Strides Newsletter - November 2024 - Issue 221
- Early Intervention & V-Excel Remedial Center
- Kaleidoscope Learning Center
- V-Excel Educational Trust
- Satellite Centers
- Vocational Training Unit
- Youth Empowerment Services
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!
• Diwali celebrations
In connection with the Diwali festival this month, the Early Intervention and Remedial Unit did activities with students. We conducted a Diya painting workshop for our children and the same was given as a take away. This activity helped them to enhance their Fine motor skills, Focus, attention and Sitting Tolerance. Children thoroughly enjoyed this activity. The activity was conducted in both Sarada and Kolapakkam Centre.



• Baby steps of Kolapakkam Branch
V-Excel Educational Trust, in association with Super Auto Forge, has opened an early intervention centre at Unamancheri, Kolapakkam highway on Vijayadasami, the 12th of October 2024. The centre caters to children with special needs free of cost.
We have till now completed 8 admissions and have started coming for one on one Therapy, Remedial and Language development Program. We are slowly getting enquires from the nearby areas.
Outreach Program: As part of our empowerment programs, we visited 2 special schools in Coimbatore to provide counselling services to the students and individual sessions for teachers and parents.
The following activities were conducted.
1. A detailed individual observation of the children and on-the-job training was done for the Special Teachers on the topic of Classroom management for students with behavioural concerns.
2. Individual meetings with parents were conducted, Strategies and tips were provided for effective management of the children at home. The above program was organized in Bharathi Special School and Dr. Abdul Kalam Special School from 25th to 27th November 2024. A team of Psychologists, Therapists, and special educators conducted the sessions.
Overall 28 students, 14 parents, and 23 Teachers benefited from this program


3. Counselling sessions for Grade 4 & 5 were conducted by Ms. Sumathi Srinivasan on the Topic “How to be Happy". The details are as follows:
students were given five tips to practice everyday. They drew their palm and wrote each tip in a finger. The students were divided into 5 group. Each group spoke about the value/tip that they had to follow everyday.
All the students took an oath that they would follow the above tips and lead a healthy and happy life.
The English translation is
PLEDGE
I will do all these to lead a happy life
1. Take care of my physical and mental health
2. Respect myself and others
3. Gain knowledge
4. Practice good habits
5. Follow day routines.


Olcott School, where we support with our outreach program conducted an exhibition. Students who are taking Inteventions participated in the exhibition and showcased their skills.


• Stories of change – Dikshit Sai and his therapist Ms. Saranya:
Master Dikshit Sai, aged 5 years, was given consultation in the Early Intervention and V-Excel Remedial Centre on November 5, 2023. The primary concerns with which he was brought in were his Hyper Active, Lack of Understanding, Communication Difficulty. On assessment, it was evident that he required occupational therapy and Language Enhancement to help regulate his hyperactive behavioural and Language concerns. He started taking interventions with us from January 19, 2024.
Dikshit able to connect with people easily with social smile He was adamant and hyperactive and now his behaviour slowly started shifting, as he began getting used to this new environment, and his guide, Saranya ma'am. Engaging in activities alongside her has helped in regulating his behavioural concerns. There has been significant improvements in his sitting and waiting tolerances. He is also able to complete given tasks now, which was something that was difficult for him to do earlier.
Ms. Saranya noticed that he is interested in Social Interaction. Whenever another child / therapist was engaging in conversation, he would always be intrigued by it and pay close attention. Now, with Saranya's Intervention his Social Interaction has drastically improved. She notes that he is interested in engaging in new activities and that he is able to grasp them fairly quickly just by observing.

Kaleidoscope Learning Centre
From Shashikala Subramaniam's Desk

His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Sannidhanam visit
November was a blessed month in KLC, with the visit of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Sannidhanam of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham to the premises on November 5th. Students, parents, devotees took his blessings and the students of KLC performed some bhajans in his presence. He went around the whole building and looked at the classrooms and vocational activity rooms and enquired about the work and training of the students. He was particularly interested in meeting the students and trainees of V-Excel.


Chandramouli - A documentary film of an adult with special needs
It was a proud moment for all of us at V-Excel, when the journey of Chandramouli, one of the trainees of the vocational unit VTU was screened privately at 6 Degrees, PVR Cinemas, Royapettah on November 15th. Some of the teachers, parents, and students of KLC were present at this screening to cheer and encourage Chandramouli and his parents and the staff and team of VTU. Enclosed is the link to the short movie.


Graduation Day - A special occasion
On 22nd November, 7 students and 2 teachers of Grade 3, graduated to Grade 4 in a simple, beautiful ceremony attended by their parents and the rest of the school cheering for them. They passed through the ring of fire and came out of it and then walked through the rainbow bridge with their teachers, held up by the teachers and students. Then the whole group enclosed them for the year to come as they enter the challenging year of Norse Mythology.




The Delight of Double Tarang – Dance programs:
The Tarang program of October was cancelled due to the heavy rains predicted and so we had it in the first week of November.
The Theme was Trishakthi in keeping with the Dussehra / Navarathri festival and the powers and stories of the 3 Goddesses – Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. The students of Nritya Samsriti Trust under the able guidance of Vaidehi Harish performed beautifully and the dances and music kept the students mesmerised. Guru Vaidehi too performed a solo number for the audience, bringing out the essence of the song gracefully and beautifully. She did the live nattuvangam for the dances for her students.



Tarang for November was another dance recital on the theme “Radhe Shyam", by the students of A House of Natyam Production led by Deepti Ravichandran and her team of dancers. Deepthi, is a staunch supporter of V-Excel and has been a regular in our Tarang programs. She has performed on various themes and Radhe Shyam was a delight to watch and enjoy.


Chemistry – Acid and Bases – the Concept
The "purple cabbage experiment" was a great way to introduce students of Grade 5 to the concept of acids and bases.
Here is how it works: the purple color in cabbage comes from a pigment called anthocyanin. This pigment changes color depending on the pH level of the solution it is in. Acids turn the pigment red or pink, while bases turn it blue or green. By adding this purple cabbage water to different household items, the students got to see this color change firsthand. This hands-on approach can help make complex scientific concepts more accessible and memorable.


Training - matters – the how and why of teaching
V-Excel conducted a 5 – day in-house program for teachers from its satellite centers in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The Workshop was designed to bring to the participants the philosophy of curative education and get a practical insight into rhythmic movements, handwork, circle time, finger rhymes, main lesson stories and vocational activities done in KLC. Teachers and students of KLC participated in bringing all the above to them through practical methods. The participants were very satisfied and moved to be in a space which was calm and purposeful.






Celebrations of our Mothership's birthday - Vasanthi Aunty
A human being close to everyone, loving, caring, Annadaata to many, offering her skills and services still and cherished by all KLC – Vasanthi Shivram, celebrated her 77th birthday. She loves old Tamizh songs and so a few of our teachers performed a 10-minute medley of her favourite songs – as a surprise. She was touched and was happy to watch it. There was the special “Dosa Cake" a KLC favourite, which she cut and distributed to all the students and teachers. She is also an avid gardener with a green thumb, and she planted some seeds too, for the school garden.




Preparations for December Bazaar
In November, KLC was involved in hard work with planning and production for the December Bazaar. All students were involved in vocational activities – keychains from Grade 1, small surukku bags from Grade 3, Frosted jars with lights within from Grade 5, stitching, weaving, woodwork, candle making, gardening, happy hands, where trainees prepared products to be sold in the December Bazaar on 3rd December, Tuesday – The International Day for Persons with Disabilities.





December brings celebrations, sharing, Santa Claus, gifts, and Christmas celebrations along with the experience of December Bazaar. Keep watch.
V-Excel Educational Trust
Tarang musical concert
The monthly Tarang concert held on Monday, November 4, 2024 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The theme of the event was Trishakthi, Bharatanatyam performance by the talented students of Smt. Vaidehi Harish, Founder and Managing Trustee of the Nritya Samsrti Trust.
Click here to watch Tarang on YouTube.

Divine Grace Shines on V-Excel
His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Sannidhanam, the revered pontiff of the Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, on 5-Nov-2024 graced V-Excel Educational Trust, a leading institution dedicated to the holistic development of children with developmental disabilities.
Founded in 2001 by Dr. Vasudha Prakash, V-Excel offers a range of individualized, customized, and contextualized developmental services through its 22 centers across Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The institution's team of experienced multi-disciplinary rehabilitation professionals, including special educators, clinical psychologists, therapists, and counselors, work tirelessly to empower young minds.
Prof. Anand Jagadeesan, Chief Functionary, V-Excel warmly welcomed His Holiness and expressed gratitude for his blessings.
During His Holiness' visit, the atmosphere was imbued with a sense of spiritual upliftment. The Jagadguru interacted with the children, showering them with blessings and words of encouragement. The sight of the divine and the innocent sharing a moment of pure joy was truly inspiring.
The Jagadguru's visit has further strengthened V-Excel's resolve to continue its noble mission. The institution remains steadfast in its commitment to creating a more inclusive society, where every child, regardless of their abilities, has the opportunity to reach their full potential.







Tarang musical concert
The monthly Tarang concert held on Monday, November 14, 2024 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The theme of the event was Radhe Shyam, Bharatanatyam performed Deepthi Ravichandran and team from A House of Natyam Production.
Click here to watch Tarang on YouTube.

In-house training programme
V-Excel Educational Trust conducted a 5-day in-house training programme (11th to 15th Nov. 2024) for select participants from our satellite centres in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
The workshop was designed to equip the members to understand the philosophy and background of curative education and get a practical insight into rhythmic movements, hand work sessions, circle time and finger rhymes, main lesson stories and vocational activities done in Chennai.
















Chandramouli: A Story of Hope and Resilience
The incredible journey of Chandramouli - a young man with special needs.
Our short film, certified by the CBFC, delves into his transformative experience at V-Excel Educational Trust. Witness how, with unwavering support and personalized care, Chandramouli overcame challenges and achieved remarkable success.
V-Excel proudly presented a documentary AV short film (certified by CBFC) titled Chandramouli: A Real-life Story of an Adult with Special Needs premiered at PVR Sathyam Cinemas, Royapettah, Chennai on 16th November 2024.
The goal of this short film was to create public awareness about neurodivergent diversity and inclusion in mainstream society.
In the heartwarming journey of Chandramouli, V-Excel emerges as a pivotal force of change and empowerment for a young adult with special needs. Initially facing challenges due to undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome (a sub-type of Autism Spectrum Disorder), Chandramouli's life underwent a remarkable transformation when his parents sought help from Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Founder-Trustee and her team at V-Excel in 2013.
With the guidance of Prof. Anand Jagadeesan, Smt. Usha Rajagopal & Smt. Charumathi Sriram, Vocational Training Unit of V-Excel, Chandramouli secured employment at Square Network Solutions Company in 2015, marking a significant milestone in his journey towards independence and self-sufficiency. Presently, Chandramouli works as an Executive at Star Health Insurance Company.
On this special occasion, V-Excel felicitated Ability Foundation (NGO), Square Network Solutions Company, Shri Arun, the Film Director & his team, rehabilitation professionals from V-Excel, Star Health Insurance Co., and Shri Chandramouli Ramadoss and his parents.
The program was graced by Shri. A.L. Somayaji, Senior Advocate, Madras High Court and Former Attorney General of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Jayashree Raveendran, Founder - Ability Foundation, Shri Ashwin Balaji, MD, Square Network Solutions, Shri. CA. Swaminathan, Senior Partner of PS Subramanian and Co., Ms. Apoorva Manichandar, CSR Manager - Grundfos, Shri. Shwetank Mohan G. - GM - Star Health Insurance Company.
This movie screening brought together our alumni, trainees, parents, teachers, and well-wishers, fostering a sense of community and pride. The short film was sponsored by Prof. Anand Jagadeesan, Founder & Trustee of Nivesh Foundation for the Welfare of Differently-abled persons, and the mementos were from Special Need Empowerment Hub(www.snehindia.com).
The event was also covered in the Hindu Edition of Nov. 17 2024. Click here to view The Hindu article











Training programme
Our trainees in the Youth Empowerment Services in Mylapore, Chennai are being trained in the process of digitization of documents. Some of them are totally independent in the entire process which includes counting the sheets in each file, removing staples from documents, collating, scanning, saving and naming the output as PDF files and re-stapling the documents and rechecking the sheet count, before returning them to the original physical folders. Other than documents, the trainees are also capable of scanning photo albums.
Click here to view the clip.
Graduation Day @ KLC
Friday, November 22, was Graduation Day @ KLC as children from Divine Hearts graduated from Grade 3 to Grade 4.
As the young children and teachers of Divine Hearts graduate…. the rest of the school wished them ... 'Believe and you will find your way ... as a promise lives within you'.





Student's excursion
Nashik Centre's student's excursion to the zoo and picnic at Peruchi Wadi.
Built on a guava farm, Peruchi Wadi place is located approximately 35 kms from the Nashik Road railway station. The restaurant there is famous for its traditional style of cooking Misal.
The bird park at Peruchi Wadi features a variety of animals and birds. Our children had the opportunity to pet rabbits and iguanas and enjoy a magic show.
Click here to view the clip.
Click here to view the clip.
Satellite Centers
From Jayanthi Vishwanath at Nashik
Teacher training program
From 11th to 15th November, V-Excel Chennai organized an impactful teacher training program for educators from its satellite centers, focusing on enhancing skills for working with special children. Key topics included the qualities of special educators, understanding children's temperaments based on their physical constitution, and engaging with the 12 senses. The program featured insightful sessions, hands-on activities, and a tour of V-Excel's vocational and other centers. A highlight was "Tarang", a mesmerizing musical program where classical dancers beautifully depicted the bond of Radha, Krishna, and the gopis. The training was a transformative experience, enriching staff with knowledge and inspiration.

Children's Day
On 14th November, Children's Day was joyfully celebrated at all three centers with engaging activities like the "Dance and Freeze" game. For the younger children, art activities such as drawing and coloring were conducted, which they thoroughly enjoyed. The celebrations concluded with the distribution of sweets and chocolates, making it a memorable occasion for all.




School Picnic
On 23rd November, A delightful school picnic was organized for students of all three centers to Peru Chi Wadi, meaning "Place with Guava Trees." After a 40-minute bus journey, the children immersed themselves in the natural surroundings, observing various species of birds. Children enjoyed a magic show and a lively puppet show. The day concluded with delicious food, leaving the children brimming with joy and unforgettable memories.


Sanvidhan Divas
On 26th November, Constitution Day Celebrated with Oath-Taking Ceremony across all the three centres
Constitution Day, marking the adoption of India's Constitution in 1949, was commemorated with reverence. Teachers and students honored the vision of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Constituent Assembly by collectively reading the Preamble and taking a solemn oath to uphold justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.


Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Punyatithi
On November 28, 2024, The death anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule was observed with respect. Teachers and students paid tribute to his efforts in fighting caste oppression, promoting education, and advocating for women's rights, inspiring everyone to follow his path.

From Therapy & Learning Centre, Pandharpur
Children's Day
The Pandharpur V-Excel center celebrated Children's Day with great enthusiasm at Tulsi Vrundavan Park. The children had a wonderful time enjoying activities like the trampoline, self-boating, merry-go-round, train ride, and Kolambus, along with colorful balloons. They were also delighted with red roses and delicious snacks. The entire celebration was truly fabulous!

Solapur
Teachers Training Program - 9th November
After Diwali vacations in our Centre on 9th November teachers training program was conducted. The main purpose of the training program was to know about the behaviour, red flags of children and what is priority to development in children. Case study was given to teachers to know what are behaviours, how to set goals and what priority goal is needed in developing the behavior of a child.

Teachers Training Program - 11th November
A training program was held in Chennai V-Excel educational trust. Our five teachers attended the training program for 5 days. In the training they discussed about circle time even for teachers, how much it is needed to be peaceful throughout class. Discussed about academic things like mathematics and curative education vs social therapy, what should be the qualities of special educators, what should be the attitude of special educators. Also discussed about free play, games, sports, finger knitting, braiding, finger rhymes, painting coloring. Outing plan for students like a visit to kaustubham it is where dance performances are held. Movement and music time is important to keep kids calm.
By vocational students many creative things got seen. Our teachers had a great experience in the 5-day training program, got lots of knowledge about developments of students.

Children Day Celebration - 14th November
At our V-Excel Centre on 14th November children's day was celebrated. Teachers arranged fun activities for kids. Members of Inner-wheel on this occasion distributed blackboard to our V-Excel Centre. Our kids participated very enthusiastically in various activities.

Farm Visit - 15th November
On occasions of children's day our V-Excel Centre arranged farm visit to experience Children's farm related activities. One day outing trip to farm visit at Mandrup. Students were welcomed with snacks and welcome drinks. The Bullock cart ride was an attraction of the farm visit, our students enjoyed the ride. Feeding farm animals was a good experience for students. Some fun activities, later we had lunch sitting under a tree. Finally said bye to the farm and returned to the Center.

From Anandam Special School, Ambattur
Greetings from Anandam Special School!
November 5:
Smt. Sunita Vaidya Ji from V-Excel Solapur visited our school.


November 13:
A meeting was held for North zone schools in the presence of Shri R. Balaji DDAWO north.
November 14:
On account of children's day. children were individually greeted with the gifts done by the teachers.






November 17:
DDAWO North Shri. Balaji & family visited (unofficial visit) us. He enjoyed each & every aspect of ASL and appreciated it and said that it's an official visit.




November 18:
Lunch was provided to the students by one of the donors. Students enjoyed the food.




November 20:
Students participated in the north zone sports meet. Two of the students were selected for state level.




November 23:
Interschool cultural meet for North Zone was conducted at ASL in the presence of MLA Mr. Joseph & DDAWO North Shri. Balaji, our students got 1st place, and we were selected for the state level competition.




Erode
Children's day celebrations
Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the nation's future and the citizens of tomorrow," Nehru once famously stated in one of his lectures. Children's Day is an annual observance in India, also known as 'Bal Diwas', and 'is celebrated to acknowledge children of the nation. This date also commemorates the birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who is known for his fondness for children.
Fun games
On 14th Nov, we conducted fun games and our children thoroughly enjoyed them. We had arranged snacks for all children and staff. This time student trainees from Nandha College (physiotherapy department) participated in the event. They engaged with our children by dancing with them. They also enjoyed the celebration.



Paper bag making and woolen thread weaving:
Our Pre vocational students have started making paper bags and weaving woolen mats. They learned eagerly, the process of making it. The students could fold and paste paper by themselves under the supervision of our technical staff. Pre vocational students watched and observed the process of weaving mats and now they can handle the weaving machine safely under our supervision.


Colour day
On 29th Nov, we had colour day with orange colour as our theme. As done by every month, this month also we decorated our centre with orange colour art work. All the staff and students wore orange colour dress. We observed that through this process, the children could identify the colours well and could relate these colours to the environment.
We are getting ready for the December Bazaar 2024. We have agreed to supply turmeric powder packets for sale as Erode is very famous for it. More updates shall be given in the coming month Strides.


From Outreach Remedial Center, Pollachi
Storytelling Event with Pop-Up Storybooks
On 13-11-2024, we conducted a storytelling event with the support of Round India Table who facilitated the session, for our remedial and young adult students, incorporating interactive pop-up storybooks to engage the learners. The session aimed to improve literacy skills while making storytelling more engaging and visually stimulating. Students actively participated, showing enthusiasm as they explored the pop-up books and listened to stories, enhancing both their comprehension and imagination. This event helped foster a love for reading and supported the development of critical thinking and language skills.





Children's day Drawing Competition
In celebration of Children's day, we organized a school-level drawing competition focused on raising awareness about Intellectual Disability (ID), as well as empowering parents and addressing national issues related to the differently-abled population (DAP). Students were encouraged to express their thoughts through art, highlighting the importance of inclusion and support for individuals with disabilities. The top three drawings were selected based on creativity and relevance to the theme and were sent to the District Differently Abled Welfare Officer (DDWO) in Coimbatore for further recognition and participation in the regional event.


Group Therapy Session 4
We conducted our 4th group therapy session for early intervention students, focusing on a range of activities designed to support their development. The session included exercises aimed at improving body awareness, where students practiced recognizing and controlling their body movements. We also engaged them in visual perception tasks to enhance their ability to interpret and respond to visual stimuli. Bilateral coordination exercises were incorporated to strengthen both sides of the body. Finally, we integrated academic activities, we introduced a hands-on task where students had to insert a rope into a hole and pull it out from the other end.



Practical Sessions for NIOS
We have successfully conducted practical sessions for NIOS students at our OutReach Special School in preparation for their upcoming exams. These sessions were designed to provide hands-on experience and reinforce theoretical knowledge, ensuring students gain confidence in their practical skills. The practicals covered key subjects, focusing on key areas where students may need additional support. Our goal was to enhance students' understanding and performance in their practical exams. We are committed to helping students achieve their best possible results in the upcoming NIOS examinations.



Abhyasa Kendra, Srirangam
Our Technical Training Team (Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Ms. Gita Bhalla, Ms. Lakshmi Sudhakaran, Ms. Neha Vedanth, Ms. Puja Bhalla, Ms. Kavitha, Ms. Tamizhselvi & Ms. Nithya) from V-Excel Educational Trust, R A Puram, Chennai – 28 conducted 5 days knowledge sharing programme to all over the satellite centres. From Srirangam Centre, Ms. Sathya Saravanan, Special Educator & Ms. Latha Nagarajan, Physiotherapist went and attended the programme. It was really a new experience for the team and they expressed that they could understand the different ways of addressing the child.
November 18th, 2024, we celebrated Children's Day in Abhyasa Kendra, Srirangam Unit. On that day, All the staff arranged a colouring activity for the children A small talk about Children's day and its importance was done by the teachers.
All the children from the Remedial and Vocational Units eagerly participated in the colouring activity.



Tirunelveli
Children's day program
I am happy to share with you that we have celebrated the Children's day program on Nov 30, 2024.
Our children participated, explored their talents and the event became a grand success with the support of faculties of V-Excel and parents.
Mrs. Radha Muralidharan and Mr. Muthu Kumar welcomed the gathering and Chief Guest Mrs. Aruna of K. K. Trust. The day started with a cheerful welcome dance by our student, Prithivi raj, followed by other events including Children's speech, Fashion show, Dance.
Another notable moment was fabulous Yoga by Sakthi Mythili, which made the event stunning. We have also conducted games for children's and parents.
All the childrens were congratulated with a gift.

Vocational Training Unit
From Charumathi Sriram's Desk
A pleasant, rainy and cool month of the year with two musical dance events at Tarang, Private Screening of short film on Chandramouli, getting ready for December Bazaar, and ended with experiential learning.
Tarang @ BVB On 4th And 14th November 2024
VTU trainees enjoyed two dance performances at Tarang. Due to weather conditions in the previous month, Tarang was rescheduled for 4th Nov where we had beautiful and excellent performance by students of Nritya Samsrti Trust founded by Smt. Vaidehi Harish, the theme being THRI SHAKTHI.
On 14th November we had theme dance of Radhe Shyam by Deepthi Ravichandran and team, a house of Natya Production. It was stunning performance by Deepthi and the team with little Krishna and Radhe attracting the crowd and the selections of songs was mind blowing.


Sringeri Achariya Visit On 5th Nov At Sharada
VTU staff and trainees received the blessings of Sringeri Acharya during his visit to Sharada on 5th Nov 2024. All trainees received blessings individually and so did the staff.



Chandramouli - Short Film Screening At PVR Sathyam Cinemas On 16th Nov 2024
'Chandramouli,' ex-trainee of VTU and YES was the first one to be placed in an open employment from V-Excel. A documentary was shot before lock down and it got ready by 2022. Trustee Advisor Prof. Anand Jagadeesan got it certified from the Central Board of Film Production. VTU and Admin team in the leadership of Prof. Anand organised a private screening at Sathyam Cinema on Saturday, 16th Nov 2024. Shri Somayaji, Senior Advocate and Ex Attorney General of Tamil Nadu was the Special Guest. Movie was screened. Post that, VTU honoured those who worked with Chandramouli's training at VTU and YES. His employers were felicitated. The mementos were sponsored by Nivesh Foundation – SNEH. Currently Chandramouli works with Star Health Insurance and the General Manager Mr. Ramesh Govindarajan was present for the event. He was very happy about the work we have done and Chandramouli's work. We had lots of media coverage for the same





Deepotsav – celebrating Karthik – the month of Damodara by Dr Janani psychiatrist at Sreyes, VTU on 13th Nov 2024
One of our well-wishers Dr. Janani, a psychiatrist by profession, and devotee of ISKON organised Deepotsav in the auspicious month of Karthikai at VTU. Staff, teachers, and trainees lit ghee lamp and offered to Lord Damodara. She sang a beautiful song on the lord and trainees chanted Hare Krishna, Hare Rama.


Workshop On Itaid – Indian Theatre Arts For Integrated Development At TN Music College On 14th Nov 2024
Charu and Uma attended workshop on ITAID – Indian Theatre Arts for Integrated Development a project intended for the rehabilitation of the children and adults with special needs. This was organised by The Tamil Nadu R. J. Jayalalitha's Music and Fine Arts University. The workshop was an introduction on the 6 months intensive certificate training on using various art forms like Music, Dance, Theare, Art, Puppetry and Storytelling to rehabilitate people with special needs. All experts from each art presented how they were able to rehabilitate and with this course how many organisations and parents can apply. It was wonderful workshop and with basic introduction and information, we could learn many things that could be useful for our community.


Visit Of Satelite Centers Team To VTU On 15th Nov 2024
VTU welcomed all our satellite centre's teachers, therapist and staff who had come for a workshop conducted by Ms. Gita Bhalla and team, visited VTU for experiencing our activities. They expressed their appreciation for our products and activities.



Field Trip To Tamil Nadu Police Museum And Ride On Metro Rail On 28th Nov 2024
November month outing was planned for metro train ride and visit to Tamil Nadu Police Museum. Despite imminent rains, VTU staff, trainees and teachers embarked on a long ride on the Metro. Uma oriented about the various modes of transport and exclusively about Metro train travel. Metro travel was from Alandur to Egmore. Trainer brought to attention every stage of the ride from buying tickets, standing in the queue to entering the station using tickets, use of escalator and so on. Trainees were able to follow the instructions, the ride was enjoyable and they were able to relate to the announcements enroute. Few of them read each station names. From Egmore, we walked to the TN Police Academy Museum where they understood the activities of the department right from British Era. It was very informative museum and visual treat with lots of stories to know about the department. Photos of all the police commissioners and DGPs were on display. It was overall a great experience for all of us.










Conference On Regional Parents Meet By NIEPMD On 29th Nov 2024
Charu was invited to address parents at the Regional Parents Meet conference organised by NIEPMD in collaboration with Parivaar – National Confederation of Parents Organizations, South Zone on 29th Nov 2024. Mr. John Rajkumar requested us to screen the short film on Chandramouli and address parents about opportunities in the open employment. It was well received



Vocational activities/functional academics/therapy/counselling
Vocational activities
Art & craft:
• Trainees made paper bags along with the trainers for the orders received from Tula Organic shop.
Tailoring:
• Tailoring unit team stitched bags on various patterns for the December Bazaar. Trainees cut the materials using templates.



Block Printing:
• Trainees were trained to print on bags and paper. Three trainees are independent in printing and cleaning the blocks.


Functional academics
• Uma had individual sessions with trainees and group session on orienting them about metro rail and TN police academy museum.
Counselling/therapy/movement
• Regular sessions for parents on counselling and individual counselling for trainees and staff
• Vasanth had therapy sessions
Youth Empowerment Services
From Gayathri Suryanarayanan's Desk
Key highlights for the month of November 2024
• Vocational training
• Counselling and Therapy
• Archery, Silambam and Yoga
• TATTVA post event work
• Choir performance at BVB
• Launch of Herbal Hair Oil
• Team visit – Solapur, Pandarpur, Erode, Srirangam
Vocational training and Production
Vocational training program has been happening at YES as per schedule with 90% attendance throughout the month. Trainees were given tasks to assess their learning outcome. Trainees who are part of the production group were involved in all the orders that were completed in November.


Counselling and Therapy
Counselling sessions were happening on a regular basis. Individual counselling sessions were conducted for the new trainees who joined recently. Group sessions were held on managing relationships, friendships, and mutual respect for a few select trainees. Reinforcement sessions on mood regulations were conducted for a few other trainees. Parents and family counselling also happened.
Archery and Silambam
Archery classes happened without any interruption despite the unpredictable monsoon weather. Few trainees have upgraded to a more professional bow and are practicing shooting from a longer distance. The trainees are also learning rapid shooting and number target shooting. Remarkable progress is seen with a few of our trainees who attend the classes regularly.




Silambam classes are going on and trainees are preparing for the upcoming Silambam Marathon organised by the Star book of World records. Trainees need to walk 5 kms performing the art of Silambam.
Yoga sessions have also been happening regularly.
TATTVA post event work
Tattva 2024 being one of our successful events, grabbed a lot of attention and appreciation from all over.
Number of special artists: 129
Number of displayed artworks: 166
Number of displayed photographs: 41
Number of artworks sold: 53
Number of photographs sold: 8
Number of artworks auctioned: 19
Number of auctioned artworks sold: 19
As part of the post event work process, all the sold artworks were neatly packed and delivered to the respective buyers. High resolution photos were taken of all the unsold artwork/photograph as the first step towards creating a digital catalogue. All the sale proceeds were sent to the respective units/artists.
YES, team managed to complete all the work in the stipulated time and with a lot of extra care and diligence.




Choir Performance at BVB
6 trainees along with 1 trainer participated in the inclusive Sargam choir at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore on 10 November 2024 to celebrate the birth centenary of Late Sri M B Srinivasan. It also marked the 15th anniversary of Sargam Choir, led by Dr. Sudha Raja. Retired Judge Smt. Prabha Sridevan was the chief guest for the event.


Launch of Herbal hair oil
YES, launched its new product Herbal hair oil on 30 November 2024. While the oil making training happened in October, final product was launched ahead of the V-Excel December Bazaar.

Team visit
13 trainers and therapists from other V-Excel units namely Solapur, Pandharpur, Erode and Srirangam, visited YES on 15 November 2024. They took a tour around the center to observe and understand the training program structure, product making and placement process. They were happy and expressed their appreciation. They also expressed that the tour has been very beneficial and that they have learnt a lot.
