NV ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011

Name of partner SWECHHA Name of project INFLUENCE

INTRODUCTION

Swechha with support from VSO , has launched INFLUENCE - a youth programme on environmental leadership, active citizenship and volunteering that aims to build a new cadre of youth leaders, who will work to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable future.

Influence not only creates opportunities for young people to observe and be concerned about issues, but also encourages them to get involved in direct action. It is a comprehensive program that builds the capacity of young people to contribute as active global citizens. The program aims to consolidate the energies of youth of the country and to inculcate in them a culture of Volunteering. Influence engages young people in an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby they gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the development process of the society.

The program has successfully completed a year i.e. April 2010 – March 2011. Here‟s a detailed overview of its various components and goals accomplished along with case studies and a quantitative as well as qualitative analysis.

ACTIVITY, ACHIEVEMENTS, OUTPUT, OUTCOME

I. MOBILIZATION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS

Initial Groundwork:

- A short film about the Influence program was developed along with a formal presentation

- The following communication material and collaterals were also created: Influence Poster, Formal letters to colleges and organizations, Organization Requisition form, Volunteer Registration Form, Online Registration, Ethical Code of Conduct and Terms of Reference

- Outstation organizations visited: Foundation for Ecological Security (Gujarat), Narmada Bachao Aandolan (Madhya Pradesh), Jaagori Grameen (Himachal Pradesh) and Aman Biradri (Gujarat)

Highlights:

- Influence presentations were made as per the opportunities available for prospective volunteers and the current stage of execution. Hence separate presentations were made for Volunteering in and outside , City Level Campaigns, Group exposures and Influence Fellowships. The idea was to keep the student community excited and updated throughout the year.

- The presentations served the dual purpose of volunteer mobilization and youth training. The participants of the workshops got an opportunity to learn more about developmental issues through films, interactive discussions and activities.

- The workshops helped in establishing Influence as a practical, professional and relevant youth volunteering avenue available to students.

- Influence workshops and volunteer mobilization drives were conducted in the following colleges/universities:

Miranda IP College for Women Kamla Nehru College Khalsa College St. Stephens Deen Dayal Upadhyay Aurbindo College Jamia Kirori Mal College Delhi College of Arts Laxmi Bai College Amity Univ. Hansraj Delhi College of Economics Rajdhani College IIT – D Jesus and Mary College Delhi College of Engineering Gargi College JNU Lady Shri Ram College Shri Ram College of Commerce Maitrey College IIMC Bharti College Venkateshwara Ramjas Hindu College Daulat Ram College Influence was publicized in more than 30 educational institutions across Delhi

Influence presentation and sign-ups at Kamla Nehru college

The mobilization drives in colleges throughout the year enabled us to create a huge database with contact details of youth who have shown any interest in an initiative purely centered on youth volunteering and active citizenship. This database consists of more than 2000 youth from across Delhi. Sample from the Database: Name Contact Details Address Skill Set Availability

[email protected], Rz 46, C 16, Main Computers and Sneha Gupta 9654106296 Sagarpur, New Delhi 46 Teaching After May

Awareness/ Megha [email protected], T - 40, Om Vihar, Uttam Advocacy, Miglani 9250736975 Nagar, New Delhi 59 Sports After May

I - 24, Gali No. 31, Raja [email protected], Puri, Uttam Nagar, New Dance and Seema 9990777605 Delhi 59 Teaching After May

Divya [email protected], C4F/199, Janakpuri, New Sachdeva 9999514389 Delhi58 Research After May

[email protected], J-12/40, Rajouri Garden, Manisha 9999372436 New Delhi 27 Creative writing After May

II. PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS

Influence envisions creating a nationwide volunteering platform for young people. The program aims at impacting the process of Environmental sustainability and Social Development through consolidating the energies of youth of the country and inculcating in them a culture of volunteering and active citizenship. In order to realize this vision of Influence, we successfully collaborated with NGOs, Self Help Groups, Social Enterprises, Community based Organizations and People‟s Movements. These partnerships were finalized on the basis of profiles of the organizations, criteria for youth volunteering, skills required, possible volunteering assignments and locations. Influence has successfully partnered with 30 Delhi based and 8 outstation organizations.

Here‟s a typical organization profile in the Influence database that is shared with volunteers:

Chintan http://www.chintan-india.org/

Profile Vision - Inclusive, sustainable, equitable growth for all. Chintan was established in December 1999 as a means of addressing issues of sustainable consumption and environmental and social justice. It soon attracted others who wished to create and promote strategies that secured environmental and social justice in a rapidly transforming India. Chintan work towards empowering urban waste pickers and their respective communities.

Chintan‟s key initiatives are: • Interrogating Poverty and the environment • No child in bins • Research and Advocacy • Waste Resource Center • Environmental Health

Requirements Volunteers needed for the following tasks: - manage online and offline Library - Manage Website - Collate information from research papers and documents on Waste Pickers - Photo documentation in the field - Manage education programs for children

Please note - Chintan is a grassroots level NGO and would like volunteers who are sympathetic to the cause of urban poor and the environment.

Skills needed Awareness/Advocacy, Creative Writing/Documentation, Researcher, Mobilizer

Duration Minimum 1 month

Location Office - C-14 , Lajpat Nagar III, Second Floor, New Delhi. Bhopura Recycling Center, North Delhi Seema Puri Kabari Colony, North/North Lodhi Cycle Kabari, Central Delhi Pilanji Kabari Meeting, South Delhi

Influence Delhi Partners: 1. Chintan 16. Satark Nagrik Sangathan 2. Dil se Campaign (Aman Biradri) 17. Dhritii 3. Jaagriti 18. Masoom 4. Jamghat 19. Breakthrough 5. Khoj 20. Lakshya 6. AID Delhi 21. Aag India 7. Saarthi 22. Bhopal Campaign 8. Make a Wish 23. Maatu Jan Sangathan 9. Smile Foundation 24. Ritinjali 10. Adopt a Mother 25. ANK India 11. Delhi Forum 26. Raasta 12. Partners in Change 27. SADRAG 13. Vatavaran 28. Center for Social Research 14. Steps for Change 29. Pardada Pardadi 15. Gene Campaign 30. Roots and Shoots Tree Foundation 31. Center for Legislative Research and Advocacy.

Out of Delhi Partners:

1. Foundation For Ecological Security, Gujarat 2. Narmada Bachao Andolan, Madhya Pradesh 3. Jagori, Himachal

4. Aman Biradari, Gujarat

5. Youth Development Foundation, Orissa

6. Aide et Action, Orissa

7. Vriksh, Orissa

8. N M Sadguru Foundation, Gujarat

III. DELHI VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT CELL

The Delhi volunteer placement cell became a unique and exciting opportunity for several experienced as well as first-time volunteers. The well thought out process of placing volunteers by matching up skills/interests with organisations/opportunities was a big success. The orientation and training of volunteers by Swechha and the host organizations gave them clarity and direction. 80 hours was set as the minimum mandatory time duration that local volunteers were expected to commit, to be fulfilled within two and a half months.

Here are some examples of how records of converted volunteers were maintained:

CHOICE OF PLACEMENT NAME PH No. COLLEGE ADDRESS AVAILABILITY SKILLS/INTERESTS LOCATION STATUS

Fridays, writing, reading, Placed at KHOJ Paushali 7838616995 KNC South Ex-part I Saturdays teaching kids R.K. Puram on 7th May everyday till CWG/college research, movie Placed at days- post making, Khizrabad, Dhriti/started Zain 9718200447 Jamia Jamia Nagar 2:00pm documentation NFC work on 6th Oct. Sat, Sun 7am- 9:30am/ also will pay regular visits Close to MNC Motilal to Dr. Iqbal as Placed at Nehru and when Hauz Khas, VATAVARAN on Kashish 9871367749 College required. sports, environment Asiad village 14 sept Activism, Research, Kanjawala Placed at Delhi Entire Duration community Farmers Forum on 5th Farhan 9958022580 Jamia Close to Jamia of Campaign mobilization Protest Sept during CWG- 3 hrs daily/ after college reopens- Adopt a Mother Tuesdays and Foundation/Starts Thursdays post work on 7th of Sameera 9953633677 Miranda RK Puram 1:30 pm Teaching RK Puram Oct.

Here are a few success stories from Delhi:

Kanika Bhatia from Shri Ram College of Commerce, placed with Sarthi from May 20th to July 20th --- Kanika says, “I chose two independent projects at Sarthi – I analysed the feasibility of reviving the Shilpayan school for girls. This helped the organisation reward more resources to the project. I also helped Sarthi plan and conceptualize their first fundraiser event – “Mystic Moonville.” It was an exhilarating experience as I got to be a team leader. Sarthi was a great learning centre besides being my chest for hidden art treasures.”

Jaivir Hans, an alumnus of Vasant Valley school, volunteered with Chintan in July 2010 for a period of one month. Jaiveer says, “This was my first time volunteering with an organisation and it has sure been a life changing experience. Through Chintan I learned about the challenges faced by the rag-pickers of Delhi. I made a contribution by anchoring the website project of Chintan and giving it a decent shape by the time I left. I also spent a lot of time in the colonies of waste-pickers photo documenting their work and involvement in Chintan projects. As I move on with my business studies in England, this experience will go a long way in positively influencing my thoughts, decisions and actions. “

Kashish Rajani, a 2nd year student of Motilal Nehru College, pursuing BA Hons (Eco), volunteered with Vaatavaran for 2 month (Sept 15 – Nov 15). He says, “ I have a strong inclination towards environmental protection and I don‟t like my surroundings to be filthy.....so Waste management interests me. Through Influence, I got an opportunity to get associated with Chintan and work on issues related to urban waste. With a team of waste pickers, I learned about garbage segregation and management, at the Asian Games Village. I am using that knowledge and experience to start a similar initiative in my neighbourhood.“

Ayesha Nusrat is pursuing her Masters in Human Rights from Jamia Milia Islamia University. She volunteered with Delhi Forum for a period of 2 months( Oct – Nov). She says, “I joined the farmers protesting against land acquisition in Kanjawala. Me and my friends helped the farmers with logistical arrangements and media mobilization. We also organised informal discussions about the issue in various colleges. The exposure to the movement was a great learning experience. “Ayesha is one of the 30 young leaders from across the world to be selected for Tony Blair Foundation‟s Faith Act Fellowship. Her Kanjawala experience gets a brief mention on - http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/pages/2093/

Indu Chauhan, a 3rd year student of Zoology Honours at Hansraj College was a part of Influence‟s Delhi chapter from June 2010 to April 2011. She says, “This was my first ever exposure to volunteering. Once influenced, there was no turning back. I was part of the Right to Education Campaign, Pagdandi Festival and the Bhopal campaign. Working with such passionate people motivated me to keep myself engaged in developmental issues. This newfound inspiration helped me get selected for Kaivalya Education Foundation‟s Gandhi Fellowship. For the next 2 years I will work in the education sector in Rural Rajasthan. “

FINAL OUTPUT - 130 LOCAL INFLUENCE VOLUNTEERS

IV. OUTSTATION VOLUNTEERING

Influence created outstation volunteering opportunities for 24 young people.

While majority of these young people had past experience in volunteering, there were quite a few who had never visited an organisation outside Delhi. However, the inexperience (in some cases) did not in any way affect the expected outcome. The immense success of outstation volunteering can be assessed by the outcomes of the various projects that these volunteers were a part of. Following are some of the outstation volunteer achievements:

- Nimisha (Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand, Gujarat) Nimisha collected, compiled and analysed data as part of a major Shelter Belt Project. A Shelter Belt is a plantation done in a manner so as to provide shelter to the crops from saline winds and to protect the soil from erosion. Nimisha successfully completed a month long baseline study of six villages under the Shelter Belt Project in the Gulf of Khambhat.

Smit, Tejbir and Dalbir (Narmada Bachao Andolan, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh): The volunteers retrieved more than 100 documents filed during the last 25 years by a private firm at the Registrar of Companies, Gwalior. These documents were related to the firm‟s stake in the Maheshwar Dam project and revealed a lot of information about illegal money squandering. The documents were later used to strengthen the court case being fought by the Narmada Bachao Aandolan for the rights of the dam affected tribals. The volunteers also resurveyed the submergence area of the Veda Dam as the Government surveys earlier done had serious errors. The study was later submitted at the Jabalpur high court. Lastly, the volunteers filed more than 500 RTIs at the local Tehsildaar‟s office to enquire about land allocated by the government as part of the Relief and Rehabilitation Policy for the region.

Vrishnika and Saman (Aman Biradri, Ahmedabad, Gujarat) Budding film-makers Vrishnika and Saman made a short documentary called Pachhi Gujarat (i.e. Gujarat, once again) as volunteers with Aman Biradri. The film raises critical questions about our ideals of Democracy and Secularism as a nation, while making an attempt at deconstructing Gujarat in context with the aftermath of Godhra. The film was premiered at the Delhi School of Social Work and was very well received by the audience. The film is being screened by the volunteers to spread the message of communal harmony.

Kirti, Stuti, Manish, Pushpa and Reena (Youth Development Foundation and Aide-et-Action, Orissa)

The volunteers conducted a fact-finding study and research on Migration, Child Education and Bonded Labour. The project was undertaken in 4 villages in association with local civil society organisations, Adhikaar and Shramik Shakti Sangh.

Project Title Coastal Area Development in Gulf of Khambat Volunteer name Aditi Sabharwal Role in organization The volunteer was associated with the Foundation for Ecological /community(location) Security (FES), an organization working on principles of environmental conservation and local self governance.

The volunteer‟s role was to conduct baseline research, data generation, analysis and development of a village perspective plan. Impact at the organisation The research was important as it brought forth the current status of level and at the the community in terms of their socio –economic conditions, community level resource allocation, needs and issues. Change in the The project undertaken by the volunteer was an important part of organisation and the organization‟s larger vision of conserving environmental heritage community: and culture of the selected villages. -How has the The village perspective plan developed as part of the assignment volunteering impacted highlighted the foresightedness of the villagers regarding their village issues of poor and in the next ten years. The plan was created on the basis of their vulnerable people like suggestions and the existing scenario. access to entitlements This initiative will lead to the creation of a sustainable and (social security), basic operational framework for devising suitable strategies for resource services like health and planning to achieve the desired objective of equitable socio education, livelihoods economic development of the people. The ultimate aim is to and environment positively enhance the quality of life of communities by providing concerns. access to improved social and physical infrastructure, proper planning and management of the development process and ensuring proper conservation of environment, heritage and culture. Village perspective plans were developed with a participatory approach involving all the stakeholders of a village and looked at issues like infrastructure development, environment, education, livelihood opportunities, health, common land development, etc.

V. CITY LEVEL CAMPAIGNS

RIGHT TO EDUCATION

Aim of the Campaign - generate awareness about the Right to Education Act amongst marginalized communities and support children in getting admitted to government schools. The mission was to help under privileged children become aware of their rights post notification of the RTE Act.

The method – Through street-plays, leaflet distribution, community meetings, posters, filing petitions, advocacy activities and school admissions the campaign was launched in association with different groups and organizations from across Delhi, namely; Pagdandi Initiative of Swechha in

Jagdamba Camp (south), Shine Foundation in Chirag Delhi (south), Jaagriti in Dwarka (West) and Jamghat Ventures in Jama Masjid (Central Delhi).

The team faced many a road blocks during the initial ground work, ranging from loopholes in the RTE Act to reluctance from the school administration. The students were denied admission on unjustified grounds such as background, socio- economic status and competence. In order to seek admissions and to fight for the rights of the children, volunteers filed a Petition with more than 1000 signatures along with 54 individual cases with the DCPCR (Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights). The volunteers met Mr Amod Kanth, Director, DCPCR and persuaded him to take action. As a result, The DCPCR along with the NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) issued notices to schools across Delhi. The volunteers later met Mr P Krishnamurthy, Director, Directorate of Education in order to pursue a few pending cases.

Outcome – 40 children are now going to regular schools. 40 volunteers successfully spearheaded this 2 month long campaign. 5000 citizens of Delhi were indirect beneficiaries of the campaign. The RTE campaign now has tremendous support from the DCPCR and other government bodies including the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The RTE campaign is underway for the second successive year.

Volunteers with children With a school principal Street play

JAGDAMBA CAMP CLEAN UP

A massive Jagdamba camp clean up drive was organized by volunteers in order to address concerns of cleanliness and hygiene raised by children and community residents. Jagdamba camp is a huge slum community in South Delhi and the location for Swechha‟s non-formal learning centre called Pagdandi. Children under the guidance of Influence volunteers got a petition signed by more than 900 residents of Jagdamba Camp. The four demands in the petition included:

- Provision of closed bins inside the community. - Daily clean-up of the bins - Bi-monthly clean-ups of all open drains that flow through the camp and - Covering the big open drain that runs through the entire community and poses a health and safety risk.

The petition was sent to the concerned Government authorities including the Chief Minister, Councillor and MCD. A rally was organized on 25th Dec. 2010. More than 80 children participated in the rally along with 30 volunteers. The rally went from the Swechha office at Malviya Nagar to Jagdamba Camp. Here they were joined by other children, residents of Jagdamba Camp and MCD officials who cleared the garbage piles around the community.

As a result of the petition and the rally, the Chief Minister sent out formal orders to the MCD urging them to fulfil the demands of the community (Annexure – Letter from the CM). After a few meetings with the Dy. Commissioner MCD South, Mr. S.K. Middha, some of the major demands were met: dustbins are in place and the smaller drains have been cleaned. Efforts are on to pressurize the MCD to cover the big drain that flows through the community (Annexure – Letter from Asst. Commissioner, MCD South).

Petition Signing The Rally

SPOTTED

Aim of the campaign - to sensitize Delhiites on over-exploitation of resources and instil environmental consciousness among people.

The method - Jaago: A street play created to impress upon the audience the need to reduce our waste production and shift to sustainable consumerism. Epiphany: a mobile exhibition of products made out of waste to demonstrate to the audience as to how garbage could be creatively used to make usable products. Online outreach: Through Facebook and all other possible online social networking platforms ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spotted-STOP-IT/123646087708608 )

JAAGO EPIPHANY

In the news (Indian Express)

Achievements: - 40 volunteers successfully planned and managed Spotted for a period of 2 months - Epiphany and Jaago were presented on 50 occasions across Delhi; in schools, colleges, markets, corporates and residential colonies - The campaign became extremely popular amongst young people and citizens of Delhi. The campaigners received encouragement and support from all quarters including media houses, educational institutions and business centres. - Direct outreach: 5000 citizens - Indirect outreach: 30000 citizens - For several first time volunteers, Spotted was an essential first step in helping them realize their role as active citizens. It made them feel empowered and capacitated to lead environmental change.

Shruti Sharma, one of the star campaigners from Kamla Nehru College shares her experience:

“Spotted helped me learn how environmental issues need a creative approach. I can now communicate better with people and engage them in a conversation about our responsibilities towards the environment. The campaign was a platform for me to freely express my beliefs and to make a small but significant contribution towards addressing the issue of urban waste. “

VI. INFLUENCE FELLOWSHIPS

Pritish Ambore (Project - Green Bio Gas Plant in Ramjas College)

Pritish Ambore, a 3rd year B.Sc. (Life Sciences) student of Ramjas college along with a team of 3 more members successfully installed the ARTI biogas plant at Ramjas college. The plant is a compact digester for producing biogas from food waste. After their preliminary research, Pritish and his team received the necessary training and technological knowledge from ARTI (Appropriate Rural Technology Institute). With support and encouragement from the college staff and adequate financial backing from the Influence Fellowship, the group manually build the plant from scratch.

Key Achievements: The plant is now fully functional with a digester capacity of 2500 litres and a gas holder capacity of 2000 litres The plant is fed with 20 kgs of food waste everyday and produces biogas that lasts 5 hours a day. The Ramjas college kitchen facility caters to 150 people and all their food waste is taken care of by the plant. Out of the 80 colleges under Delhi University, Ramjas is now the first college with a biogas plant. Pritish and his team have pioneered a much needed environmental initiative. Pritish says, “Environmental conservation is close to my heart. I eventually wish to go back to my village in Maharashtra and work as a farmer. Studying Biogas Plants is a course requirement for us. Unfortunately, practical usage of this wonderful green technology is not visible. We have proved that in order to save our depleting environment, knowledge needs to be put into practice. “

Arun Krishna (Project - Lake Restoration and Conservation)

Arun, a student of Indian Institute of Mass Communication is an active environmentalist and has been a part of conservation projects in Madrad, Hyderabad and . Through this particular project Arun aimed at engaging young students, youth and civil society in restoring and reviving Sanjay Lake, a potential bio-diversity hotspot within the city. The project started with the realization that the lake was fast losing its relevance due to illegal encroachment and unregulated waste disposal.

Highlights and Achievements: - Arun and his team conducted a water sampling study at the Sanjay Lake in collaboration with Arjun Associates, Delhi. The study revealed that Zinc levels were way above the permissible limit and dissolved oxygen was almost nil. It was time for action - School Workshops: Workshops under the theme of “Urban Lakes and Water Bodies” were conducted with 11 schools of Delhi including Delhi Public School Vasant Vihar, The Shri Ram School and Tagore International. More than 1700 students participated in these workshops. Most of the schools have created a „Water Body and Lake Council‟ that will undertake water action projects - 3 nature walks were organized at the Sanjay Lake to help people understand the ground realities and realize their environmental responsibility towards the lake. Each walk was attended by more than 70 people including students, local residents and naturalists. - 2 big clean up drives were organized at the lake. More than 100 people participated in each of the drives. A total of 1140 Kilos of garbage was cleared from the lake's bund. The clean ups were covered by 13 newspapers including Navbharath Times, Dainik Jagran, Bhaskar, Punjab Kesari and 2 news channels namely Headlines Today and Aaj Tak. - A major tree plantation around the lake is scheduled for the month of July - The group also made a short documentary film on Delhi‟s lakes and water bodies. The film was later screened in the same 11 schools that were a part of the sensitization workshops.

Deepanshi (Project – GREEN REELS – An Environmental Film Festival at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication)

The aim of the project was to provide a platform to aspiring young film-enthusiasts who have brilliant environmental ideas, yet do not have sufficient resources to produce documentary films based on these ideas. Deepanshi and her team from IIMC organized an environmental film festival in their campus for interested youth from across the country. The event was majorly publicised through posters and online mediums.

The ad read: “GREEN REELS – Do you wish to make a documentary film on an environmental issue that you are passionate about? Are you looking for financial and mentoring support? Here's your chance.... Send us a 5 minute teaser about the issue you want to cover... And we'll screen it before an expert panel... The winning team gets financial and technical assistance worth Rs. 40,000!” http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Green-Reels/148851371839272 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBCXLE4fsLE

Highlights: Green Reels received 14 entries from students of Jamia, JNU, Amity, IIMC and Punjabi University, Patiala. More than 200 students from across Delhi attended the festival. The Green Reels team managed to receive support from the High Commission of Canada for the first, second and third runner up prizes. The winners: 1st- “Pani Pani Re” by Hem Mishra, a film about disappearing traditional water sources of Uttarakhand. 2nd - “Birds of the Sea” by Tarun Singh, a film about threats to migratory birds of Point Calimere, Bay of Bengal. 3rd – “Polythenasia” by Naman Sharma, a film tracing the journey of plastic used for household purposes and the destruction it causes. 4th – “Make Friends, Carpool” by Nabh Gupta, an animation film promoting carpooling as a sensible environmental choice. As “Pani Pani Re” goes into production, the Green Reels team remains closely involved to monitor the progress and provide feedback. Once produced, the film will be publicly screened for youth in schools and colleges. “Green Reels” was a first of its kind environmental film festival at IIMC. It turned out be a very successful endeavour.

Annapoorni (Project - Tree plantation drives in Gurgaon)

Annapoorni and 9 other young people from the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, set out on a mission – to get rigorously involved in saving and restoring the depleting green cover of Gurgaon. The group spent the first few weeks in the procurement of saplings, building partnerships and mobilizing volunteers. From pre-plantation preparation to post-plantation maintenance, everything was well organized and planned.

Highlights:

1) Along with local residents, volunteers and farmers, the group managed to plant 700 trees over a period of 5 days in a 5 sq km catchment area near Damdama Lake, Gurgaon.

2) 200 trees were planted at a government school in sector 54, Gurgaon.

VII. VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION/TRAINING WORKSHOPS AND MONTHLY MEETINGS

Volunteers were given opportunities to meet each other and share their volunteering experiences. Meetings and Training Camps also served as platforms to facilitate knowledge exchange around active citizenship issues, through guest speakers, film screenings and activities. Orientation camps were specifically focused on helping volunteers demystify stereotypes, building leadership skills and preparing them for upcoming campaigns, projects and volunteering assignments. A total of 4 overnight workshops and 8 monthly meetings were organised throughout the year.

Orientation Program Pottery Workshop Monthly Meeting

VIII. VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

We recognized that essential to the success of volunteering is an enabling environment where volunteers can contribute. In view of this, we organized a 2 day workshop which aimed at equipping the volunteer involving organizations with such practices, tools and techniques on volunteer management that provide a positive organizational environment to their volunteers. The workshop was organized on the 14th and 15th of March, 2011 at the Global Arts Village, N Delhi and was attended by representatives of 20 organisations including Foundation for Ecological Security (Gujarat), Gene Campaign, The YP Foundation, Manzil, Centre for Social Research and Patang (Orissa). The following aspects of volunteer management were covered: - SWAN analysis - Volunteering and its changing face - Best Practices - Stages of volunteer Management

Pictures from the Volunteer Management Workshop

IX. GROUP EXPOSURE (I ENGAGE)

40 young people travelled to N M Sadguru Foundation, Dahod, Gujarat as part of theI ENGAGE rural exposure camp, from 26th to 30th Jan 2011. The purpose of the camp is to help urban youth understand and learn about successful environmental movements while engaging in village assessment studies and community service. N M Sadguru has revolutionised watershed management in the region over the past 30 years thereby bringing economic stability in the lives of thousands of farmers along with nurturing and rejuvenating a difficult semi-arid landscape. The volunteers got an opportunity to witness several watershed management techniques being successfully practiced by villagers along with the experts of N M Sadguru. The exposure inspired the volunteers to conceive „Spotted‟, the city level campaign that became a big success story for Influence.

the travellers on top of a hill en route to a check dam

CHALLENGES FACED IN THE PROJECT

1) In some cases, local volunteering could have been more impactful if the host organisations had devoted some more time to the volunteers. The absence of a proper volunteer management system in these organisations has been a disadvantage. The Influence volunteer management workshop was aimed at addressing this problem.

2) Finding a venue for orientation workshops and monthly meetings was a bit difficult at times. Unavailability combined with high prices had to be handled with support from friends and acquaintances.

3) Initial reluctance showed by college authorities as well as local organisations towards the program slowed the pace down for the first few months. However, we could overcome this problem as Influence success stories gradually started pouring in.

WAY FORWARD

Looking at the overall success of Influence, expansion of the following 2 components has been proposed: - 6 Influence Fellowships instead of 4 - 30 outstation volunteer placements instead of 20

The other components of Influence will be the same as previous year with obvious expectations of better results. The first cycle of Influence has helped Swechha realize the immense potential that the project has as a nationwide youth volunteering platform. Influence clearly fits into the larger vision of Swechha and VSO, which is to create a socially and environmentally just world for all.