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Strides Newsletter - July 2024 - Issue 217

Early Intervention and V-Excel Remedial Centre

From the staff of Early Intervention and V-Excel Remedial Centre

Greetings from Early Intervention and the Remedial Unit!

• Screening at Olcott Memorial Higher Secondary School:

As part of our outreach program supported by Atos Prayas Foundation, a screening camp was conducted at Olcott Memorial Higher Secondary School on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July 2024. Students from grades K.G. - V were screened during the camp. From a total of 109 children, 27 children were identified as having substantial difficulties in their psychomotor development and/or learning.

• Teacher's sensitization at A.K.G. Public School:

As part of our outreach program supported by Atos Prayas Foundation, a sensitization session was conducted for the school teachers at A.K.G. Public School on the 6th of July 2024. The session was conducted by Ms. Lekshmi Ramesh, Unit Head, Early Intervention and Remedial Unit, V-Excel Educational Trust. She spoke on the importance of early intervention, how it helps children with special needs, and how it is a collective effort by parents, the school, and the early intervention team to help address the needs of the child. Followed by the session, a few games were conducted to demonstrate how seemingly easy things (for someone who is neurotypical) in our day-to-day lives are not perceived the same by those who are neurodivergent. The games were conducted by Ms. Shobana, Administrator, Early Intervention and Remedial Unit, V-Excel Educational Trust. 38 Teachers participated in the session.

• Screening at C.P.S. Kallikuppam School:

As part of our outreach program supported by Atos Prayas Foundation, a screening camp was conducted at C.P.S. Kallikuppam School on the 16th, 18th, 19th, and 22nd of July 2024. Students from grades I to V were screened during the camp. From a total of 221 children, 31 children were identified as having substantial difficulties in their psychomotor development and/or learning.

• Assessments at Bharathi School for Special Needs, Coimbatore:

As part of our collaboration with Yuva Bharathi School / Bharathi School for Special Needs, Coimbatore, scholastic assessments were conducted for 14 children on the 18th and 19th of July 2024. The following representatives from the Early Intervention and Remedial Unit of V-Excel Educational Trust performed the assessments: Ms. Lekshmi Ramesh, Unit Head, Ms. Lavanya Ashok, Program Co-ordinator, and Mr. Surya Suresh, Social Worker. In addition to the assessments, guidance was provided to the teachers regarding vocational activities for the students.

• Orientation programme at DADSS, Coimbatore:

An orientation programme was conducted on the 20th of July 2024 at Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Dream School and Adelihide Rehabilitation Centre (DADSS). It was organized by Dr. C. Jayaprabha, Principal and Correspondent, DADSS, under the guidance of Dr. C.V. Balasubramanian. It was to orient the staff of DADSS on Early Intervention and how it is provided at V-Excel Educational Trust.

The event began at 10:30 A.M. with the lighting of the kuthuvillakku by the resource persons of the day, Ms. Lekshmi Ramesh and Ms. Lavanya Ashok. Followed by this, the participants were asked to briefly introduce themselves. Ms. Lekshmi then shared about the services provided by V-Excel, and how it caters to children and young adults with special needs. She spoke about what early intervention is, how it is being done at V-Excel, about Remedial interventions, about some of the most common conditions with which children come to us, and how we intervene depending on the needs of the child. Followed by this, she spoke about the Kaleidoscopic Learning Centre (KLC), Vocational Training Unit (VTU), and Youth Empowerment Services (YES).

Following this, Ms. Lavanya began her part with an ice-breaker using a simple activity and spoke about the 3 C's of early intervention – Clarity (to set goals to work on), Consistency (sustained effort), and Confidence (that things will work out for them).

She then spoke about the process flow of how a child is taken in at the early intervention and Remedial Unit at V-Excel. There was a brief Q and A session, where they discussed a few areas of difficulty and how they could handle them. Fifteen participants took part in the orientation.

• V-Excel Premier League (VPL):

As part of the sports meet (Sangam 2024) conducted by the Early Intervention and Remedial Unit, a cricket tournament – V-Excel Premier League (VPL), was conducted on the 27th of July 2024, at SMASHER 3.0, for the staff of the various units of V-Excel. The participants were separated into four teams (Blue, Yellow, White, and Black), each consisting of eight members. A total of three, 8-over matches took place between the competing teams in the form of an elimination bracket.

The event was flagged off at 10:00 a.m. by Dr. Prakash Natarajan, followed by a quick warm-up session for the participants, before the rules of the match were read by the Umpire, Mr. Anand Jagadeesan.

The first match of the day was between the Yellow and Black teams where the Yellow team, won the toss and chose to ball. The Black team scored at total of 41 runs at the end of the eighth over. The Yellow team managed to score 42 runs and claimed victory, progressing to the next round.

The second match of the day began at 11:00 a.m. between the Blue and White teams. The White team won the toss and opted to bat first, scoring a total of 27 runs at the end of their eighth over. The Blue team scored more than their opponent and emerged victorious in their match-up.

Following a short break for the players, the final match of the day was just underway. It began at 11:50 a.m. with the Yellow team winning the toss and opting to chase. The Blue team scored a total of 28 runs. The Yellow team scored a total of 32 runs, winning not just their match but the tournament as well.

Prizes were distributed for the participating teams, the woman and man of the match, and the winning team by Dr. Prakash Natarajan. The event ended by 12:50 p.m.

• Stories of change – Abhijitha and Pinky Ma'am:

Miss Abhijitha, aged 7 years, was given consultation in the Early Intervention and V-Excel Remedial Centre on April 22, 2022. The primary concerns of parents were the delay in speech and language, and subsequently, academic performance. She had been assessed in the following areas: neuromuscular development (gross and fine motor skills), sensory development, functional development, cognitive development, speech and language, and social development, as well as an informal scholastic assessment. On assessment, she appeared to be in need of remedial measures to improve her academic skills and bridge the gaps in her learning. Abhijitha has been taking remedial intervention with us since August 17, 2022.

Abhijitha is a very smart girl. She can understand newly explained concepts very fast. She enjoys learning concepts in a playful way, with funny short stories. She is curious in trying out new puzzles and trying her best to solve it by herself.

Abhijitha does not open up easily, her voice is extremely feeble even when she speaks. Her Teacher, Ms. Pinky, comes up with creative ways to get her to talk. She initiates by asking her about her day at school or what she did with her friends that day. Pinky ma'am also tells her jokes and makes funny faces to get Abhi to open up. Although Abhi responds well, she withdraws and becomes non-verbal as soon as she realizes she had spoken just then. Little by little, Pinky ma'am is getting Abhi to let go of her resistence to talk.

Kaleidoscope Learning Centre

From Shashikala Subramaniam's Desk

The month of July brings intensive, compact, consistent work through the curriculum and activities into all the classes in KLC. The lesson blocks change along with the stories, activities, practical work and the days are packed from morning till the end of the day.

Experiential Learning

Grade 1 and 3 students in relation to their main lessons visited Mahabalipuram with their teachers, learnt about the carvings and structures, had lunch there and returned to school. They travel together, manage the heat of the day, are in a group out in the open and listening to the explanations about what they see, are experiences which are new, and help them to get accustomed to the world outside their familiar zone.

They also went to Senganthal Poonga in Gopalapuram related to their block, enjoyed playing in the park for a long time and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. This again serves as an experience for these students who are between 7 to 12 years of age.

Grades 4 and 5 are doing Geography in this block, learning about the important rivers of India. In relation to this lesson, they went on an early morning walk to the broken bridge in Besant Nagar, where the Adyar River meets the sea. It was a beautiful experience for the parents and students to walk on the sand along the sea, to the place where they saw the river meet the sea.

The rivers of India – Adyar River, Koovam, Cauvery, Krishna, Godavari, and Brahmaputra are some of the rivers covered in this block. Teachers presented these rivers through narration, dance, drama, koothu, movement and the students were mesmerized when it was presented. They also cooked dishes from the various regions through which these rivers run.

The vocational group of students at KLC did a block on Joan of Arc! As an inspirational human being, who followed her heart to free France, we followed her till Pondicherry! On this meticulously planned trip - we went prepared to listen, observe, draw and meet real life in their natural surroundings.

They visited the garden and Notre Dame Church, where the statue of Joan is erected. Children spent the day, out in the world, walking through traffic, waiting through hunger, learning independence at hotels, quiet at church, in gay abandon at the beach, in reverence at the artists village, meeting people and all kinds of sounds, sights, difficulties and joys that came their way… It was a day where the children were stretched, yet because they were held with warmth, they could remain present and upright, in their bodies! A long yet enriching day for everyone.

Tarang

Introduction of different kinds of instruments in every Tarang has become a norm and it captivates the students who enjoy the experience. It was time for the Saxophone and Mr. Ramanathan, an experienced artist played various kinds of instruments on the Saxophone. Kaushik and Visswesh ably supported him.

Learning opportunities

We had an experienced teacher, undergoing training in special education, wanting to observe how we work with the students in KLC. She had over 10 sessions of observations watching various activities, movements, vocations, morning circle time and painting in the senior school. She found the experience different, enriching and mentioned that she learnt a lot during her stint with us. She has now planned to take this a step further, engaging in a shared experience with KLC students and the students at her school. We look forward to this.

Vocational experiences

Gardening as a vocation is hard work where the students' water the garden maintained by them, every day in the morning and protect the saplings and plants from the harsh sun. They maintain the soil free of weeds by removing them periodically. Not only is this enough, but replenishing the soil is essential. So, they visited the nearby nursery and bought pre-mixed soil and some new plants. The students enjoyed the experience of selecting the plants and helping in moving the heavy sack of soil.

Making a student independent to fend for themselves completely, including cooking healthy and delicious food, is one of the main aims of KLC. In keeping with this we have been training students to cook independently, dishes like salads, soups, fried rice, rice and dhal with one vegetable. Niharikaa, one of our student's has started her training in the cooking vocation and is working well.

Transitioning from one activity to another is very difficult for some of our students. It takes them a lot of time and effort to do this. Hamsini, one of our students who has this difficulty, is learning to let go of her rigidity and transition smoothly from her gardening vocation to the next activity, by helping to carry the gardening equipment back to storage. This is a big step for her.

Functional academics

It is not enough just to identify the value of the rupee notes, shown to you. But it is important to know how and where to use it and this is where functional academics in our curriculum play an important role. In the newly started 3 to 5 program, teachers have been working with the students by taking them to the nearby vegetable shop and buying the vegetables needed for the next day in the kitchen. The list with the names of the vegetables and quantity is given to them and a teacher accompanies them. They read the list, select the appropriate vegetable and quantity, and take it to the counter for billing. Here the students use a calculator to total the bill, give the appropriate amount of cash and take back the change. When done repeatedly, it becomes easier for the students to do this independently.

Building Bridges

The experience of a friendly game between the units of V-Excel brings in smiles, laughter, competitive spirit, enthusiasm, spirit of participation and cheering along with building bridges between the staff of the units. This year for the first time V-Excel Premier league, was organised. It was an inter-unit cricket competition. Teachers of KLC practiced to encourage and train with the KLC team members.

The game was played with supporters cheering all the teams. KLC team won the league match and took the cup for this year. The team consisted of Monesh, Karthick, Vijay, Avila, Anandhi, Priya. Priyanka and Karthika, who made a good combination to play the match.

Satellite Centers

From Jayanthi Vishwanath at Nashik

BLA students perform at a Special event:

On 7-July-2024, our Students from BLA School captivated the audience with a thought-provoking skit on the overuse of social media during a special event organized by the Atmaja Ladies Group. The program was held to commemorate the foundation/s third anniversary, which was dedicated to children with special needs. Our children received rave reviews for their performance.

Students Performance at Atmaja Group Event

Ashadhi Ekadashi Celebration

On 17-July-2024, Students and teachers celebrated Ashadhi Ekadashi with great devotion across all three centre's in Nashik.

The day was marked by a spiritual atmosphere, with Bhajan Dindi's (religious processions). The children of VLC, dressed in traditional attire, along with their teachers paraded to a nearby temple with a palanquin of Lord Vittala. At the temple they sang Abhang's of Saint Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar, with supreme devotion.

BLA students and teacher's sang Nagar Sankirtan (street singing of devotional songs) and moved in a procession to the nearby Vitthal-Rukmini temple for Darshan. Following the temple visit, prasad was distributed among the students.

Students from VTU marked Ashadhi Ekadashi with a vibrant fervor. They decorated a Palki (palanquin) and carried idols of Lord Vitthal and Rukmini in a grand procession accompanied by traditional Kirtan singing.

Ekadashi, an auspicious day in Maharashtra, is celebrated in honour of Lord Vitthal, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Guru Purnima Celebration

On 21-July-2024, Guru Purnima Celebrated Across All the three centres.

VLC and VTU marked Guru Purnima with heartfelt celebration, where students were taught about the essence of a Guru and participated in a special Puja as a token of respect. The event emphasized the importance of teachers and mentors in guiding students on their educational and spiritual journeys. The celebration served as a reminder of the vital role Gurus play in shaping the lives of their disciples, making the occasion both meaningful and memorable.

Guru Purnima Celebration at VLC
Guru Pournima Celebration At VTU

Preparation of a bouquet with Napkins

On 21-July-2024, Our VLC teacher Komal Chowdhary taught the BLA students to make a Napkin Bouquet. All the students had good fun while learning the special way to fold the napkins that were later placed very decoratively, to form a bouquet.

Napkin Bouquet workshop by Komal Madam

Registration of Nashik Centre

We are glad to announce that the much-awaited registration certificate for V-Excel Nashik has been renewed by the Office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Maharashtra State, Pune.

Erode

Colour Day

Color's play a vital role in a child's development across various domains like sensory, emotional, cognitive, creative and social. Colours give children a language without words. They learn to express their feelings and moods through colours.

Yellow is generally connected to the sun which symbolizes positive vibes such as happiness, warmth and sunshine. Yellow enhances concentration by giving the brain and nervous system a "wake up" call. It gives activating memory, promoting communication, increasing vision and self-confidence.

This month we chose yellow colour as our theme colour. Throughout this month we introduced yellow to our children where ever possible. And on 26.07.2024 Friday, we celebrated colour day. All students and staff wore yellow colour dress. Decorating our therapy hall with yellow colour things and displayed craft made by our children during the month depicting yellow colour. Staff and students spoke a few words about this colour and its significance.

A trip to Mettur dam

Exposing students to real life situations can help them develop critical thinking, social & communication skills, sense of team work and building a community among students.

On 20.07.2024 we went to Mettur dam with 14 children and 12 staff (totally 26 members). We had arranged a tour bus for travelling. Prior practice and discussions were done to familiarize the students about the trip. The students were all on time and throughout the trip were engaged in singing and dancing.

We also had the opportunity of visiting a jaggery production unit. The staff there welcomed us and explained about the different stages and process of jaggery making. We arrived at the Mettur dam, and experienced very pleasant weather. We first went to the view point and then climbed up to get the full view of the Mettur dam. Since there was good flow of water due to rains, it was a beautiful experience to see the dam with the water flowing. The children and staff then took some rest enjoying the tasty food and snacks we had packed. We also visited a park and the children played for some time and could take the children to the aquarium that was inside the park.

The children were very reluctant to leave the place. We reached back on time as the parents were eagerly waiting to receive their ward. For this trip, we had created a whatsapp group of the parents and the staff. This way, it helped them to see the photos, keep in touch with the staff, and keep track of our journey.

On the whole, it was an awesome experience that we all enjoyed.

Staff training program

We conducted a staff training program on 29th June. Ms. Janani, our physiotherapist, gave a training session on sensory integration. It was a very informative session.

Tirunelveli

Moments to cherish

Shakthi Mythili, aged 12 has been coming to us for a year. She is a child with intellectual challenges but very eager to learn things. She has been given therapy and Special Education and has been showing improvement in many areas. The following are some of the activities she is engaged in.

Trampoline activities

Swiss ball activity

Weight bearing exercises for lower limbs

Pattern & obstacle waking

ADL training

Special Education Training

Writing skill - Tamil & English (Generic skills)

Number skill (50 to 10) Reading two letter word (Tamil & English)

Tables (2 to 5) writing

Time concept.

We are very happy to inform that Shakthi Mythili participated in the Yoga competition conducted by the District Yoga Association of Tirunelveli on 27/7/2024. She received a participation certificate and demonstrated her yoga skills that was appreciated by the audience and the Judges.

Solapur

Ashadi Ekadashi Celebration - 16th July

Ashadhi Ekadashi is an auspicious day of God Shri Vitthal, to make children aware of our tradition and greatness of saints who spoke of the importance of social equality and tried to inculcate moral values. All the little students were in the dress of warkari and one of them became lord Vitthal and Rukmai. Dindi (ceremony of procession) near the temple with the chanting of Vitthal bhajan. Students play fugadi and sang bhajan in the temple.

Parents Orientation Programme - 21st July

Parent orientation sessions were conducted at our Centre on 21st July. This was an opportunity for educators to build trust and rapport with parents. By welcoming them into the educational setting and sharing information about the school's vision, values, and teaching methodologies, parents gained confidence in the school's commitment to their child's well-being. When parents feel like a valued contributor, they are more likely to actively participate in their child's education and offer support beyond the classroom. Sunita Vaidya madam gave information about our centre and how educators n therapists work. Explained how involvement of parents helps with development in the child.

Gurupurnima Celebration - 22nd July

Guru Purnima is one such day when the Guru or the teacher is worshipped for the work they have done for their disciples. Every year in the month of Ashadh this festival is celebrated and there are many schools too where this festival is celebrated. At our Centre we celebrated Gurupurnima on 22nd July. Sarswati puja was done with students. Later students gave flowers to their beloved teachers.

Rakhi Workshop - 27th July

At our Centre on 27th, we organized a Rakhi-making workshop where kids created their own Rakhi's using colorful threads, beads, and other decorative materials. This allowed them to express their creativity and make a unique Rakhi. Students, teachers and soome parents participated in this workshop very enthusiastically. Made colorful and attractive rakhi.

Abhyasa Kendra, Srirangam

On July 4th, 2024, Shri. Anand Jagadeesan, Shri. S P B Sivaprakash, Smt. Lekshmi Ramesh came from the V-Excel Educational Trust, Head Office, R A Puram, Chennai. They came to meet the students and parents from the new consultations and admissions, met the staff of our Srirangam Unit, discussed the children's progress in the Vocational Training Unit and Remedial Unit, and what all Vocational Training will be done for trainees in the Academic Year 2024- 2025. Our Team met staff individually for their appraisal and added the additional vocational activity elai vadam making.

From Outreach Remedial Center, Pollachi

Gardening Activity

Our students were given gardening as a part of outdoor activity. It helps children to learn new skills,have fun,play and gain self confidence. Gardening instills responsibility in children and helps stabilize their mood and health. It improves their social skills, motor skills and knowledge of plants.

Physical Training

Our Remedial students were given physical training, to improve their muscle strength and provide better sleep. It improves their memory and brain function.

Brain Gym

Brain Gym exercises are done regularly by our students to improve bilateral coordination, memory skills, focus, coordination and overall cognitive functioning.

Coconut Spathe Planter

Our students of Remedial Center have created an ecofriendly plantholder using coconut spathe and painted it with Warli Art.

Music Therapy

Music class was conducted for our students by teacher trainee Mr. Kashyap Kanna. Music helps to boost emotional regulation, relax and build social skills.

From Anandam Special School, Ambattur

Greetings from Anandam Special School!

July 1:

National Doctor’s Day was celebrated @ Anandam old age home. Children participated by presenting themselves as Doctors.

July 4

Parents were asked to be along with their kids for speech therapy, to follow the therapy @ home.

July 8

Donor’s of Sadananda - U.S.A visited the school.

July 11

Hand books were distributed to the teachers and students for the academic year (2024- 2025).

July 12

Dance Exponent Smt. Anitha Guha celebrated her birthday with our students.

July 15

"Kamarajar Birthday" was celebrated with students performance.

July 23

Students enjoyed watching the National Event beating the retreat on 23rd July as part of their Audio visual Session. They were very happy to see our soldiers band performance.

July 25

Group activities in the developmental therapy

July 31

Senior staffs from "Indian Bank" visited the school.

From Therapy & Learning Centre, Pandharpur

Center Foundation Day Anniversary Celebration, Pandharpur - 9-July-2024

9th July 2023 is the foundation day of Pandharpur V-Excel center. Center organized a celebration on 9th July 2024. Honorable guests [President of Innerwheel Club and Head Mistress of Yashkirti Vidyalay] Mrs. Rashmi Kaulwar, Shreemati Geeta Utpat and other Innerwheel Club members were invited by the center coordinator, Rashmi Diwan. Club members celebrated this auspicious day with kids. They donated some useful sensory things and cut the cake with the children.

Vocational Training Unit

From Charumathi Sriram's Desk

July month began with appraisal for staff and teachers, followed by consultations, Tarang, celebration of Founder’s Day of ESVI Sarada Foundation, Field trip and V-Excel Premier League for staff and teachers,

• Prof. Anand Jagadeesan visited and had appraisal meetings with VTU teachers and staff. They were very happy and shared in their group for the opportunity to work in the unit.

• Planning and discussion between ESF staff, VTU coordinator and admin manager regarding organising the Founder’s Day of Late Shri S. Viswanathan of ESVI Sarada Foundation.

• Ms. Sudha Sruthi Saravana, who is pursuing B. Ed Special Ed through TNOU, joined VTU for internship and started working with our trainees. She training them in computers by making them use Canva app to create invitations and cards. Founder’s Day invitation content was given to her, to train Sousan and Rithwik. She also created tools to train Meenakshi in bead work.

• Charu had two consultations who were referred from HO to VTU. They would be joining by 12th Aug.

Good Company On Saturdays

* This month we had two female volunteers Saranya and Samyuka for Good Company. They spent time, had art and painting activities along with Rishi for trainees.

* Natesan of Grundfos, delivered motivational talk to our trainees regarding communication and interpersonal skills.

• Gururajan a hearing-impaired youngster joined VTU as staff in the tailoring unit. He will be on training for a month and then based on his performance will recruit him as a production unit staff.

Independent Living Program – Sreyes Farm Began On 16th July 2024

• Sreyes Farm – the independent living program started, from VTU Ashwin, Rithvik, Pranav and Hari went for two days and three days respectively.

Tarang At BVB On 18th July 2024

This month Tarang had Saxaphone, vocal and percussion performed by Shri. Ramanathan with a theme of Colours of Saxaphone. He played different instruments like flute, violin and Saxaphone with accompaniments artistes on Vocal Mr. Kaushik Sridharan, and on Mridangam Ms. Viswesh Vichu.

Charu had a meeting with Vasudha and discussed about the VTU activities and the way forward.

• Sushama had a session with teachers about disability and Autism by taking one trainee and addressing.

Founder’s Day Celebration On 22nd July 2024

Founder’s Day of Late Shri. S. Viswanathan of ESVI Sarada Foundation was organised by VTU team. Usha and Rajagopal (Trustees of ESF) came on video call from Australia. Mr. N. Ramanathan, MD, Ponni Sugars Ltd., was invited as Guest to share his experience working with the Founder Shri. SV. It was great to know about this visionary and how he has given importance to pick talented team and first one to work on CSR activities 50 yrs back. Though he was a business man but always felt that it should be for a cause and uplift the labour and empower and give them dignity of life. He had helped his staff and family and still doing so by giving the VTU premises for running the unit for special needs. His family is still holding his torch with ESVI Sarada Foundation.

V-Excel Founder Trustee Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Managing Trustee Dr. Prakash Natarajan, Executive Director Ms. Gita Bhalla, Finance Head Prof. Anand Jagadesan and unit heads of YES Gayathri all participated in this low-key event.

The event started by chanting lead by Rishi with trainees and song rendered by Ms. Kamakshi Priya, who sang SV Sir’s favourite song ‘Maitrim Bhajate.” Dr. Vasudha spoke and thanked Mr. N. Ramanathan for sharing and how grateful V-Excel was to associate with ESVI Sarada Foundation.

* Charu attended the lunch meeting at Sharada on 24th July 2024. SWOT analysis was discussed during the meeting lead by Dr. Vasudha Prakash.

* Charu attended meeting with Vasudha, Gayathri, Ajita and Aparna to discuss about revamping Disha Parents Forum and discussed about the date, time and program schedule. Around 30 parents have registered for the meeting.

Field Trip To Light House And Santhome Church On 26th July 2024

This month field trip was unique and fun filled. We had 18 volunteer’s employee of our CSR Partner Grundfos Pumps Pvt. Ltd., This was an employee engagement event of their CSR activities. We had hired two vans and 11 trainees (last minute 7 trainees were on leave) along with 6 staff, travelled with the 18 staff for the field trip. Totally 40 of us were there and went to Light House first at 3.00 pm on 26th July 2024. Uma had an orientation program for the employees and trainees.

We first visited Santhome Church, and each trainee was assigned to their staff. It was overwhelming to see each one connecting and making friends and chatting with our trainees. Trainees were very happy to have new friends and during the journey from center to Church they all had a good time, dancing, singing, and chatting. We prayed in the prayer hall and were happy to see all trainees keeping calm and quiet. We visited the museum and a sister explained the story of St. Thomas and how the church was built.

From there we went to Light house, and we split into 4 batches, visited the museum and the main viewpoint at the top. All the trainees and the employees of Grundfos enjoyed, despite the heat. We came back to the center and refreshment was given to all staff of VTU and Grundfos. Trainees left for the day and Grundfos employees shared their experiences and gave feedback. Few wanted to be part of our Good Company and showed interest to volunteer on regular basis.

Guests Visit To VTU

• Our Finance Head Prof. Anand VTU accompanied with a Swamiji Prabhakar, Founder of Guru Kripa Center for special Needs, Madurai visited our unit. He was happy to see all our activities and is planning to start a vocational training program as there are more young adults coming in.

• 25th July 2024 – We had visitor from Dr. Abdul Kalam Dreams Special School, (DADSS) Coimbatore. They were 6 females in which the main Founder Dr. Jayachitra herself was differently abled and was happy to share about their story of the organisation. They were very happy to see our work and would like to learn from us and start vocational activities. We offered to provide training for their staff. Siva accompanied them for the visit.

• 30.07.2024 – Ms. Dilshad and Apoorva from Grundfos visited our unit. A guest came from Grundfos to discuss about disability inclusion in their company across India. Uma took them on a tour in the unit and explained the various activities.

V-Excel Premier League For Teachers/Staff On 26th July 2024 At Smashers Auditorium, OMR

Our EI/VRC unit had organised a V-Excel Premier League for all the staff/teachers of Chennai units where they had a Cricket tournament. Every unit was asked to send a list of 8 people and they played against each Unit . It was a wonderful initiative and all the staff and teachers enjoyed playing the game. Prof. Anand was the umpire, with a unique costume of his usual attire. From VTU, all our teachers along with staff of ESVI Sarada Foundation played the game against YES team. We received participation cup and KLC won the overall tournament.

Vocational Activities/Functional Academics/Therapy/Counselling/Movement Dance Therapy

Vocational Activities

Art & Craft

• Trainees Soushan completed the mobile pouch bead patch work independently and she was very happy about her work.

Tailoring:

We had received order for 10 fabric pouches and the team was busy cutting the materials and stitching.

Block Printing: Regular printing work for SNEH was on and few trainees were independent in printing. Other trainees were made to print on paper and cloth for practice.

Music session: Radha Naganathan training on Independence Day song along with her Bhajan class for trainees.

Functional academics:

• Uma had orientation on the upcoming field tip as group session along with safety measures.

• She taught in individual sessions for Rithwik, Ashwin, Soushan and Aqeeb in using the app on booking auto or cab or Swiggy.

• She along with new intern trained Trainee Rithwik and Sousan to use Canva app and created the invitation for the Founder’s Day. Also made them write about their experiences on the field

Counselling/therapy/movement

Counselor Jayadevi had her session with parents, trainees and staff.

• Therapist Vasanth had sessions in a group and individually on Focus and attention, bilateral hand function, standing tolerance and follow verbal instructions. Also, for trainee Aqeeb and Sousan blowing activities for breathing exercise was given to improve their speech.

Youth Empowerment Services

From Gayathri Suryanarayanan's Desk

Key highlights for the month of June 2024

• Vocational training

• Archery, Silambam, Yoga and Fitness

• Internship - Arpith

• Prep group at YES

• Field trip – Kanchipuram

• Visitors

o o o Ventura team

o o o Grundfos team

• Participation in V-Excel Premier League

• Appreciation badges for best attendance, punctuality, and performance

• Production

Vocational training

Following a very good start in June with a clear schedule for all the trainees, the training program has been going in a very structured manner. The new trainees have settled well. Each vocation has a weekly timetable for training and production and is being followed.

Archery, Silambam, Yoga and Fitness

Yoga sessions resumed from July whereas archery, silambam and fitness had resumed from June. In Archery and fitness along with Silambam, the training is focused on performance for the sports meet which is in August. Both the trainers have planned for the sports meet program and identified trainees who are made to practice accordingly. Separately, training is given to the trainers as well.

Internship - Arpith

YES, trainee started his internship with the auditor firm Subramanya and Co from 01 July 2024. He will be working with the back-office team, helping them with scanning and photocopying. Arpith, will also get a chance to build on his social and communication skills. We wish Arpith the very best for all his future endeavors.

YES, Prep group

YES had 6 new admissions in June and July. We also had a few existing trainees who were not ready for group learning. So, a dedicated trainer has been appointed to prepare these trainees for group learning and on the basics of vocational skills. A separate schedule has been put for this prep group. Every day they will be part of the prep group for half a day and the vocational training for the other half. This is to enable a smooth transition and to give them time and space to get accustomed to the skill training program.

Field trip - Kanchipuram

The YES team, comprising of 25 trainees and 13 trainers, went to Kanchipuram on Thursday, 11 July 2024 to mark our first field trip of the academic year 2024-25. The trip began with a visit to the Ayyampettai Weaver's Cooperative Society which featured traditional silk and cotton weaving setups. Our next visit was to the Manimandapam of Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal at Orikkai. We visited the temple and gurukulam and distributed small bags containing notebooks and stationery to all the gurukulam students. The bags and notebooks were produced at the YES centre. The gurukulam students chanted a few mantras and the Dhanvantri Slokam for the physical and mental well-being of our trainees.

We were provided lunch at the Bhojanaalayam of the Orikkai temple. The highlight of our visit was the audience we received from the Kanchi Mutt Peetathipathi Sri Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal. He enquired about our organisation with a lot of interest and blessed our group.

We then went to the Silk Park in Kanchipuram where we visited the mechanized loom facilities of Shree Ramkumar Silks. The proprietor, Mr. Rajendran, interacted with our trainees and his team explained the process of weaving, designing, and packing silk sarees.

Visitors

Ventura team

HR team from Ventura had come to YES on 17 July for a formal visit and to discuss the possibility of offering internships to a couple of our trainees. Ms. Bhuvana from their HR team gave wonderful feedback about the YES centre, training program, products and placement process. The visit was fruitful, and she assured us that interviews will be arranged for those trainees identified by us and subsequently, internships would be planned.

Grundfos team

Ms. Apoorva and Ms. Dilshad visited YES on 29 July as part of the NGO visits. The meeting was planned to discuss the disability hub at Grundfos and possibilities of having a product stall at their premises. 04 September has been chosen as a tentative date for the product stall.

Participation in the V-Excel Premier League

On 27 July, 8 of us from YES team participated in the V-Excel Premier League cricket match. YES, team quickly progressed to the finals after beating the VTU team in the semifinals. YES, team bagged the runner’s up trophy and Gayathri from YES got the Woman of the Match award.

Appreciation badges for best attendance, punctuality, and best performance

This academic year, from July, we have started to acknowledge and appreciate our trainees for 100% attendance, punctuality, and best contribution.

We have given badges which they will carry for the whole month and return it on the last day of the month. On the 1st working day of every month, trainees will be selected under each category and badges will be given. This will motivate to push themselves further towards a progressive path.

We expect to have more names in the coming months. Please note that attendance and punctuality are for the trainers also.

Production

Production is happening as usual in all the vocations, based on the need and requirements. There has been regular work in laundry. This month we completed a screen-printing order for Kocoatrait.

We are also working on a gift hamper order for Karadi tales which is to be delivered by 02 August.