On International Volunteer Day we thank those who walk the extra mile to make the city a better place to live inIt's a busy day, a buzzing year and a hectic life. Things move and cross without registering. We get used to the change, the deteriorating environment, the natural calamities, the violence and the acts of self destruction. Amidst this are a select few who take upon themselves to fight the odds, and today on International Volunteer Day we give a standing ovation to some of those who make the city more livable and live. * The Young Guns: WHILE there’s a queue and wait for everything else, there’s only one thing that you can start just about anytime. The task of improving the world and the city youth are surely leading the way. From making endeavours to spread awareness about diseases, pitching in help at pulse polio camps and holding medical camps, they are doing it all. While AIESEC, with over 100 members in the city, has been conducting AIDS awareness seminars in the schools of the city, Rotaract’s Heart Line Project is going great. “With about eight heart surgeries organised till now, we are also hosting projects to make the rural women self-sufficient,” president of Rotaract (Chandigarh) Mandeep Singh tells us, talking about the foot-mat making workshop they organised in Janta Colony last month. Holding rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness and advocacy campaigns, student organisations in city like Greenpeace, Yes Club and We Volunteer are on a role. Youth United is working to give direction to the youth, “here we not only aim at keeping them busy with recreational activities but also work on increasing their self-confidence,” chirps Saloni of the organisation.* Women Power: THEY say women talk too much. Sure they do, but their talks reap results too. Anuradha Sharma, with her fellow members at Hamari Kaksha, has given quality life to many underprivileged children. “Working with them for the last six years, our group of teachers teach about 120 students at Government Nursery School, Sector 7, and try to make them confident and socially responsible,” Sharma tells us. Elsewhere Sangeeta Vardhan spends tireless hours with the street children at the Sector 8 traffic point. Operating under the banner of ‘Good Beginning’, “ It’s a step towards mental, physical and financial independence for street children,” Vardhan says, adding that the children, with a little guidance, are now able to create magic out of waste. From wind chimes, picture frames, crochet bags, neck pieces and candle-holders, here they make and sell it all. * Model Moves: WAR and riots, literacy and environment, poverty and population, diseases and disabilities and even for global and national events, they are there, ready to volunteer and extend support. Though their medium of spreading the message varies. The Theatre Age, with Zulfiqar Khan at the core of events, helps with dance dramas to create awareness about hazards like plastic use and drug addiction, “The organisation by and of the shoeshine boys has only one mission- a social progression,” Zulfiqar stands tall with his group. Yuvsatta’s silent Campaign for Peace and Greentire has seen many take to cycling for health and environment. As for Harman Sidhu of ArriveSafe, the five year endeavour has not only seen riders and drivers take the safe route but also has prompted many to spread the message further. “It’s time that the city wakes up to their responsibilities and we are just doing our bit,” says Sidhu. Rotary, the Blind School, Cry.. luckily the city has many reuniting for us, but then they too have a demand. “We should all educate people, inspire others, donate, plant a tree or an idea, care by word and deed - the list is limited only by our imagination.” Is anybody listening?
