inclusion at its best.
As far as our training is concerned, our trainee Anand Alwar is now independent in weaving. Not only that he is able to weave stoles neatly but also can suggests lovely color combinations. In laundry unit, we have got a new customer Mr. Ajith referred by our existing customer Mr. Sandeep Narayanan. Internally Mrs. Lekshmi Ramesh and Mr. Aman Sharma have started supporting us.
We have got an order from Rane Foundation for Chocolates on a regular basis. This will be for their employees to be given on their birthdays. Under Spice Space, Idli /melagai Podi and Rice Upma Mix are very well received and we get regular orders for the same. In the Printing unit apart from our internal orders, we printed 200 wrapper copies each of 2 more designs for our customer Mr. Nitin Chordia, Kocoatrait.