Dream Corner

Dream A Dream Blog Now is Moved to a New Location

2009-11-24T20:14:00.002+05:30

Dear Friends,

We have moved our blog to a new address.

Click HERE to visit our new blog. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Thanks!

Dream A Dream Team

Be a mentor!

2009-11-09T17:52:00.001+05:30

How many times have each one of us thought we wish we had someone to walk with us, help us negotiate this complex world! Well, the Dream Mentoring Programme does just that. We may or may not have had the benefit of a mentor, but sure have a chance of making that difference.

The Dream Mentoring program is now in its third year and has impacted about 80 young adults and 80 volunteers. This year, the response has been prolific and 50 pairs have been added to the program. This program is exclusively designed for Dream A Dream by Clinical Psychologists Dr. Fiona and Dave Pearson from the UK.

A glimpse of the Dream Mentoring Program just to help one answer the question about how one individual can make a lasting impression on someone else’s life.

Aiding skills, enhancing childhood and indirectly impacting the parent organization

Christine is one mentor who is excited about helping her mentee improve her English, become exposed to living in the wider society and savour the flavour of being young. On her mentee, Saraswati’s birthday, she decided to take her to Crossword. Christine gave her mentee the responsibility of managing the money for the day. Saraswati on her part was careful and did a very good job of it. Christine gifted her Pinocchio, giving her the wings of imagination. Without Christine’s mentorship, even a simple thing like going to Crossword would have eluded Saraswati. The centre where Saraswati lives usually does not prefer sending the children out of their premises, worrying that they will run away or get into trouble. But as the mentor-mentee relationship progresses outside the centre, the authorities have begun to see that the children (at least those in the program) are becoming more responsible and that providing exposure with g uidance can aid rather than corrupt these impressionable minds.

Giving life the correct direction and making a timely impact

Kishore is a young lad, an adolescent with a burst of energy. The ways he used to express himself invariably involved disturbing others, beating up people or teasing them. Punishments which involve being deprived of food were norm for him till Ramesh, his mentor, entered his life. Over the first few meetings itself Ramesh exposed Kishore to good books like “Finding Yourself in Difficult Times” and a talk about the important things in life seem to have calmed Kishore down. Reports of Kishore’s improvement from the parent organization have invigorated this relationship further. The boy who wanted to become a rowdy to beat up people to teach them a lesson, now wants to become a policeman!

Providing a reality check and a push in the right course of action

Kalavathi didn’t do as well as she had expected in her SSLC and still she wanted to take up BCom. Her neighbours and parents thought it might be good for her to start work; they lied about her age and enrolled her for an insurance training programme. Enter Sunita – she was instrumental in making Kalavathi realise that not only was it wrong to have lied about her age for the training, but also it wasn’t really her choice, going to work. Kalavathi wants to go to collge. Sunita helped her realise that a pass class may not get her into the posh college or procure her a commerce seat that she had been aspiring for. She advised her to apply to more than one college to avoid being left without a seat anywhere. Sunita also told Kalavathi that a caste certificate would get her a discount in a government college. She also provided the necessary support to procure the document. Would Kalavathi have been able to go through all this wit hout someone to help her negotiate the complex structures institutions like college and corporations?

Sonali’s mentee Shruthi expressed a desire to learn English in the formal environment of a Spoken English class. Sonali helped her visit different Spoken English classes and choose the one which would best suit her needs. Even though they found one institute that was cheaper than others and also one that seemed decent enough to meet Shruthi’s needs, the mentor made the young girl realise that Rs. 1600 a month might be a bit steep for her family. Sonali then extended a helping hand by saying she would find her a corporate sponsor, but Shruthi would have to prove that she was committed and would do justice to the course. Shruthi has asked for time to make up her mind. This young girl has learned to seek help, but also realise her responsibility towards those who help her.

Besides these, there’s always the fun times like grabbing a yummy dosa or slurping roadside chai or simply walking down the park talking of nothing in particular. Mentoring is not all fun, and not all boring either. Each relationship is unique, but equally gratifying.

To know more you can contact Anju Lavina at anju.l.dream@gmail.com

Ekta Hattangady

EKTA IS A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF DREAM A DREAM, AN ARDENT SUPPORTER, AND A MENTOR AT THE DREAM MENTORING PROGRAM. EKTA HAS BEEN A CONSTANT SOURCE OF SUPPORT, GUIDANCE AND INSPIRATION TO THE ORGANIZATION. SHE HAS COMPLETED HER MASTERS IN SOCIAL WORK FROM TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (TISS) AND CURRENTLY WORKS AT EDUCATION INITIATIVES, AHMEDABAD.

Dream Rugby Children in Karnataka U-16 team

2009-11-05T18:18:00.001+05:30

11 children from our Dream Rugby Programme were in the under 16 Karnataka probables list. They have been practicing with children from other premier international schools for two months. On October 28^th the final squad was announced and six boys from the Dream Rugby Programme made it to the squad. The six boys are Tamim, Yelappa, Nandish, Rakshith, Manja and Ranjith.

The Karnataka Rugby and Football Union is trying to schedule matches with teams from Pune and Srilanks before the grand finale – The Nationals. The National Inter-state Rugby championship is taking part in Orissa from December 9^th to 12^th. According to Coach Dave Armstrong, “We have a very strong team and the minimum I am expecting is a top 4 finish, if not winning the nationals.”

KRFU had organized a meet with the parents of the squad members on 1^st November to brief them about the tournament and take the children into confidence. 3 of our children with single parent couldn’t bring their parent as they work as domestic help and couldn’t take holiday even on this Sunday.

This selection opens up great opportunity for the six children. The National selectors will be in attendance at the tournament. These children for whom pursuing a sport was unthinkable, are now getting a chance to showcase their talent at the National level. The best thing is most of the 6 boys are in their 8^th standard and are 13 or 14 years old. This means they still have 2 to 3 years to play at this level and improve the game and they have a real chance of making it to the next level.

Dream a Dream’s goal is not making children excel in sports but we are committed to promoting promising talent in our programmes. We are very happy and excited for the 6 boys and wish them all the very best for the Nationals.

- Rakesh Kumar N (Programme Champion, Sports)

The Joy of Realizing Dreams

2009-10-27T18:15:00.005+05:30

When I was a kid, I remember reading about the explorer David Livingstone and day dreaming about one day becoming an explorer like him and discover a new world. I had cooked up stories of perilous expeditions and achievement. For days, I lived like David Livingstone in my heart. I wonder what happened to the dream of being an explorer in me.

As a ten-year old, I was fascinated by the characters in Asterix comics and would read each book many times over borrowed from my neighbourhood library. The characters of Asterix, Obelix, Cacofonix, Vitalstatistix and Getafix kept me entertained for days on end. I started making pencil sketches of these characters and soon I had an entire drawing book full of Asterix characters. My treasured gift to me. I loved making pencil sketches of cartoon characters and the joy I experienced everytime I made a drawing is inexplicable. It’s probably been 3-4 years since I last made a pencil drawing.

In the rigmarole of daily living, do we ever stop to realize our dreams? Do we ever stop to wonder ‘What makes us Happy’? Or is it a question we have forgotten to ask ourselves?

In this festive season, Dream A Dream brings to you an opportunity to realize your long-cherished dream. Do something that makes you immensely happy and also in realizing your dream – you now have the opportunity to help a child at Dream A Dream realize their dreams.

The Joy of Realizing Dreams is a unique fundraising and community engagement campaign being organized by Dream A Dream. It is a 3 month long campaign from October 2, 2009 to December 24, 2009.

The Joy of Realizing Dreams encourages you to do that one small thing you’ve always wanted to do or can do, and in doing so, help children from vulnerable backgrounds, who face larger struggles to realize dreams like – an education, to pursue his/her favourite sport, or talent in arts.

If you always wanted to paint – go ahead and make 10 pieces of your painting, sell it to you friends and contribute the funds to Dream A Dream.

If you always wanted to learn cooking or love cooking – host a dinner for your family and friends, ask them to make a contribution for the dinner and donate those funds to Dream A Dream. Here is your chance to fulfill your long-cherished dream to dance, travel, trek, cycle, volunteer or whatever else it is and be assured that you are helping another child realize their dreams.

The Joy of Realizing Dreams is based on the belief that involvement with charity work could be fun, engaging and extremely fulfilling for an individual and extends beyond just giving money.

I have decided to go back to my passion for pencil drawing and I will be making 15 drawings from the Asterix comic series. I will sell them to my friends and raise money for Dream A Dream.

What dream would you like to realize?

For more details, go to http://dreamathon.wordpress.com

Vishal Talreja
Co-founder & Director
Dream A Dream

Six months of the journey at Dream A Dream

2009-10-27T18:09:00.002+05:30

Dream A Dream has completed 6-months of its Financial Year 2009-10 (April-September) and we thought it’s a good time to reflect on what has been achieved in the year so far and also communicate our achievements to our stakeholders – YOU.

The last six months have been nothing short of exhilarating at Dream A Dream and as we celebrate some of our achievements, we continue to humbly realize that we are still just about touching the tip of the ice-berg and renew our commitment to our vision.

Our Vision

Empowering children from vulnerable backgrounds by developing life skills and at the same time sensitizing the community through active volunteering leading to a non-discriminatory society where unique differences are appreciated.

Highlights of the last six months

Reaching out to 9 NGO Partners impacting over 1178 children through regular life skills development programs
Impact 644 Boys and 534 Girls through our programs
Average attendance in all our regular programs is about 88% showing the tremendous interest in the various life skills programs
Actively engaging over 648 community volunteers who have contributed over 6600 volunteer hours
Continue to run and build strengths in our 5 core life skills development programs – Sports, Creative Arts, Mentoring, LearnIT and Adventure.
Dream A Dream has 17 people on the rolls working to provide a meaningful experience to children and volunteers alike
Ms. Hema Hattangady, Managing Director - Schneider Electric Conzerv India Pvt Ltd and Mr. Bhasker Sharma, Director Operations – Mformation Technologies Inc. have joined the Board of Trustees of Dream A Dream
Dream A Dream has established an Advisory Board in UK which includes Arvind Malhotra, Ed Williams, Pierina Arul and Rajesh Gandhi – all of them long-term supporters, volunteers and contributors to Dream A Dream.
Dream A Dream has been able to raise 50% of its Funding requirements for the FY 2009-10. Our key supporters include NIKE India, WNS Services, Hans Foundation, ERSF-UK, TPI amongst others.
Dream A Dream has revamped its website with a new look and updated content – www.dreamadream.org and also enhanced its online presence through our own Twitter, Blog, Youtube and Facebook pages.

Finally, our success lies in the impact that we have had on every single person who has come in contact with Dream A Dream and we leave you with a few reflections from a volunteer and a child.

“I really look forward to the mentoring program. Everyone thinks we are useless and rowdy. No adult has ever come to us and said we would like to be your friend. I feel happy when I think of that. Dream A Dream really cares for children like me.” ~ A child in the Dream Mentoring Program

“An example of how I love their spirit is one day the girls forgot the cones that they use as goal posts in the auto rickshaw. The kids didn’t even pause for a moment- they got coconut shells and played with those as goals instead. I also came across problems like the cows on the field that I would never ever imagine happening in the United States. We played around cows sometimes, which was kind of funny to me! Nothing kept these kids from playing, not even rain. One day it was pouring and we all got soaked, but we played anyway. They only get to play football three days a week, and they were so enthusiastic about it that I had to be enthusiastic as well! They played in the rain until a teacher came out and told them to come inside.”

~ Aisha, Volunteer

Thank you for your continued support and belief in us. It means a lot to us and gives us the strength to stay focused on our vision.

Ali Baba comes to town in support of Dream A Dream

2009-10-27T17:32:00.003+05:30

Ali Oh Baba is the third production in the partnership between Dream A Dream and Bangalore Little Theatre. The partnership commitment to an annual fundraising theatrical production is aimed at combining wholesome family entertainment with social development objectives. All proceeds of this play go towards programs of Dream A Dream for children from vulnerable backgrounds.

In the past two years, we’ve had two shows from Indian folklore, The Ungrateful Man (2007) and The Magic Drum (2008). Bangalore audiences have witnessed highly creative and vibrant performances in the past which was extremely well received by children and adults alike. We promise you the same magic on stage in this year’s production of Ali Oh Baba!

This year’s production, Ali Oh Baba is an original adaptation for the stage by Bangalore Little Theatre and is a contemporary adaptation of tales from the all time classic ‘One Thousand and One Arabian Nights’. The story unfolds on the stage in the form of day dreams of a little boy discovering the 1001 Arabian Nights. He and his friend, a little girl, share their discoveries with the children in the audience through games, narratives, song and dance. In the process the key figures in the 1001 Arabian nights are also drawn into the play. The two friends manage to narrate the entire tale without bringing Ali Baba on stage.

As in the past, BLT culminates its prestigious annual workshop with a play for the partnership with Dream A Dream. The production is being written, played and produced by the Bangalore Little Theatre - the city’s oldest and widely respected theatre society. This production is jointly directed by Shashank Purushotam and Priya Venkatesh, assisted by Vijay Padaki.

This year the magic of Ali Oh Baba unfolds on stage from October 29^th to November 1^st at Gurunanak Bhavan, Vasanth Nagar (Next to Karnataka Badminton Association), Bangalore. We have special shows for schools in the mornings and public shows in the evenings at 7.30 pm with additional shows at 11.00 am and 3.00 pm during the weekend. Tickets are available at www.indianstage.in and you can call 9880036611 for any queries. More details at www.aliohbaba.com.

Please join us and spread the word to make this event a huge success to help realize dreams of children from vulnerable backgrounds

Volunteer of the Month - October 2009

2009-10-27T17:23:00.004+05:30

Jeeno has been interning with us for over 3-months. Coming from a background in PR and having worked with The PRactice, Jeeno was keen to explore opportunities in the social sector. From the very first day Jeeno has been a tremendous source of inspiration to us at Dream A Dream. As an intern, he has jumped into planning and organizing two of our biggest events with ease. Be it putting up with the high-energy at the office or managing the workload, Jeeno has, in his own quiet way, brought an air of excitement by helping us launch the Joy of Realizing Dreams campaign and helping out with making the play public.

Starting with a few unsure steps, Jeeno has quickly moulded into an inspiring changemaker. In his own words, “I actually stumbled upon Dream a Dream. My former boss had referred me to Dream A Dream when I was looking to work or intern with an NGO and so I joined Dream A Dream as an intern with the communications and fundraising team. I wasn’t quite sure if I was at the right place and couldn’t connect with the dots for the first few days, till I attended a few sessions of creative arts and sports programs. I now see how every piece of an NGO can lead up to the larger picture for change in the lives of these children. So yes, I’m glad I was a part of that effort.”

Jeeno’s energy and drive comes from - The people, the silliness and the simple humour of everyday at work. Knowing that the small things he does, could in a small way contribute to helping a child realize his or her potential.

The experience has also been tremendously introspective for Jeeno as he reflects, “I guess it did reclaim a certain amount of awareness of ordinary things in life I may have taken for granted in the rush to move ahead in my career, some things you lose track of in the everyday of corporate life. I think it may have helped me introspect a little more about things I do and what I could possibly do to change things around me or help someone in need.”

Dream A Dream has become richer with the contributions of Jeeno and thanks him immensely for this time, skills and energy. We wish him all the very best and hope that he continues to impact and enrich lives with his volunteering efforts. You can congratulate him on jeeno.philip.jacob@gmail.com

Happenings - Short-listed for Global Development Awards

2009-10-27T17:20:00.001+05:30

It gives us tremendous pleasure to announce that Dream A Dream is one of the 5 short-listed organizations for the Japanese Award for the Most Innovative Development Project.

2009 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition
Top five semi-finalists announced for the Japanese Award for the Most Innovative Development Project

GDN is pleased to announce the top five semi-finalists in contention for the Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project. Over 200 submissions were received in this category. GDN would like to thank all applicants for their interest and participation. Finalists will be announced in the month of December.

The top five semi-finalists (listed alphabetically) are:

· “Cyclic Incubator for Rural Co-op” by Liangshuming Rural Reconstruction Center (China)

· “Empowering Refugees through Sustainable Technology” by Border Green Energy Team (Thailand)

· “Empowering Vulnerable Children through Life Skills” by Dream A Dream (India)

· “Non Formal Education for Out-of-School children” by The Society for Door Step School (India)

· “The Financially Self-Sufficient School” by Fundacion Paraguaya (Paraguay)

These projects are being implemented in Latin America; South Asia; and East Asia. They cover different development issues ranging from education, income-generation activities and migrant issues.

The Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project is a competitive grant program administered by GDN that identifies and funds innovative, early-stage projects with high potential for development impact in developing and transition countries. Finalists win a round-trip air fare with all boarding and lodging expenses paid to travel to GDN’s Annual Global Development Conference where they present their on-project before an eminent jury for the final round and win cash prizes. This year the final selection will be held in Prague, Czech Republic.

For more details, visit http://www.gdnet.org/cms.php?id=2009_awards_top_proposal_announcement

On Diwali - Celebrating the Festival with Vishwas

2009-10-21T15:45:00.001+05:30

There were colors,

and smiles.

there were gifts,

and designs.

A few light fireworks,

for young and the old,

and there were lights

big and small.

Even if you are away from home, Diwali cannot be spent alone. Just cannot.

Hope you all had a bright Diwali.

Rani Rege, Volunteer

Ali Oh Baba!

2009-10-16T01:13:00.009+05:30

* Click on image for more details

Dream A Dream and Bangalore Little Theatre are back with another fun filled entertainer for everybody. In the last two years, we have had a great time producing two shows for you from Indian folkfore, The Magic Drum and The Ungrateful Man. This year from the land of all things magical, we bring you ‘Ali Oh Baba!’.

Ali Oh Baba is a retelling of the all time favourite tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The story unfolds on the stage in the form of day dreams of a little boy discovering the 1001 Arabian Nights. He and his friend, a little girl, share their discoveries with the children in the audience through games, narratives, song and dance.

This year’s production of Ali Oh Baba will serve the dual purposes of encouraging theatre appreciation among Bangalore communities and raising funds for Dream A Dream’s programs which empower children from vulnerable backgrounds. This play is jointly directed by Shashank Purushotam and Priya Venkatesh, assisted by Vijay Padaki.

Come join us in the fun from October 29^th to November 1^st at Gurunanak Bhavan, Vasanthnagar, Bangalore. Tickets are priced at Rs. 100 and are available at www.indianstage.in for purchase or you call 9880036611 for home delivery of tickets and phone bookings.

Support Dream A Dream and help realize 2000 dreams!

Re-Thinking Charity

2009-10-14T15:30:00.001+05:30

Charity has come to business. Milton Friedman's insistence that causes had no place in business overlooked the fact that alignment with a cause could create a competitive advantage. More and more companies are after that advantage.

But the sad reality is that, with a few minor exceptions, business has not yet come to charity. It is not the fault of charity. For well over a decade it has been popular to preach to charities that they should act more like businesses, but the truth is, society won't permit it. And it's not likely to do so without a serious re-visiting of our fundamental canons about charity. What we mean by "act more like business" is really, "focus more on lowering overhead" — the opposite of what it takes to grow a successful business.

The nonprofit sector remains tightly constrained by a set of irrational economic rules handed down to us from the Puritans that discourage profit, self-interest, serious marketing, and risk-taking and long-term investment for revenue development. They work against the sector on every level, and they have been elevated, of all things, to the status of "ethics."

We have two rulebooks — one for charity, one for the rest of the economic world.

We let the for-profit sector pay competitive wages based on value, but have a visceral reaction to anyone making a great deal of money in charity. We let people make a fortune doing any number of things that will harm the poor, but want to crucify anyone who wants to make money helping them. This sends the top talent coming out of the nation's best business schools directly into the for-profit sector and gives our youth mutually exclusive choices between doing well and doing good. It is not sustainable, let alone scalable.

We let Coca-Cola pummel us with advertising, but donors don't want important causes "wasting" money on paid advertising. So the voices of our great causes are muted. Consumer products get lopsided access to our attention, 24 hours a day. Charitable giving has remained constant at about 2% of GDP ever since we've measured it. Charity isn't gaining market share. How can it if it isn't permitted to market? We let for-profit companies invest in the long-term to identify new sources of revenue, but we want charitable donations spent immediately to help the needy. All results must be measured against expenditures in twelve-month windows, and a 65% return is required. No wonder charities can't scale to the size of the social problems they confront.
We aren't upset when Paramount makes a $200 million movie that flops, but if a charity experiments with a $5 million fundraising event that fails, we call in the attorneys. So charities are petrified of trying bold new revenue-generating endeavors and can't develop the powerful learning curves the for-profit sector can.

We let for-profit companies raise massive capital in the stock market by offering investment returns, but we forbid the payment of a financial return in charity. The result? The for-profit sector monopolizes the capital markets while charities are left to beg for donations.

We're re-thinking business. It's time to re-think charity. It's time to give charity the big-league freedoms we really give to business. The fight for these freedoms must be our new cause, because without them, all of our causes are ultimately lost.

This article was published in Harvard Business and sourced from IndianNGOs.com

Cycle For A Dream

2009-09-25T00:33:00.004+05:30

Cycle for the cause of empowerment of children through Life Skills development.

Cyclothon Bengaluru’09 is the largest road cycling event being organized in Bangalore on October 11th, 2009. This is being organized by CNBC Sport18 and BSA Hercules.

The Cyclothon is an event designed to enable everybody to be able to get great leverage and support for the work of an organisation and the cause they stand for. We request you to take this opportunity and choose Dream A Dream as the charity that you support through the cyclothon. So buckle up, spread the message, raise funds, empower children and have fun cycling. We look forward to your enthusiastic participation and your support to Dream A Dream.

There are 3 packages for the Cyclothon available for Individuals and corporates.

Dream Team (DT)
The DT is a select group of individuals who commit to raising at least Rs.1 lac in pledges. Each Dream Teamer cycles for one charity of his/her choice. She /he has to fill the DT Form and make an upfront, non-refundable contribution of Rs10, 000/- in order to join the DT.

Corporate Challenge (CC)
The CC is a select group of companies that contribute a minimum of Rs. 1, 05,000. The company sends a group of upto 20 employees to participate in the event. Each employee is encouraged to raise at least Rs 5,000/- in pledges, which is matched by the Company’s contribution of Rs. 1.05 lacs, thus bringing the total contribution from the team to at least Rs 2.10 lacs.

A company signs up by filling the CC form and making an upfront, non-refundable Contribution of Rs. 1, 05,000/- in order to join the Challenge. Many companies offer to match pledges raised by their employees without a limit, or send multiple teams to participate.

Pledgers’ United (PU)
The PU is for everyone else who would raise pledges of any amount and cycle for a cause. A person joins the PU by filling the Cyclothon Registration Form and obtaining a soft copy of a pledge kit.

Kindly visit this link for more information http://bsaherculescyclothon.in.com/.

We request you to sign-up and cycle for Dream, encourage your companies to sign-up and support Dream A Dream.

Write to us at rao.poo11@gmail.com for more details and the registration forms.

Directors Cut

2009-09-25T00:21:00.003+05:30

I have also held the view that social change will only come about when we as a nation rise to this problem and take action in our own way – some by setting up social change projects on their own and some by active citizenship and volunteering. Today, I am extremely honoured and privileged to talk about an Individual who has been able to convert his passion into action and is bringing about tremendous social change through his commitment and determination to promote the sport of Hockey and also use sports as a tool for development.

I remember, Shashank Gupta, from our first meeting at the first Dream A Dream office way back in 2004 as a young software engineer, albeit slightly cynical, but wanting to bring about change nevertheless. Over the next few years, Shashank became an integral part of Dream A Dream volunteering for a variety of programs – Computer education, mentoring, fundraising, strategic advice and his favourite program – The Dream Hockey Program. He managed to build tremendous respect amongst peer volunteers and much love amongst the children. Not someone who is just happy volunteering, Shashank had bigger plans and these finally came to fruition last year when he started his very ambitious – One Thousand Hockey Legs Project. I dedicate this issue of September to Shashank Gupta and his undying spirit to bring about change in the world. He is truly a ChangeMaker.

In Shashank’s own words,

“The sport of Field Hockey, as of today, fails to connect to the youth of today - primarily because very few have ever played or watched a Hockey match in their formative years. Volunteering with Dream a Dream's Hockey Program, I came close to the world of Hockey - a phenomenal sport that has a golden history in India. Hockey has all the life skills well entrenched - Team work, Stamina, Energy, Fitness, Leadership, Conflict Handling, Aggression, Defense, Attack, Respect. I just fell in love with the game over a period of time. As with anything, I came to know the darker side of the game, i.e. not many people fall in love with it anymore. I just wondered where I can make a difference.”

”With this thought in mind, few of us joined hands to form the Hockey Citizen Group and conceived our first project - One Thousand Hockey Legs – with the aim to initiate 500 school children from privileged and/or under-privileged backgrounds in a metro/village/town - to Hockey in 1 year and spread the culture of playing Hockey amongst children. Thus, our vision statement: Give each child of the country an opportunity to play Hockey and learn about it.

They have started their first project in Pondicherry with a few schools. They have provided equipment, coaches and conducted regular festivals to keep the children involved. Started in 2008 end, recently they commenced the Pondicherry School Hockey League with our partner schools.

Shashank is already basking in the many memories he has built through this program and shares a few with me.

“After a match on one day, the next day I went to one of the schools. I had to cross a ground which was over 100 mts. This was the lunch time of the school. Over those 100 mts, 4 children from different directions walked up to me and asked me when and where they can see their match's photograph. Somehow I smelled the "Hockey Culture".

On another occasion, a team lost 2 matches on consecutive days. At the end of match, 2-3 children came up to me and said, "Sir, when you come next time, we will surely win a match in front of you."

The program is already scaling very rapidly. It is about to start in 5 schools in Kolkata. Kanpur in UP is already showing promise and Shashank believes Chennai is just round the corner.

You can write to support Shashank at amitabh.bachchan.bigb@gmail.com and learn more about his unique initiative at http://othl.stick2hockey.com/

Shashank truly lives this quote from Mahatma Gandhi ~ “Be the Change you wish to see in the world”

Vishal Talreja,

Co-founder & Director Ashoka Fellow Dream A Dream

The Power of Individual Choice leads to Empowerment

2009-09-23T14:33:00.004+05:30

We all know how hard Michael Jordan used to practice to become the best, and the hours Lance Armstrong rode and the setbacks he overcame to be great. But is this type of dedication and determination something we can teach to our kids?

Sport activities in particular count on having your child present to participate. He may not be the best player on the team, but teaching him to honor his commitments and that results come with effort are valuable life lessons.

Why do children quit? There are many reasons for this. A child may quit because of a feeling of "this isn't fun for me." Sometimes children initially want to do what their peers are doing and then find it is not what they expected. Additionally, in today's fast paced society children are often easily distracted or bored, especially with traditional teaching methods that require a child to be disciplined, where there is no room for fun or laughter. Other times, children who want to quit may feel that they are not good enough after the first training/lesson/activity where other kids were doing better.

Parents who struggle with children about sport activities or music lessons need to know that such a struggle only tends to accelerate. Eventually, it is not possible to force children to participate in a class or sport. Trying to force them may only develop anxiety and even more resistance. This in turn could make them even more reluctant to try other new experiences.

Here are some tips on what parents could do to help their child make their own individual choices:

Children are often compared to sponges because they absorb the knowledge you share with them. To fully saturate these sponges, parents should make sure the tools used to help a child understand the lesson that is being taught are fun and exciting. This way children will enthusiastically absorb information and look forward to next activities.

Before enrolling to any activity, parents should sit down with their child and discuss how much time it will require, and what other activities they might miss out on. It helps kids realize they’re making a commitment. Involving children in decision-making about trying new activities helps - parents should discuss in advance about what would be a reasonable trial period for a new activity. Children get a sense of sharing control that makes the decision theirs and helps them accept the commitment.

Giving enthusiastic encouragement. Children crave for acknowledgements like “You are doing so great,” “I love listening to you!” or “It’s so much fun to watch you perform”. Parents who maintain a positive attitude and say all the right things help keep their children motivated especially when good results are yet to come.

Reminding them that results require work. If the child is already good at other activities like soccer, dance or any other activity, it's good to remind him/her how she got from a beginner to a good performer. If the child is younger, parents could try sharing their own story of how they quit too soon or got better at something with practice.

We always must remember that kids mature at their own pace and develop their unique skills at different times. Whatever parents decide for their children, they should consider their child's emotional and physical maturity and finally give the choice to the child to make decisions. Sometimes quitting simply means that the activity is not for him or her. Sometimes children show greater wisdom than their parents about what is good for them. At the end of the day, children will never quit doing what makes them feel happy.

At Dream A Dream, we strongly believe in the “Power of Individual Choice” and work hard towards developing this life skill through our programs and also through our attitude and actions.

Joanna Jeske
Joanna spent one year volunteering for Ashoka's Youth Venture in Thailand, where she worked with youth passionate about bringing about social change. Now, apart from working as a project manager for a international marketing company, she is actively involved in programs empowering young people from underprivileged backgrounds to lead more meaningful lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

One Little Smile makes it worthwhile for Aisha Venugopal

2009-09-23T14:09:00.005+05:30

Aisha interned with Dream A Dream in July 2009 as part of a “Summer Service” requirement of her school in North Carolina (USA).

She has been of great help in the various activities of the team and helped in the Dream Football Program and Creative Arts Program – both aimed at building life skills among children. Her presence and contribution to the programs were immense and she provided tremendous support to the team. All of 17 years old, Aisha went beyond the call of duty as an intern to not only be a great asset for the program but to help out in organizational tasks. Her suggestions and ideas have made a great impact in improving the quality of the program and making a difference in the lives of many children. Her excitement has been contagious and the children she worked with will definitely carry the memory in their heart.

Aisha shares her volunteering experience at Dream A Dream

This summer, working with Dream-A-Dream was a very memorable experience to say the least. I had a lot of fun and realized a lot of things that I would not have been able to see if I spent my summer in the United States. I loved my experience working with the Dream-A-Dream staff as they were very welcoming to me and included me in activities in and outside the office because I barely knew anyone in Bangalore.

I volunteered in the football program for three weeks last summer. It is weird for me to call it football because since I’m American, I always have called the sport soccer. I had to stop myself from saying ‘soccer’ the first few times we played, but by the end of the summer I was instinctively saying football as well! The kids that I played with seemed so normal and fun that it was easy to forget their backgrounds. When they’re playing football, they put all their problems at home or at school aside and just let out all their feelings on the sport.

An example of how I love their spirit is one day the girls forgot the cones that they use as goal posts in the auto rickshaw. The kids didn’t even pause for a moment- they got coconut shells and played with those as goals instead. I also came across problems like the cows on the field that I would never ever imagine happening in the United States. We played around cows sometimes, which was kind of funny to me! Nothing kept these kids from playing, not even rain. One day it was pouring and we all got soaked, but we played anyway. They only get to play football three days a week, and they were so enthusiastic about it that I had to be enthusiastic as well! They played in the rain until a teacher came out and told them to come inside.

Another thing I learned this summer is that language does not have to be a barrier. I can only speak English because my mom is from Kerala and my dad is from Coimbatore. Since they do not speak the same language, I never learned any other language than English. I was excited to learn that it didn’t even matter! The kids from Adugodi could speak a little English, so they tried their best to communicate with me, but the boys from the school were not as good at speaking English. It somehow didn’t matter. They made friends with me by kicking the ball around while we weren’t playing and using hand motions to make me understand.

I feel like instead of using language, a smile can mean so much. To me and to the kids. These kids don’t get all the encouragement they need, so that is why I love that Dream-A-Dream is there to encourage them when no one else will. To have someone smiling at you and telling you ‘You can do it! Good job!’ means a whole lot. Even though some of them didn’t know what I was saying, a smile made them understand that I was there for them. It also had a huge effect on me when the kids smiled at me. In the beginning, a few children seemed aggressive to me. Some were almost as old as me, because I’m seventeen, and that’s intimidating! But every day when I left the football field, they would smile and say ‘Bye Aisha’! That one little smile made everything worthwhile. One of my favorite quotes is ‘There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all’. I never knew the true meaning of it before this summer.

The day I left was also a memorable experience for me. Rahul Dravid had come to observe the football game, so the kids were all hyper and really excited to meet him. They all got his signature before he left, and when they found out that it was my last day, they all got my signature too! I felt so ridiculous signing all of their papers, but it was really sweet. I’m glad I had the change to get close to some of them because they have really interesting personalities that are different from the children that you see in the United States.

I would most definitely volunteer with Dream-A-Dream again because I love the message that you want to convey. I think that to have a good society, you need to begin with empowering children, because they are our future. When I come back to Bangalore, next summer, or maybe the summer after that, expect a visit from me! Volunteering made me look at the area in a different way, and I hope that I can do something to create a future for these kids.

Aisha Venugopal

Volunteer of the Month - September 2009

2009-09-23T09:14:00.003+05:30

Shareen is on a gap year from her work at London. She is from New Zealand and is a Web Designer by profession. From the beginning of her volunteering stint at Dream A Dream she has been very regular and receptive to learning. Her commitment to the program can be seen by the quality of the feedback she provides to help us ensure the quality of our interventions. The children love her and always look forward to having her come for sessions. She has volunteered for multiple programs (Adventure Camps, Sports and Creative Arts) and does not hesitate to lend a helping hand where it is needed.

Shareen shares her thoughts and feedback with us on her volunteering experience.

In Shareen’s words, “To be honest I had a good feeling from the day I walked into Dream A Dream and spoke to Anju. I liked the vision of Dream A Dream and what they stand for. I felt comfortable straight away and I give credit to all the staff as they are so laid back and not too serious and know how to have a good laugh.”

A highly self-motivated person, what keeps her going are the children and how excited they get when she walks into the school every day. How they want her to sit next to them which makes her feel like part of their world and not just a teacher like figure. She says, “In this life it’s not about us as an individual, it’s about what you can do for others and if I can make just 1 child smile in 1 day then it’s all worth it.”

Shareen also strongly believes that the volunteering experience has been good for her, “The children are the ones who sometimes encourage me so it’s working both ways. Not only are they given encouragement but they are learning to give it back and this is something that stands out a lot with me and the children here. They are great kids and I love them and love being around them”

We are thrilled to have volunteers like Shareen work with the children and wish Shareen all the very best and hope that she has many more volunteering experiences with Dream A Dream.

You can congratulate her at http://www.blogger.com/freebirduk@yahoo.co.uk

In 48 Hours - 19 Donors and $ 1700 Needed

2009-09-17T15:02:00.001+05:30

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Dream A Dream! Hope all of you are doing well.

I write to you with a very special request for support. Dream A Dream (www.dreamadream.org) is participating in a challenge to find a permanent spot on Global Giving's (www.globalgiving.org) list of projects. This challenge needs 50 donors to raise $4000 by September 18th. Please read the flier below for more details. Please visit - http://tinyurl.com/mhvuhm or click on the flier below to help us win this challenge.

We have another 2 days to accomplish the challenge (19 More donors and $ 1700 More Needed) and we need your support and the support of your friends to make this happen for Dream A Dream. You will ofcourse, be delighted to know that since you visited us, Dream A Dream has grown to reach out and impact the lives of over 1500 children from vulnerable backgrounds every year through our work.

I look forward to your very generous and gracious support to Dream A Dream

Warm Regards,

Vishal Talreja
Co-founder & Director | Dream A Dream
India Mob: +91-98455 24118 | www.dreamadream.org

Dream A Dream with Us!
Visit us at our new office: # 11/17, 3rd Cross, 1st Block, Jayanagar (Near Ashoka Pillar), Bangalore 560011.

Making a Stand!

2009-09-15T12:27:00.000+05:30

Over a conversation with the Shailaja (facilitator), Mohammed Nihaj (3rd std Gurudwara School) told her that his parents hit him when he goes out to play and that they want him to study all the time. He is the class topper already and he is still feeling pressurized by his parents.

The facilitator asked him if he thought it was alright for his parents to hit him for this reason. He said no and also said that he did not like it at all and feels rather bad and hurt. She then asked him what he can do to make things better and he said that he can talk to his parents and try to make them understand.

That evening he spoke to his parents about how he likes to play and wants time for that. Unfortunately his patents did not pay attention to what he said. But he came back really happy haven taken the effort to do this and also being able to communicate his thoughts to his patents.

My Happiest Memory

2009-09-15T11:22:00.005+05:30

On 27th August, 2009 we conducted the session on “My happiest memory” at the Round Table School for the children from 3rd and 4th standards.

The children were asked to recall the happiest day of their life and draw that on paper. They were then taught to use a variety of raw material to make their own paint and paint their happiest day.

In addition to the facilitator and a few regular volunteer and staff members, the session was also attended by a volunteer named Esmeralda GC who is a professor and works with quality systems in NGOs in Spain.

At the session, Esmeralda too joined the children in learning painting and was able to connect very well with them. The following is the feedback given to us by her- “It was a great session for me. The children are so receptive and smiling all the time. The volunteers are so kind and generous. They welcomed us with openness. Thank you for allowing us to come and allowing us to do to things that are so important in helping us improve our world. I am very happy to have met all of you and am looking forward to coming back for a longer period next summer”

We are all looking forward to having Esmeralda with us in the next few months.

The Blending Spectrum Movie

2009-09-04T08:06:00.001+05:30

A Beautiful Movie on the Blending Spectrum Project of The YP Foundation

Featured Volunteer- Medha Bhaskar

2009-09-01T17:25:00.002+05:30

Medha has been volunteering with us for a year now and started off with the Learn IT programme. From being a support volunteer to a session co-ordinator who conducts and leads multiple batches, Medha has left no stone unturned in her attempt to ensure the children are engaged and at the same time, are picking up life skills. She has also brought in a lot of her friends and family to volunteer with us and with her energy has made a huge impact on the programme. Apart from this, she has also volunteered for the Sports and Adventure Programme and is ready to help out whenever the need arises.

Here is what she had to say:
I’ve always wanted to work with children; I knew couple of people who have volunteered with DAD, and DAD seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I had pretty high expectations and I’m glad to say it has more than ‘met my expectations’, I love going there.

What keeps me going is the thought that by volunteering, I choose not to sit around and complain about the deterioration of the society, but to take one minuscule step forward.

It is amazing how much I’ve learnt. The sessions are as much a learning experience for the volunteers as they are for the kids. I think one of the major things someone as a volunteer learns is sensitivity.

We wish Medha all the very best and hope that she has many more volunteering experiences with Dream a Dream.

Dream Stories - Balamandira Batch (6/7/2009)

2009-07-09T09:46:00.003+05:30

The children at BalaMandira boys home are served early dinners everyday and they get nothing to eat until the next day's breakfast which is about 13 hours away. On this particular evening there were some donors sponsoring a special meal for the children. So the children from the football batch were asked to leave the session and join the dinner party. To our surprise the boys refused to leave the ground and were willing to forgo the special dinner. Knowing that this would mean they will go hungry until next day morning, we staff insisted that the children go have their dinner. But the children just refused to move. We cajoled, reasoned and tried to put on a harsh tone but nothing worked. "We don’t care about the special dinner or going hungry, we rather play football and the refreshments you serve will do for today", they said. We had no choice but to let them continue the game.

A social-worker needs constant reassuring that her work is meaningful. How do we know if what we believe about our programmes and their usefulness are actually true? How do we know if the children are really enjoying our sessions and not present out of compulsion? The above incident to me was very reassuring of the work I am doing. It showed how much our sessions mean to the children and that our work there is meaningful. Luckily, the football children's dinner was set aside and they didn't have to miss their special dinner either.

At the same session there was another touching dream story. The Balamandira ground does not have goalposts. Two 5-inches cones or some stones act as the goalpost during our games. So every time there is a close goal scored the two teams start arguing and the referee's decision too fails to convince them. The same thing was repeated on this day too when a close goal was scored. The coach could not decide because he was far from the goal and didn't get a good view. The children were having an arguement with both teams convinced they were right. That is when the coach asked one child, Annamalai, who was close to the goal to decide. Even though the goal was scored against his team, he honestly declared that it was a goal. It was not astonishing that he was honest about the goal call. What was astonishing was what followed. Every single member on the ground accepted the decision without even the slightest of complaints. I understood that for the children Annamalai is honesty personified. Someone on whom the coach relies to get the honest answer. Someone whose decision is completed accepted by the other children. And I would like to believe the Dream sports programme is helping children bring such inner qualities to the fore. "

Rakesh, Dream a Dream Staff

5 K in 1H - Our Dream Run!

2009-06-03T15:56:00.004+05:30

Dear Dreamers,
In true Dream A Dream style, it was an absolutely fantastic day of Running and Fun on Sunday. The weather was perfect, the children were bright, chirpy, and excited, and all of you were in your dream-a-dream best. :-)
Some of our favourite moments of the run included:
* Having a huge turnout of almost 80 children and more than 70 volunteers “Run for a Dream”. I think we were the largest contingent yesterday.
* Having some of the families of staff and volunteers also joining in the fun. Especially the little ones -– Malaika, Siddu, and Maansi who came dressed as Princess, Monk, and Krishna.
* Seven Care Champion Runners -– Krishna, Bhasker, Rohan, Shruti, Bharathi, Buvana, and Vishal each working very hard to raise Rs.1 lakh each.
* Three of the Care Champions crossed their Rs.1 lakh target.
* Having more volunteers than last year raising funds for us. We estimate that we might have raised Rs.8 lakh.
* Nike coming forward as a corporate partner, employees at Nike raising pledges for us and also sponsoring T-shirts for all of us.
* The most stunning 120-metre banner made by the volunteers and all the other costumes and placards that were beautifully done.
* Meeting all of you once again in such an energetic atmosphere was wonderful.
What after the 10K?
* Continue with the running spirit, it's good for your health.
* Close all your pledges/funds raised and bring them into the Dream A Dream office this week.
* Look out for information on the Mumbai Marathon in January 2010. If you liked B10K, you will love the Mumbai Marathon.
Thank you once again, Dreamers! You made it special for us and for the children!
Keep the dream alive!
The Dream Team
***
If you want to see some pictures taken during the event, click on this link: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/rd.prabhu/DreamRunMay312009?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7niN2cnbjRCw#

*
Once again, on behalf of Dream A Dream, Kishore (my mentee), and the many children who will benefit from your generous donations, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, too, for the numerous messages of support. I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

Ramesh

Partners in Dreams

2009-05-21T14:59:00.002+05:30

I don't quite remember how many years ago it was that we first contacted Vishal to plan some activities for the EOTO children that year, during their October break. Two separate activities were planned, which were outings for the day with games and some life skills thrown in. We all had a blast and until today we have very clear memories of those two events.

Time moved on, and for some reason last year, we suddenly thought of Dream a Dream again and I got in touch with Vishal, who is ever open to meet and discuss. This time we entered into a longer collaboration and decided to be partners for the school year and handed over students of Std 8th, 9th and 10th from the Guru Harikrishan School to Dream a Dream to participate in the Creative Arts and Udaan Life Skills programme apart from occasional Fundays.

Once again it was a great decision we took! The students have had some wonderful fun days and have also learnt several Life Skills through the various sessions. We really appreciate the commitment of the team (especially Pavithra and Sonali) and undoubtedly we have decided to continue with our collaboration by increasing the number of students from EOTO this year, and thus continue to Dream along…

1. Make out a cheque to "Dream A Dream" and send it to Dream A Dream, 11/17, 3rd Cross, 1st Block, Near Ashoka Pillar, Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 011.
2. If you prefer to make your donation online, you can go to this payment page set up by Dream A Dream: http://www.bangalorecares.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=70&name=dreamadreamDAD.
3. For pledges from abroad, you can use the DONATE link (set up by DaD marketing manager Sangitha K.) on the Dream A Dream blog www.dreamadreamcorner.blogspot.com. Funds will automatically be transferred to Dream A Dream

(Email the transaction id # after the donation process is completed so that we could do the tracking and the recording of your donations)

Dream a Dream is a great team and we are so happy to be a small part of their great endeavour.

Best Wishes

Sunita

Each One Teach One,

Bangalore

Why you should run for a Dream

2009-05-18T14:00:00.002+05:30

‘I came to know about Dream A Dream from Sattva, an e-zine to which my friend contributed. It was at an opportune time as I was scouting for an NGO working on either children’s or women’s issues, to volunteer the truck load of free time I had during weekends. While browsing through the Dream A Dream webpage, I saw the following quote:

One hundred years from now,
It will not matter,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank,
Nor what my clothes looked like,
One hundred years from now, It will not matter,
What kind of school I attended,
What kind of typewriter I used,
How large or small my church
But the world may be A little better
Because I was important in the life of a child.
-Author unknown

These lines made the decision for me. In retrospect, I realize that these lines have changed my life in a way no other piece of poetry has!

While I salute those people who provide vulnerable children with the basic amenities, what Dream A Dream does for these children is a step ahead – empowering them to make their tomorrows better. I can do a lot of things to make these children’s “today” worth living and I can do a lot to make the world a better place, but their “tomorrow” will be what they make of it. The life-skills that Dream A Dream is successfully imparting will go a long way in making them capable of standing on their own feet a few years from now.

During the induction program, Namrata mentioned that each one of us is what we are because of the exposures that we have had. The knowledge that every hour I spent with these kids went towards giving them an improved exposure to this wonderful, but often harsh world, kept bringing me back to these children. In fact, I was able to observe kids like Lokesh and Nagaraj visibly improve their confidence levels in just a few weeks – this gave me a feeling of success that few other projects have given!!

My experience with Dream A Dream has made me much more patient and accommodating than I was earlier. It also enabled me to discover my creative juices :D To meet a bunch of people from different walks of life, all working for the same cause, was overwhelming and inspiring at the same time. The vision and goals of Dream A Dream has made me a believer of social enterprise and business for the benefit of society!

In the end, Dream A Dream has given me an exposure that has taught me lessons which few others have…. and the learning continues....

For Dream A Dream to continue its work on empowering more and more vulnerable children, it needs the support of every kind hearted individual in this society. So please, loosen your purse strings so that you can tighten a child's hold on her dreams......

1. Make out a cheque to "Dream A Dream" and send it to Dream A Dream, 11/17, 3rd Cross, 1st Block, Near Ashoka Pillar, Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 011.
2. If you prefer to make your donation online, you can go to this payment page set up by Dream A Dream: http://www.bangalorecares.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=70&name=dreamadreamDAD.
3. For pledges from abroad, you can use the DONATE link (set up by DaD marketing manager Sangitha K.) on the Dream A Dream blog www.dreamadreamcorner.blogspot.com. Funds will automatically be transferred to Dream A Dream
(Email the transaction id # after the donation process is completed so that we could do the tracking and the recording of your donations)

Anitha Alappat, Volunteer, LearnIT

Why I'm running for a Dream and Dream a Dream

2009-05-15T13:08:00.005+05:30

I have been volunteering for about a year now with Dream A Dream.

I began last August by teaching basic computer skills to underprivileged children on Sundays. This project was undertaken by Dream A Dream with the assistance of Nortel, who donated 12 laptops for the purpose.

Earlier this year, Dream A Dream asked me, and other volunteers, to join a mentoring training programme conducted by psychologists from the UK. After the eight-week Sundays-only programme, I was "matched" with Kishore, a young boy from a shelter called Vishwas.

Kishore will turn 14 in August but he looks as though he is about ten years old.

Kishore says he has no recollection of his parents -- I have been told his father was an alcoholic who abandoned the family, and his mother died some years ago. Both Kishore and his sister, Tejaswini, who is nine, are being cared for at Vishwas.

As a mentor, I am expected to be a role model who will provide guidance to Kishore on coping with life's problems. Mentors are also supposed to be sounding boards who will give their mentees a patient hearing when others have given up. We have been told during the training that mentors are not to provide "instant solutions", which can prove detrimental in the long run; instead we are supposed to give direction and help mentees to come up with solutions. I meet with Kishore every weekend (when I have been in Bangalore) and we're making some progress towards getting him to understand why it is important to study, work hard, get a good job, have a family. I have brought Kishore twice to the college where I teach post-grads journalism -- he has met my colleagues and my students. It is my hope that these interactions will, in some small way, make him determined to do well in life. (The attached pictures show Kishore at my desk at the college.)

Dream A Dream has made it possible for me and many other volunteers to play a role in the lives of youngsters who have had a bleak past and who face an uncertain future. Now, to raise funds for Dream A Dream so that it can continue its good work, many of us are taking part in the Bangalore Sunfeast World Run on Sunday, May 31. (Go to http://sunfeastworld10k.indiatimes.com/ if you want details; Dream A Dream is one of the NGOs listed under the registered charities.)

Please consider "pledging" my run, that is, make a donation to Dream A Dream on this occasion. You can do so in the following ways:
1. Make out a cheque to "Dream A Dream" and send it to Dream A Dream, 11/17, 3rd Cross, 1st Block, Near Ashoka Pillar, Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 011.
2. If you prefer to make your donation online, you can go to this payment page set up by Dream A Dream: http://www.bangalorecares.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=70&name=dreamadreamDAD.
3. For pledges from abroad, you can use the DONATE link (set up by DaD marketing manager Sangitha K.) on the Dream A Dream blog www.dreamadreamcorner.blogspot.com. Funds will automatically be transferred to Dream A Dream
(Email the transaction id # after the donation process is completed so that we could do the tracking and the recording of your donations)

Here's your chance to make a difference. It will only take a few minutes of your time but will mean the world to those who are less fortunate than us.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Ramesh Prabhu

The Summer Camp Story

2009-05-06T09:42:00.001+05:30

Considering that we want sustained interventions for our children, there were slight hesitations in conducting the Summer Camp. For one, it was short term and we assumed that it could not be as powerful as a throughout-the-year programme. We did a lot of intensive thinking around the need for the programme and it's deliverables in terms of the impact it would have on the Life Skills development of the child. Many times during our brainstorming and planning sessions, we wanted to scrap the programme but we stuck with it while keeping a keen eye on Stories of Change that we would possibly come across. As any other program, the Summer Camp hasn't been easy on the wallet but for the impact it has made on the children over the years, no matter if things go wrong or simply not according to the plan we decided on, it has always ended up making such a huge impact that it never ceases to amaze me

I went to do a photoshoot of the children during their rehersals. The children of Round Table were, as always, oozing with energy. I drew some from them and went from class to class talking with the children and trying to record some of the stories.

After a couple of bonding sessions with the children, we went upstairs for a final rehersal. The children were so excited you couldn't help but want to jump around and scream with them. Naveen tugged at my camera cord. I turned around to face him. 'Anju akka, neevu Hombegowda schoolge bandidralla?' (You had come to the Hombegowda school hadn't you?) I smiled. That was two weeks ago and not for that long and I couldn't believe he remembered. 'Yes' I said and patted him on the head. 'Naanu, Summer Camp Performance alli one speech maadbeku. Kelskonthira?' (I have to make a speech during the Summer Camp Performance. Will you listen?') Of course I said as he dragged me near the taps in the corner. My heart filled with overwhelming joy when he went on to talk of how in the Summer his parents would go to work and he would end up in front of the TV, sometimes he would roam the streets in search of games he could join in and play and end up wasting his time. I stopped him at that point and asked him why he thought it was such a waste of time. He smiled patronisingly. "Nimmge gothillva akka?' (Don't you know?). I shook my head and he went on to explain that sometimes he would end up in bad company and go back with a bad feeling that he had wasted time investing in friendships and activities that he knew were bad for him. He felt that the TV numbed his senses and wanted to feel alive and part of something good. He wanted to believe he was meant for so much more. He was just on the verge of realising that he was.

I urged him to go on. He continued talking about how when the school announced that there would be a Summer Camp, he shudderd to think of all the things he would be forced to do. He didn't want another boring lecture but when he heard that it was from Dream a Dream, he came in the hope that it would be different. With Dream a Dream, he said, it had always been a wonderfully surprising new way to learn. In school and at home, the children ended up being forced to learn but here, he had woken up early in the morning in his excitement just to discover what new activity this Dream a Dream had planned for him. I stopped him again and asked him why he spoke so fondly about Dream a Dream. He shook his head as though he was ashamed that I couldn't put my finger on the obvious. He said that they learnt night and day, day and night, inconsequential meaningless things that you write an exam about and then you never have to think of those again. With Dream a Dream, they teach you the most important lesson, how to be a child and how to enjoy yourself while your at it. He told me how Dream a Dream makes him think that each activity was planned specifically for him and each child felt the same way. Usually, he said, they felt like being a child was a bad thing because any abuse that came their way demanded them to be more responsible like an adult, but Dream a Dream made it okay to follow their instinct. I had to stop myself from getting emotional so I cracked some joke to make the mood lighter. Naveen is 12 years old.

He told me not to distract him as he laughed and he continued his experience sharing. He said that he loved the flip book activity a lot. He said that he loved it so much that he made a concious effort to change his pronunciation from 'plip' book to 'flip' which was very hard for him to do because the sound 'f' wasn't in his vocabulary. I smiled at his observations. The flip book, he said, was going to be his take-away treasure from the summer camp, one that he will keep maintaining and lock away when the world tells him he's too old for it and then one day, when he's an adult and no one is around to look, he would take the book out and re-live the beautiful memories that Dream a Dream had given him.

He went on to tell me about how he learnt about emotions. He knew that 'happy' and 'sad' were emotions you felt but never realised that they were observable outside the heart and could be used to give comfort. The clay modelling sessions taught him about body language and facial expressions and since then he has observed any person he could lay his hands on. He said that when he went home, he realised that his mum and dad had a fight and his mother was sad. He knew that because he had just been taught that when you are sad, your eyes and smile are droopy. Usually for his sake, his mother would act happy and walk around as though nothing had happened but when he observed that she was sad, he told her 'Amma, you are sad aren't you?'. He said that after that, somehow, his mum and him shared a special bond that they had previously not been able to share.

I did a mental Life Skills Assessment on him. In my opinion, he aced the test. I was even prouder when I saw him go on stage the next day. Before he went up there he said he was nervous but he was still going to do it. And when he did, I knew that if anyone wanted an impact story, they only need look at him.

Many children, like Naveen, shared similar stories. It was hard to imagine that a simple programme such as this could create so much change and happiness. When the secretary of Round Table school went on stage to give the testimony of a child who had performed and danced with joy despite being diagnosed and treated for Mild Depression, I knew that that was my story of change. While I was musing over all of this, another little hand tugged at my clothes.

I turned around and saw Ashok. He looked sad. I knew that because of the lesson on emotions that Naveen had taught me the previous day. I asked him what was the matter. 'Nanna bitti hogthaidira?' (Are you leaving me and going). I was shell-shocked. I didn't know what to say so I asked him what he meant. 'Evathe last day na? Nammna ella bit hogthaidira?' (Is today the last day? Are you leaving all of us and going?). Saying that, he wept as i held his dear little self. It was heart wrenching to watch his pain considering that the Summer Camp was a programme that was not meant to be. Ashok, I told him, don't worry. I noticed that other kids around him were also getting emotional, waiting for my response. I told him, on behalf of Dream a Dream that that was not the end of it. That we would come back in June and if all went well, in three years, we would've made the way for a smooth transition that ensured that for as long as they studied in the Round Table School, it would be okay for them to be a child. Slowly their tears cracked into a smile and a smile into a spring in their step.

Lessons Learnt?
Sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child.
Sometimes it takes a different kind of Dream to make it right

- Anju, Staff-Dream a Dream

Volunteers of the Month - March 2009

2009-04-29T11:56:00.006+05:30

Featured Volunteer - Naveen Panigrahi

(extreme right)

Naveen has been a part of Dream A Dream for almost a year now. He works with DELMIA and was looking forward to volunteering not only to do something for the society but also as a means to meet new people and improving his social network. Besides being a part Volunteer Management team, Naveen has been associated with DaD programs like Udaan and Mentoring. Naveen likes listening to Hindi songs, watching movies and cooking. We wish Naveen all the very best and hope that he continues with his volunteering initiatives with the same commitment that he has shown so far. You can congratulate him on naveen.panigrahi@gmail.com

I was introduced to Dream a Dream by one of my colleagues at office. Volunteering was quite an abstract term when I became a part of DaD. During the course of my association with DaD I learnt more about its programs and the impact it has created through its various volunteering initiatives. I always liked spending time with kids and DaD has provided me ample opportunities to spend my weekends in a more meaningful way.

The smile on the face of the kids and positive energy they bring keeps me going. I have drawn so much from the society around me and now by volunteering I am able to contribute to the society in a more useful way than just paying my taxes on time.

Volunteering with DaD has been a great experience. I have met so many new people that have influenced my social circle in a significant way. Besides, every new volunteer has his perspective of the issues that we are confronted with in today’s society and how we can help to address them. Most importantly I have made some really good friends by working with Dream a Dream.

Featured Volunteer - Ramalakshmi Subramanian

Rams, as we at Dream a Dream fondly call her, is a software engineer for oracle. In her free time, she likes to paint, read and keep trying to do something new. Ever since she joined Dream a Dream, she has worked tirelessly towards helping the children through various programmes such as Udaan and Mentoring. She shows a great anxiety for the child and is always putting the child’s welfare before all else. The enthusiasm she brings to our community is contagious and she continuous to be a positive influence on the lives of all those people who cross her path. Apart from programmes, she has also served two terms on the Volunteer Management Team that has helped conduct many inductions and workshops. We hope she will continue dreaming with us. You can congratulate her on itsramss@gmail.com

I heard about Dream A Dream from a friend, and started volunteering without any expectation. Initally I wasn’t sure if sports programs would make any difference at all. But to my surprise, on interaction with the children for more than a year now, I realised that it makes a lot of difference. I like all the programs because it is a fun way of teaching the most important lessons of life. I have met some wonderful people here and want to be part of it always.

The small crescent that I see on the children’s face, keeps me going. The love and affection that they shower on me keeps me restless when I miss a class. Also the positive change in them after our sessions motivates and urges me to do more.

Volunteering is always a win-win situation. It made me realize that I need them as much as they need me. It made me accept people as they are and has made me non-judgemental. It has given me confidence and made me understand that nothing is more important in life other than love. I learnt a lot of skills from the UDAAN session that I was doing. I learnt lot more from the children than from the curriculum. My sense of responsibility and level of commitment to even small things has increased. Not just volunteering, but meeting other volunteers and knowing them has helped me know about many fields which I had no clue about. The positive changes have made me optimistic and dare to dream.

Let's break the Vicious Cylce!

2009-04-29T09:28:00.002+05:30

Poverty is a vicious cycle. And so is abuse.

We form our self-concepts about ourselves before we are of age six. That means, before age six we have more or less decided the course of ninety percent of our future life. So what happens when a child is left uncared and unwanted through his childhood years? When his self-concept is not even given a chance to know what love and self-esteem means, let alone to embrace and internalize it? We are left with a vicious cycle of abuse which finds its purpose only in permeating itself.

I still have a vivid image of a young boy (who was about eleven, but looked six) I watched playing in one of the community centers a few months back. He was bubbly, active, talkative and normal, by the standards of normal, in that setting. But as he kept running and playing, every few minutes he would suddenly stop for a couple of seconds, do a fake stagger while rolling his eyes and dragging his feet. And just like that he would drop that stance and start playing again. In the beginning I thought he was unwell, only to realize much later, while I was pondering over it at home, that he must have been unconsciously imitating his drunken father. And it sent a shudder through me to realize what would happen when he would be old enough to realize that he doesn’t need to fake it anymore. In all probability, another drunken wife-beater? Will the cycle ever break?

Education is of course the key to the door to the way out. It is no doubt the fundamental right of every child. But so are life-skills. Life-skills that teach you to respect others, and more importantly, to respect yourself. When children are not given the right nutrition, or the right psychological enablers for growth, they fail to thrive (which explains why the boy looked much younger than he was). So what can we expect of children who grow up without ever seeing a positive role-model or never having anyone telling them that they are capable of having positive ambitions and achieving them? A man who abuses his family is a culprit, but how much better if instead of fighting a losing battle to reform him, we are able to take that same man as a child and give him some respect and love, in turn teaching him to respect others and give love to others?

At the level of the State, we all understand that it is about creating an environment that allows people to find dignified and fulfilling employment than giving away money to the poor. At the level of an individual, it is about creating a childhood for him that makes him want to be better than his circumstances. Admonishing a man for abusing his family and not caring for his children, is just like giving money to the poor without a source of employment. They both provide temporary relief, but don’t treat the cause.

So let’s attack the root-cause and love and nurture these children, to in turn teach them to love themselves and others. Let’s break the vicious cycle of abuse. And hopefully, with a little providence, also of poverty.

- Suchetha Bhat, Udaan Volunteer and Mentor.

UNICEF - Life skills - Which skills are life skills?

2009-04-23T00:14:00.001+05:30

UNICEF - Life skills - Which skills are life skills?

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Volunteers of the Month (February 09)

2009-03-24T17:32:00.010+05:30

At first meeting, Will comes across as a very enthusiastic, high energy and likeable person wanting to help out in any way he can. He is from London and after having volunteered with the Barack Obama campaign and being thrown in at the deep end he dove straight into the sports programme with us. Since he’s been here, a nice structure and discipline has come in to the programmes and drills have been designed specifically to develop Life Skills. When he goes back, he’s going to pursue Economics at Cambridge University. You can congratulate him on mouse057@hotmail.com We wish Will all the very best and hope that he has many more volunteering experiences with Dream a Dream.

Why did you choose Dream A Dream to volunteer and has it met your expectations?
I chose Dream a Dream very quickly after a couple discussions with Gap Guru. I was really happy I'd get to work with so many different children and I really wanted to do something active so Dream A Dream was perfect. I really wanted to try and give back somehow over my year out (so I am really happy to be recognized) and working with such a great NGO was a privilege. I took a while to find my role but Dream a Dream has always met my expectations and I will come back soon to visit or even volunteer again.

What keeps you going?
Bobbymon! Seriously though (although Bobby is great) the children, because without them I wouldn't be here. There is nothing better than a session going well and seeing the children enjoying themselves. Caffeine helps too.

How has this experience of volunteering with Dream A Dream helped you develop as an Individual?
...It's hard to differentiate between the Dream a Dream experience and my time in India. Since I’ve been in Bangalore I’ve learnt the importance of being laid back (although I haven't quite learnt how to be laid back). It's definitely helped my interaction with children and everyone as a whole...If your interested in people they'll be interested back and if you make an effort, either by learning a name or a language, the children will respect you for it.

Kieran is from Derby, England and has been volunteering with us for a month in the Sports Programme. He has a university degree in Sports Management and has proactively used that to help better the quality of our intervention. In his own quiet way, he has made an impression on the Dream Football programme and most importantly on the children.
We wish him all the best and hope to see him come back and volunteer with us.
You can congratulate him at kierandayaram@hotmail.com

Why did you choose Dream A Dream to volunteer and has it met your expectations?
I found Dream A Dream through the UK company Gap Guru with who I arranged to volunteer for a total of 5 weeks. Having read about the how the organisation works and through which channels, I was really excited to use sport as a tool to help children learn life skills. The experience has definitely exceeded my initial expectations, as a large number of sessions are carried out each week for different groups of children from various backgrounds. It is great to see that the vast majority of the children have the desire to learn new things about their sport and most importantly have an enjoyable time in the process. Admittedly there have been a few ups and downs along the way, but the responses from all situations have been positive and because of this my personal satisfaction is high!

What keeps you going?
Definitely the enthusiasm and passion of everyone at Dream A Dream. It is clear that everyone strives to ensure all the children involved get the most out of the sessions and programmes that they attend. It is great to always hear new ideas and ways in which things can be improved. The end product of this is that the children appreciate what Dream A Dream are doing for them, which more often than not helps them achieve as much as they can.

How has this experience of volunteering with Dream A Dream helped you develop as an Individual?
I would like to think that I have become more empathetic to the children and in some cases it is totally understandable how they react to certain situations. In addition, I think I have become more adaptable as a lot of the sessions require you to think and act instinctively for the good of a particular session (for example, if the coach is absent). Finally, my co-operation with others (both colleagues and the children) has improved, especially due to the language barrier. It is important to develop a bond with the children even if verbal communication is difficult.

2009-01-22T12:38:00.000+05:30

We did it!

50 staff, volunteers and friends of Dream A Dream travelled to Mumbai to take part in the Mumbai Marathon.

Check out the photo journal below :-)

Together the Dream A Dream team ran in all race categories including the full marathon, half marathon and, of course, the Dream Run (7km leg). In all the team had a wonderful experience raising awareness about Dream A Dream and running as a team.

To-date the team has raised 10 Lakhs for Dream A Dream's programs! Will you help us to get to our overall goal of 15 lakhs?

CLICK HERE to donate online in support of the team, or send your cheque payable to Dream A Dream at: No.73, 1st Floor, Lashker, Hosur Rd, Adugodi, Bangalore 560 030

Thank you for supporting our RUN FOR A DREAM!!

Running for a Dream - Photo Journal

2009-01-22T10:59:00.006+05:30

Take a trip with us through our photo journal...and experience the joy of running for a dream!

Dream A Dream was one of many organizations represented at this year's marathon as thousands of runners had chosen to run for a cause...

The Dream A Dream runners participating in the Dream Run (7km leg) finally made it to the starting line after an additional 3km walk from our hostel and slwoly but surely working our way through the crowds....The actual starting line....One of the elite athletes completing the final stretch of the full marathon just as the Dream Run was getting started...A view of the sheet number of people taking part...taken as we completed the route along the waterfront and climbed a flyover to complete the final 2kms...The Dream A Dream Team runners proudly carrying placards to raise awareness about our cause...also thoroughly enjoying themselves!We also sported matching t-shirts...

Runners also got to enjoy entertainment along the way...The Dream Run group finally made it to the finish line...a few hours behind the the many runners who had represented us in the full and half marathons...Planting our dreams in Mumbai.....

We hope you will run with us next year!

Dream A Dream - About Us!

2008-12-08T11:43:00.008+05:30

Founded in 1999, Dream A Dream empowers vulnerable children by developing life skills while at the same time sensitizing the community through active volunteering leading to a non-discriminatory society where unique differences are appreciated.

Children at Dream A Dream are deemed vulnerable becuase they may be orphans, former street children and other children from Bangalore slum communities. They are children whose basic needs (such as food, shelter and basic eduction) are being met by Dream A Dream partner NGOs - but who run a high risk of falling back into cycles of poverty or life on the streets.

Through Dream A Dream's life skills programs, including team sports, creative arts, adventure camps and civic awareness, children learn the communication skills, confidence, teamwork, problem-solving and initiative that they need to succeed in overcoming discrimination and other barriers to success.

Dream A Dream is a professional NGO currently reaching out to 1,000 vulnerable children in Bangalore with the support of nearly 700 volunteers.

All Dream A Dream programs are run from a small office in Bangalore with programming and operational decsions amde by a highly experienced management team with oversight from the Board of Trustees. Dream A Dream also has a three-year strategic plan in place which outlines strategies for program scaling, volunteer management and financial sustainability until 2010.

Funding for Dream A Dream's programs comes from a variety of sources including individuals who support donation appeals and annual fundraising events (such as the Mumbai Marathon) as well as from funding institutions incluing Youth Reach and The Global Fund for Children and corpotae partners such as Nortel, Logica and Convergys.

Dream A Dream is accredited by the Credibility Alliance as complying with national accountability, transparency and reporting standards and is also one of only 100 NGOs in India that meet the credibility norms set-up by GiveIndia. Dream A Dream was alos the Regional Winner (small category) at the 2007 NGO Awards hosted by the Resource Alliance and The Nand and Khemka Foundation.

Creativity On Display

2008-11-20T12:08:00.005+05:30

Yesterday we had a really fun Creative Arts session at MJ Mysore Road. Kathi, Ed, Kalpana and I attended the session. We did the second module of clay modelling with them. We thought clay is a good medium for kids to explore and be ok with imperfect art that essentially is about self expression. The main point that we want to bring across is that in art there is no right or wrong.

This session we started off with an introduction round of Ed and Kalpana. It was amazing to see the kids bonding with Ed even though they did not speak the same language. Afterwards we did brain gym (cross crawling) , which is basically just jumping around and the birdy dance to loosen them up. Then we distributed the clay and asked them to make a ball, a square and a cone out of it and to decorate those shapes by sticking things on or carving designs. Already, the shapes turned out better than the last session. :-)

Then, we asked them to do a welcome sign for their houses. We didn't give them any other instruction, as we want them to experiment and to develop creative thinking. It was amazing that every single one looked different (heart, hand, lock, square, round plate etc). They did a great job. Then Ed had the idea to ask them whether before the session they would have thought to be able to do that - everybody said no... and then we asked them to scale (between 0 and 5) how they had felt about the task before and how feel about it now. All of them felt more confident about it now and some actually assessed their own skills (most said from 0 before to 5 now, but some also said 1-3 or similar). In the end, we played jack sits in the kitchen with tina and again the birdy dance because the kids like it so much.

This is what Ed had to say."This was the first time I saw this session in action. I was hugely impressed by Kathi who engaged really well with the children. All displayed real enthusiasm for the session and demonstrated good creative skills. They responded wellto the need for focused work and particularly enjoyed the singing. They asked for a repeat of the singing many times which led me to think that they do not have enough opportunity to let their hair down and have some fun whilst at the same time having the opportunity to express themselves. Well done to Kathi and Sonali!!"

"I felt a real burst of creativity in the room. The kids on their own took the activity to the next level. They even started moulding the clay without us giving them any ideas or suggestions about the same. The welcome signs were really creative. One of the children even made a lock and key shaped sign and someone made a hand shaped sign. The detailing was really well done even though we have not yet reached to that level. They themselves figured out the need to smoothen the clay and the technique for the same. They were extremely enthusiasctic throughout the session and were being good team players by helping out their friends."

"It was a big learning experience for me. I learned that children themselves are okay with learning by doing and making mistakes in the process. They do not have an obsessive need to be perfect and are not in the habit of branding art as good and bad or right and wrong. They can truly get into the spirit of art and produce honest work that is solely driven by the love for work and the need for self expression. This is something we as adults are not used to doing and we end up forcing our perceptions of right and wrong on them and telling our children that they are not good enough if they do not meet our expectations!"

Sonali Gupta - Program Coordinator
Kathi Kitzinger - International Volunteer
Ed Williams - International Volunteer

Dream A Dream with Us - All you have to do is vote

2008-11-13T13:30:00.004+05:30

1. Your vote for Dream A Dream’s declaration on neo.org could help us win up to 7,000 Euros!

2. You can help turn Vishal Talreja into an MTV Youth Icon by casting your vote online!

________________________________________

1. Log on to www.neo.org (*you will have to create a username and password) – then search for “Vishal Talreja” and click the option “support this declaration” – we are competing with 15 other NGOs and the top three garnering the most votes will share 20,000 Euros!!! The deadline is 1st December 2008 hence your vote today is essential to help us garner more support.

Our declaration of how we’re working to make this world a better place:
“We at Dream A Dream believe that sustainable change in our society will happen when we will dedicate ourselves fully to empowering vulnerable children so that they lead a quality life while at the same time working to sensitize the community through active volunteering. Hand in hand this will lead to the creation of a more tolerant society where all individuals are accepted, acknowledged and appreciated for who they are irrespective of their backgrounds, religion, sex, caste or class and have equitable opportunity to achieve their dreams.”

________________________________________

2. Log on to www.mtvyouthicon.in.com to visit the MTV website featuring Vishal as one of the short-listed candidates for the Pepsi-MTV Youth Icon – watch his profile video and then follow the directions to cast your vote by SMS or online. 8 candidates will be finally chosen as the Pepsi-MTV Youth Icons 2008.

Project of Life

2008-11-13T11:58:00.002+05:30

On 6/11/2008, in the afternoon around 2:30pm I went to Round table school for an Udaan session. I have never conducted an Udaan session myself but today I did after just ½ hour of reading the Udaan book, 18th Chapter (Project of life). It was a really good topic and it was great to learn more about Future Projects ideas.

I went there at 2:30pm and found only 25 children present. Most of them were attending the Adventure camp and some children were running home. When the RTS staff rounded them up, I started the class with my introduction and what I was currently doing. Some of them said "Oh!! Very interesting" and 2 or 3 children introduced themselves as well.

After this I stared session with learning objectives. We, then, went into the following activities

a) Identifying past and current interests and achievements
b) Identifying future goals
c) Creating plans for reaching goals and
d) Identifying possible ways to adjust plans due to unanticipated events (this was optional)

This was a very interesting topic to discuss with the children. We discussed the topic and I started doing the activities myself (as listed above). It was such an amazing experience I cannot find the words to express it.

During the session I got one call that I had to attend. I asked the class for permission and then attended to the call.

When I came back, I asked them what they liked in the session and what they didn't like. One boy stood up and told me that he didn't like that I attended a call during the session. I asked why he felt that way and he said that it was an interesting class and suddenly that mobile sound made me feel disturbed. I apologized to that boy. (Team don’t receive call in front of the Children during session just for information)

The next feedback I got was about the activity of identifying a future goal. One of the children mentioned that in the case of his family, they may not send him to study in the 10th STD and now his project of life was to make sure he finished the 10th STD. Now that I know what my goal is, this summer I will definitely do well and show my parents that I have the confidence and they will agree to send me to the 10th STD. I appreciated his interesting feedback.

Suddenly a girl stood up and she showed her anger face to me and to her friends. I was shocked because I didn't know what happened and she stared to cry. It was already 4.30 and so I finished the session and I told her that I would talk to her after the session was over..

After we said our goodbyes, I spoke to that girl for 30 minutes.. I asked her why she got angry and why she cried. I wanted to know if it was something I said or did that hurt her. I apologized to her. She said "Pavithra aunty, just like that boy, her parents were also not going to send her to the 10th STD". She had the same problems in her house which is why she got emotional. I explained about some inspiring news to her. I told her that now that she learned that project of life she can apply that into her life. She said that within one week she was going to do that so that when I went back to the school next, she would have something to show me. I was thrilled to hear her words. It's amazing.

This is what happened in my first ever Udaan class. All I can say is "Super!"

First we should appreciate to Dream a Dream. How we are changing this community through our Programme. Once again Team says thanks to DAD and Team.

Pavithra K L, Program Support Staff
Dream A Dream

Udaan Life Skills is a life skills curriculum-based program, in partnership with Delhi based NGO, Youth Reach, currently serving older children and youth focussed on strengthening core personal competencies, learning about critical health issues, developing skills for successful employment and the power to address community problems. Over 250 children are part of this program on a weekly basis.

Laxmeesha Shares his volunteering experience

2008-10-24T15:02:00.001+05:30

Since last year I have begun to gradually warm up to my role as a volunteer. The first couple of years, I used to go about the volunteer tasks mechanically and without any personal involvement. But since I began visiting MJ HSR for the BJ program, things began to change. Hema from MJ HSR used to say that children tend to remember volunteers and they will repay every act of ours by inculcating the same in their lives as they grow up. In other words, we end up becoming role models for them and in future they will also contribute to the betterment of the society through volunteerism or any other activity or by simply remaining humble. After this discussion, I realised that a volunteer's role is more responsible than I had envisaged and then all my experiences became more satisfying.

When we were working on the BJ project, I had shown the documentary 'An inconvenient truth' to the children. There was an example in it about frogs and boiling water. We never paid attention to this when we were preparing for the project, but a good 2 months later when we presented our project to Janaagraha, I was taken aback when Vishwa Dewan used this example to answer a question posed by Janaagraha and after that I have stopped underestimating anyone :). These children have everything but opportunities. And organisations like Dream a Dream, Makkala Jagriti, Adventurers, Ananya, Vishwaas etc. should be thanked not only for providing these children with the opportunities but also for creating avenues for people like me to volunteer and grow.

Closer interaction with these organisations shows that a lot of effort has gone into sustaining and growing them. As an entrepruener, I know the amount of effort involved in this. But the challenges faced by NGOs, especially from society, is far higher. There were several incidents that Nomito narrated to me at Honnemarudu regarding family as well as society. To keep going, even in the face of such adversity, needs fierce passion and seeing that in all these organisations is very inspiring.

For an outsider, NGOs are viewed with cynicism. I used to be one even after I had joined DaD and I was not sure if the programs make any difference to the chidren. But I have changed and I can see myself as being a part of the change that our society needs. 2 years back, going to Bosco for the BJ sessions used to be a big effort, but now I wait for thursdays and saturdays to visit Ananya and MJ!

Cheers, Laxmeesha Acharya

"The world of nature and the world of man are inter-related. Man cannot escape from that. When he destroys nature, he is destroying himself. When he kills another, he is killing himself. The enemy is not the other but you. To live in such harmony with nature, with the world, naturally brings about a different world" ~ J Krishnamurti

Funday to the HAL air museum

2008-05-27T12:49:00.007+05:30

My name is Hugh Jackson and I'm an international volunteer from England; I've been working with Dream a Dream for the last 3 weeks (I fly back on the 30th May) to help improve their data management processes.

Among other things during my time here, I've had the opportunity to go on one of the 'Fundays' that the team runs most weekends. A funday involves a trip out with a group of kids from a centre that DAD are about to start working with.
DAD use these fundays as a way of getting a feel for what the kids are like and to help build trust between them in a very relaxed environment; on this occasion we arranged to take them to the HAL air museum.

The bus trip was long but entertaining (starting at the DAD office to pick up staff and volunteers, then going in the diametrically opposite direction to pick up the kids from their centre on Mysore Road, before heading across town to Airport Road, all the time trying to plough our way through traffic jams that make quick drying cement look free-flowing).

Being from England, I'm used to signing such classics as 'The wheels on the bus go round and round...' on coach trips. However, the kids were in full voice signing verse upon verse of catchy tunes that I had never heard, but I'm guessing some of them were from Bollywood films or similar. Unfortunately nobody was able to fully translate the words for me, maybe because a number of the songs were in Kanada.

We had great fun going around the museum. There were lots of questions about what they were seeing (thankfully not too many to me because a) my Hindi/Kanada isn't especially strong and b) my knowledge of planes is about as good as my Hindi/Kanada), and marvelling at stuff that they had only ever seen high in the sky or on a television.

The museum is also right next door to the airport and provides a pretty good view of the planes taking off and landing, giving rise to lots of 'oohhs' and 'aahhs'.

Feedback from the kids was that it had been an excellent day out, but next time could they go in a real plane? Tricky one to do given a budget of Rs. 7,000 per funday (which for 40 kids/volunteers is Rs. 175 a head), but apparently DAD have some contacts at Kingfisher and there may be a chance to get them on a real plane while its on the ground.

I was inspired by the experience (and many others while I've been here!), seeing eyes light up in amazement and wonder, seeing the dream develop for these kids about what it would be like to fly in a plane and when can they do it. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to come and help inspire similar dreams!

You can see some more pictures by going here and here.

Hugh Jackson (hugh@hughjackson.net)

Sports for Development - The story of Sukanya

2008-05-26T15:06:00.003+05:30

It's my pleasure to share an amazing story of Sukanya from Ananya has been attending Dream TT program for the last 5 years. She participated in the recently concluded state level Tournament held in Bangalore. When compared to other senior children in the batch she has not been picking up the technical skills so fast. However, her interest in attending TT sessions regularly and especially during the summer vacations has prompted me to share this story with you.

I am proud to explain the real impact of our sports program up on Sukanya and how she built life skills over the years. The story goes like this, I got a phone call from Sukanya asking whether she could come and attend TT sessions during summer vacation that is in April and May. I replied, yes of course you could come but should be regular and have to track on your traveling expenses and give it to me every week. My thinking was that she might not be regular but I made sure that coach would be coming for the sessions.

A week later, I was surprised to see her bring me the track record of her and other 2 members (Durga and Sharad, they were also coming with her to attend the sessions) traveling expenses. It was in such a way that she wrote the names of each child with date behind the bus tickets which attached on a paper that gave details of each days traveling expenses. I realised that Sukanya has developed a discipline in doing things and taking responsibility whenever it needed.

But the most wonderful thing was her confidence and responsibility she showed in the junior level state level TT tournament. This was the first time we took girls for a tournament and I selected Sukanya and Durga along with other 4 Boys. On the second day of the tournament since I was not able to go to the tournament, I called Sukanya and asked her to come office in order to collect the money for arranging food for everybody on the day. But she told that she would not come to office since it would take atleast one hour instead she would collect some money from her father and manage the day. She not only managed the day and arranged the food, but also she dropped the Vishwas children at Jayanagar 4th block after the matches. The next day after the tournament she submitted all expense details with bills and settled the account with me.

As a program coordinator working with Sukanya, I am sure that the leadership quality, those she posses, is really the impact of our program. The story of Sukanya does not end here. I want to see her as the role model for the entire batch and maybe working at Dream A Dream someday.

Sukanya inspired me to take more actions for making a visible difference in many more children and I am sure everyone reading this will get inspired by Sukanya determination and commitment.

Bobbymon George, Program Coordinator, Dream A Dream
May 17, 2008

Story of a Never Say Die Spirit

2008-03-01T13:28:00.004+05:30

In June 07 I attended the first State level Tournament with our advanced level Table Tennis children. It was an excellent platform for our children who have been playing TT for the last 3 years. Unfortunately, our children lost the first rounds of the tournament. During the matches and discussion after each match, I realized that it is not the lack of skill set which is the problem, but the lack of encouragement. Even in our regular practice sessions I observed that these children have a lot of energy and fitness to defeat the opponents from the mainstream. What they needed was support and encouragement.

I decided to give them continues support and encouragement through out the year and I was sure that this would work out and change them. I sat down with them, spoke to them after each and every session, gave them on the spot corrections while they were playing, and some times I challenged them and rewarded them when they met it. Small gestures like a pat on the back saying "Well Played" or "You can do it" or "Its ok. Fight back" would go a long way. A rapport established between me and the children. I realized the children started approaching me for more feedback.

5 months later the results were to be seen and it was wonderful. The older children - Jayanth, Bannappa and Suresh took initiative of taking the attendance of the children in my absence. They began to train the juniors, and they took charge of keeping the kit safely inside the room. The much awaited result came; Manjunath marched to the pre-quarter finals of the last state level ranking tournament in November. Bannappa and Suresh began to defeat every other mainstream child in the academy. They are now showing a fighting spirit - They are not ready to give up!!!

It was sheer exhilaration to see Suresh play a match against Akshay, a mainstream child. Both had won a set each 11-7, 8-11. The clincher was the final set and Suresh was far behind at 5-10. Akshay needed to score one more point to win the set and the Match. The way Suresh played from then, fills me with inspiration and admiration to this day. He played a phenomenal gritty game and bounced back to 12-10 to win the set and the Match !!

I feel very proud to be with these children. I know that if we spend some time with the children we can multiply the impact on their life. I am always inspired by them.

Watch the children play and Get Inspired !!!

TT sessions at Jayanagar, III rd block on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. To attend the sessions or for more details, contact me @ 99800 21984

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future" ~ John F. Kennedy

Bobbymon George, Program Coordinator
Dream A Dream
www.dreamadream.org

Water... Paper.. Color.. Glue.. Dreams !!!

2008-03-01T13:17:00.000+05:30

A Volunteer with Dream A Dream's Creative Arts program - Sundeep Mylarapu shares his experiences.

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The moment you hear Dream – A – Dream it invokes a certain thought in my mind (if I have oneJ), it is the common attribute each and every individual of world possess. But “Dreaming” and “To Pursue a Dream” are poles apart. The bridges that can connect these two poles are Self Esteem, Determination and Goal to give back certain asset to society. This is what Dream – A – Dream is all about for me.

It’s a great feeling to volunteer the Creative Arts; it has given me the vital experience to know children more and at the same time I learned a lot too. My comfort zone in arts is mainly music, dance and theatre but working with Sarah (Volunteer) made me open up in drawing and painting as well. Her ideas were very innovative and she used to plan her sessions well. She was very interactive and used to answer all my queries. It is important to mention about Holly and Prasad (Volunteers), the involvement of Holly and enthusiasm of Prasad really excites me.

My experience with children was awesome. Ananya, Vishwas, Sukrupa and Makkala Jagriti all were great experiences. Knowing children and tackling them was real fun and joy. An important point that I would like to mention is something that I learnt and felt- “All children are the same and should be treated in similar way”. They might be from any background but they all have the same innocence and curiosity. Their antics and gestures are similar. We should never make children feel that they are left out. Accept every child the same way and we must be a positive force behind them so that they become the future of India and this world.

My final say to Dream – A – Dream team is “Cheers for your good work J” and best wishes for the road ahead.

To bring colours into the life of more children, be a part of the Creative Arts Sessions. For more details, Contact Kiran @ 99453 81030

----------------------------------------------

With Colorful Dreams and Heartfelt Thanks to Sundeep

Namrata Agarwal,
Volunteer Manager

We are looking for Program Co-ordinators

2008-02-07T16:02:00.001+05:30

Ready to take on the challenge ?? Be a Social Change Agent and at the same time experience a dynamic, professional and highly challenging environment at a unique organization that works with under-privileged children.

Role: Programme Coordinator

Dream A Dream Overview

Dream A Dream was started in November 1999 by a group of 12 young people. Dream A Dream today is a professionally run, registered not-for-profit trust working with over 500 children coming from vulnerable backgrounds such as children from the streets / slum communities, runaway children and orphans among others.

"Empowering children from vulnerable backgrounds by developing life skills and at the same time sensitizing the community through active volunteering, leading to a non-discriminatory society where unique differences are appreciated", is the vision of Dream A Dream

We hope to achieve this by providing sustained life skill development programs to children through exposure to sports, outdoor camps, creative arts, civic awareness, life skills, mentoring, computer training programs and theatre among others. Secondly, creating a strong community participation model through volunteer-based programmes leading to empowerment and sensitization about children's issues among the community. Today, this has developed into a full-fledged program including over 600 volunteers.

Job Description

General

ª Oversee the implementation of specific programmes on a weekly basis

ª Coordinate closely with NGO Partner Centres regarding the availability of children, venues, sessions, cancellations and ad hoc programmes

ª Maintain relationships with partner NGO's through regular meetings and email and phone contact.

ª Source and utilise a database of resource people / professional experts for designing and executing programmes for Dream A Dream

ª Maintain a database for the participation record of children in your programmes

ª Maintain a profile of all the children in your programmes and update their progress at regular intervals

ª Ensure all life skill assessment data is collected and recorded for your programmes and participate in the analysing of the data

ª Complete financial accounts related to your programmes budget, expenditure and running costs.

ª Maintain a log of all cancelled sessions, or volunteer absences and reasons for such.

ª Liaise with Corporate employees in the designing, setting up, and implementation of new programmes or one off programmes.

ª Send written reports to partner organisations on a regular basis including session reports, volunteer feedback, minutes of meetings and programme itineraries when required

ª Write quarterly reports and external reports to partners in a timely manner, keeping within deadlines set

ª Assist in the designing and implementation of new programmes

ª Attend programme sessions on a regular basis to review and monitor their execution

Volunteer Management

ª Coordinate with volunteers on the programmes to ensure regularity of participation and feedback, and to ensure reports are duly handed in and assessments recorded.

ª Recruit, Engage, Communicate, Motivate, appreciate and provide incentives for volunteers on your programmes

ª Maintain a database for the participation record of volunteers in your programmes.

Logistics

ª Arrange all logistical efforts related to your programmes including transport of children and volunteers, purchasing of snacks, organising materials, booking external agents to conduct sessions, ensuring photographs are taken and that session reports are written and relevant data is recorded.

Team Role

ª Attend all team meetings, team outings and team building exercises

ª Understand the strategic goals of the organisation and understand your role in working towards achieving them

ª Complete additional tasks set by your Line Manager or the Director

ª Attend trainings and workshops on an ad hoc basis

ª Ensure a professional attitude and approach to your work at all times

ª Coordinate with other members in the team to ensure smooth and efficient running of your programmes with regards to volunteer involvement, finances and fundraising.

ª Participate with the team in the annual planning for the organisation on a yearly basis

Skills sets

Essential Skills

ª Strong written and spoken English communication skills

ª Excellent planning and organization skills

ª Good computer based data management skills

ª Competent Internet skills and computer literate

ª Volunteer management skills

ª Creativity, Innovation and Initiative driven

ª Reporting writing

ª Basic accounting skills

ª Academic Background Graduate

Preferable Skills

ª Kannada conversational

ª Background of working with children

If the job-role excites you, drop in a mail with your resume to hayley.dreamadream@gmail.com. Do check out our website at www.dreamadream.org

Note: The person should be based in Bangalore or willing to move down to Bangalore

2008-01-30T15:16:00.000+05:30

On 20th January 2008, a very special group of 60 people wearing sporty and colourful headgear, the trademark Dream A Dream yellow T-shirts stepped into Azad Maidan to participate in the 5th edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and to “RUN FOR A DREAM”

It was a memorable day for Dream A Dream as we had the largest contingent ever participating in the Mumbai Marathon including children from Makkala Jagriti and Vishwas, Our Partner NGOs and ofcourse, our very special volunteers. It was also special as Dream A Dream raised over Rs. 14 L from the Mumbai Marathon, the largest that we have ever raised from any single event. This was possible due to the immense efforts put in by the staff and volunteers to raise invaluable funds for Dream A Dream. Each contribution was special, each rupee raised was special and each email appeal sent by a volunteer helped us reach this stupendous target.

Each of the people – kids, staff and volunteers receive a standing ovation and a dreamy salute for the efforts to make this event a huge success for us.

A special thank you to Holly and Sarah who spent many nights cutting out and making the superbly beautiful and eye-catching head-gear for the Marathon. Thank you to “The Other Design Studio” for designing the beautiful headgear (see photograph). Naheed and Pooja for been absolute rockstars and organizing logistics in Mumbai for all of us. Ofcourse, all the special people who ran and/or pledged their support for Dream A Dream and expressed the solidarity and support to a cause that has grown to become very close to our hearts.

There were a few who challenged themselves and walked the extra mile. Mr and Mrs. Chandramouli, Abhijeet Mehta, Yolanda, Ajay Sampath, Surekha Rao, Vikranth and myself who attempted and successfully completed the 21-km. Bhasker Sharma decided to do the 42-km Full-Marathon and completed it.

There were yet others who challenged themselves in other ways and also achieved success. 8 People - Ekta Hattangady, Abhijeet Mehta, Ajay Sampath, Ajay Raghavan, Bhasker Sharma, Amrita Bhashyam, Namrata Agarwal, and myself who raised over Rs. 50,000/- each and together raised over Rs. 11 Lakhs to help Dream A Dream reach its target.

As the day ended and the children and volunteers were packed off on a train, I looked at the glorious sun setting on the Mumbai horizon and the idea was already brewing in my head. Could we possibly bring a 100 people next year and could be look to raise over Rs. 25 Lakh from the Mumbai Marathon next year. Could we make it and the most fun Fundraising campaign for Dream A Dream ever? A happy smile crossed my face and a new dream had emerged!!! I was itching to get back to work.

So, would you be interested in being part of one of the most successful and fun event at Dream A Dream in the year 2009? Would you want to “RUN FOR A DREAM”? Would you want to impact a little life? If yes, write to me NOW.

Dream A Dream is after all made with dreams and the fulfillment of those dreams.

Vishal Talreja
Director | Ashoka Fellow
Dream A Dream

SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO RAN AND RAISED PLEDGES

Neetu Rawat
Namrata Agarwal
Bhawna Rao
Vishal Talreja
Aravind Nagaraj
Vijaykumar K S
Hayley Nicholls
Ajay Sampath
Vikranth P M
Chandramouli
Mrs. Chandramouli
Amrita Bhashyam
Kiran M Rao
Bobbymon George
Sunil kumar
Bhasker Sharma
Abhijeet Mehta
Ekta Hattangady
Vikram Balakrishna
Bert Cherian
Hamsakumar
Yolanda Kaarsemaker
Naheed Jumani
Holly Smith
Prem Kishore
Sandeep
Chand Pasha
Micheal
Prema
Keerthi
Himabindu
Pavithra
Eshwari
Shilpa Mogilshetty
Ajay Raghavan
Manisha Vinod
Noorein
Maher
Manoj Kochar
Prashanth Sharma
Ramanujam Pobbisetty
Stuart
Manjula
Ansar
Daniel
Murali R
Prabhu D
Bharat K
Naveen K
Durga
Ismail
Amit Tandon
Pooja Warier
Richard Alderson
Puneet
Nayana
Veresh
Megachandra
Monica
Sarvesh Holla
Fiona Pearson
Dinesh
Surekha Rao
Swagata Basak
Sandeep Kashyap

Udaan Life Skills Program - Calling Volunteers

2008-01-29T12:18:00.000+05:30

Be a part of the unique life skill program.

The Udaan lifeskills program improves life skills amongst the youth via really interesting activities that focus on a particular topic each week (eg: Self Esteem, Responsibility). The activities, the message, the fun is all conducted by YOU.. Volunteers !!

Dream A Dream is conducting a training for the program so that you all will be well equipped to run this really enriching program!!

The details of the training program are given below:

Feb 2nd-- 10:00am to 4:00 pm (saturday)
Feb 3rd-- 10:00am to 4:00 pm (sunday)

Feb 9th-- 10:00am to 4:00 pm (saturday)
Feb 10th-- 10:00am to 4:00 pm (sunday)

Venue: BOSCO Mane, Chamrajpet.

Please do reply to this mail confirming your participation.

If there are any other queries do feel free to mail: amrita.bhashyam@gmail.com or me at agarwal.dream@gmail.com

2008-01-27T20:13:00.000+05:30

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH

JANUARY 2008

NITISH BANDI

Fun loving, full of energy and dedicated to volunteering - yes, we are talking about a volunteer who has been with Dream A Dream for over two years now.

It gives great joy in presenting to you the volunteer of this month- NITISH BANDI

Nitish began volunteering with Dream A Dream in early 2005 and has been actively involved in programs like the Monsoon Miracles, Sports days, Summer Camps, The Adventure camps and many Dream Fundays.

He has played an active role as a member of the Volunteer Management Team (VMT) at Dream A Dream and has also been the VMT coordinator from April 2006 to March 2007.

His simplicity and passion to work with children has been a real inspiration to many of us. A true team leader and motivator who knows how to get his team working, Nitish has been a charm to work with On many occasions.

We wish him all the luck in life and this is a small token of acknowledgement from Dream A Dream for the fantastic work he has done so far and continues to do.

Here are Nitish's thoughts on Dream A Dream, his experiences so far and his motivations for volunteering…

I have initially approached Dream-a-Dream as any other organization and the way my association grew with the organization means a lot. The receptiveness of the organization and the people in it are something that separates this organization. Also, the concept of Dream-a-Dream is unique and appeals well to the volunteer centric focus of the organization. I would never hesitate in saying that my expectations from the organization have been exceeded by it.

There are many experiences which have inspired me in this journey. It is not only the experiences which keep you going, but also it's the people, the concept and your belief in it that you can achieve something. The children also act as an inspiration with their innocent smile and enthusiasm to learn. I can only summarize this experience in one phrase as "You have to be there to experience it"

The quantum of affect volunteering has had on me is immense. It has taught me to be more patient and look forward to the positives of life. Working with children and observing their affability and flexibility helps you improve as an individual. As a volunteer you tend to meet people from different tracks of life and also come across situations which act as learning epitomes.

Children at the creative best with Sonali

2008-01-27T19:58:00.000+05:30

Sunday, January 27, 2008

I am really happy to tell you that the collage activity with the Round Table School at Madiwala went very well. The children are extremely enthusiastic, the staff is supportive and the volunteers achieved the balance of being helpful and encouraging without overwhelming the children with ideas.

We started the activity early, at ten thirty a.m., as we had reached and the children were eagerly waiting.

I explained the activity in English, how they would have to make a story and arrange the pictures as a collage. The children worked in pairs. They discussed for about an hour, making their stories and putting their ideas together. They then asked for extra sheets as required and stuck the pictures as a collage. They were given sketch pens, crayons and cloth to decorate with. We cleaned up and collected back extra pictures, crayons and other materials. After that they presented their stories. They have some creative ideas – they spoke of cricket, of actors and actresses, of themes like family life, pollution and afforestation. Most of the children agreed to come and present quickly, a few hesitant ones stepped up after some encouragement. What I noted was that most of them had written down more than they read out.

As the activity went well, I left extra materials with this group (of fifty three seventh standard students). They now have to teach the Std. VI children how to do collage work. This is the first time I am leaving pictures with one group of children to carry forward an activity with another group, I hope they do a good job of it. The principal says they can give the two classes, Std. VI and VII, an hour and a half together on a Friday, for this activity.

The Dream A Dream volunteers asked for suggestions for future activities and the children suggested painting, drawing, embroidery and writing.

The volunteers distributed the snack. We wound up at 12.40 PM or so. I was glad we had started early as we could have the margin to let the children be creative and to get the hesitant ones to speak up. Even though we took only ten minutes extra finally, having half and hour extra made it a relaxed, more enriching activity.

Thanks for the great opportunity.

Sonali Bhatia
Facilitator, Collage Activity

Art, Art and more Dream Art with Holly Smith

2007-12-18T14:52:00.001+05:30

My name is Holly Smith, I’m an international volunteer from England and have been here conducting the Dream CreativeArt Program since the start of October 2007. This is the first time I’ve lived away from home and have so far found it both challenging and rewarding. I feel really pleased that I was allocated a placement at Dream a Dream through the Gap year organization – Gap Guru. From the staff team to each and every child, I’ve been made to feel very welcome which has given me the confidence I’ve needed. The staffs at Dream a Dream have helped me to settle into life within the community in Bangalore, they are always on hand to explain Indian cultural differences and have introduced me to a variety of South Indian food.

Whilst I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most creative of people the support I’ve been given from the team, especially Kiran, has enabled be to carry out really fun and enjoyable sessions for both myself and the children. Some of the sessions I have organized have involved trips to local markets to source resources needed. These trips have been an experience in themselves, trying to find the correct shop for coloured tissue paper or beads amongst the tiny overcrowded streets is difficult task!

All of the international volunteers at Dream a Dream are made to feel like part of the team from day one. Fun team building exercises have become part of the weekly routine. These help us all to become a stronger, more involved team.

The time I get to spend with the children is consistently the highlight of my day. Its hard work but thoroughly enjoyable. The children’s lives are so different from children in England, I find myself actually learning lots of things about life in India from the children. I am impressed by the level of some of the children’s English skills. During my time so far at Dream a Dream I have noticed an improvement in other children’s English too, ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ are now common place in the creative arts sessions. Traveling to sessions at Ananya has been made easier by a friendly rickshaw driver, who spends his time playing cricket with the children while waiting for us, the children look forward to seeing him too!

Using my digital camera I was able to photograph the children at Vishwas and have them developed, so that the children could make photograph frames. The children displayed their photographs in the main living area, so they could all enjoy them. This was my favourite task so far, I felt I had left something with the children that they really appreciated and could look back in future years. A wide variety of materials were used to make the frames; paint, foam, glitter, lollypop sticks, coloured pens and much more, although it was one of the more messy sessions, all of children seemed to thoroughly enjoy the session and the older children even asked if we could repeat the session with them as well.

A Venetian mask session at Sukrupa was also very successful, using brightly coloured feathers sent from the UK, glittery paper and sequins, the children created very beautiful individual masks. They then proudly left the session wearing their masks. During one trip to Sukrupa we were lucky enough to get to watch a rehearsal for their nativity play. This brought Christmas cheer to us all, so far away from our friends and family at this festive time of the year. Christmas cards are the order of the day in this week’s sessions; the children are very content with drawing and making up pictures for their cards.

I would love to have some volunteers to come and visit these sessions to see the wonderful work done by children and also to encourage them. If you are interested in joining the sessions, do mail me at hollsmail@aol.co.uk

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Holly Smith
International Volunteer
Dream Creative Art Program

Bhasker Runs For A Dream

2007-12-18T13:58:00.000+05:30

We are delighted to inform you that one of Dream A Dream’s volunteers participated in the first-ever Bangalore Ultra Marathon that was held on Sunday, 16th December 2007. Bhasker Sharma completed his first 52K run yesterday in 5 hrs 51 minutes - finishing 2nd in the senior category (45Y+). The guy who came 1st was an American who also finished 1st overall - in 4hrs 24 minutes!!

Dream A Dream was the official charity that was supported through the Bangalore Ultra Marathon organized by Runners for Life and over 40 runners committed to run and raise pledges for Dream A Dream.

According to Bhasker, “It was the finishing that was important not the placing - as I am running purely for self satisfaction and the high that I get on running long distances!! I look at (distance) running as a metaphor for life - you set milestones, try your best to succeed, there are ups and downs, pain, fatigue and disappointment along the way.”

Bhasker would be more than willing to talk to anyone interested in running and you can reach him at bhskr@yahoo.com

Bhasker was also able to raise Rs. 32,000 so far for Dream A Dream and is continuing his efforts to raise funds as he will also be participating in the Full Marathon at Mumbai on January 20th 2008 and hopes to exceed his target of Rs. 60,000/- over the next few weeks. You can help him reach his target by pledging for him at http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/DreamerBhasker or mail him for more details.

We at Dream A Dream are proud of Bhasker for his achievement, commitment and determination and thank him for his support to Dream A Dream. Wishing him all the very best for the Mumbai Marathon.

Happy Dreaming and Running :)

Vishal Talreja
Director Ashoka Fellow
Dream A Dream

Are you living your life with Inspiration and Passion

2007-12-18T13:55:00.000+05:30

I woke up one fine morning and rather than the usual hurried rush to office, I just sat in bed wondering, What have I done? A sudden wave of panic struck me, For it finally dawned on me that I couldn't go to the office I had been going for the last three and a half years. I had quit my job because I wanted to do something different.

I looked at my appointment letter from Dream a Dream and wondered what life had in store for me। I still don't know how I landed a job with them. ITES to NGO, something must be wrong with me. I got out with a million questions running through my head – How would the team be? Will I able to work in small office? Do they have systems and processes? I don't know anything about the sector; will I be able to contribute?

That was the start of my first day at Dream a Dream, As I stand today, 5 months later from that day, I only find it amusing. In the last 5 months, working with Dream a Dream has given me a lot more than I could ever imagine.

I learn a lot from the staff at Dream a Dream, Each one is special and unique। Like all of us, each one has troubles in their personal lives, yet they all come to work smiling. They treat their work as their creation and something that they want to nurture. Monetary incentive is not why people work here, because if they want they can earn much more some place else, and they all know that. Yet, they slog day and night, not thinking of how many extra hours they have put in. They may not have degrees from top universities, but they are all sincere.

They and I get our inspiration from our children, The smiles we see, the change we see, the success we see… we don't know how much of a child's development we are involved in॥ but we all work hoping that somewhere we have triggered something positive।

To work on this hope is not easy… it is possible only when there is Passion and Inspiration.

Passion for every day work. Where work is a way to reach one's heart and not just to sustain a living. Inspiration from the people around। The NGO sector is not blessed with many "professional" people but it is filled with people who have done what their hearts told them to. Each one has a story to tell. Some stories give me goose bumps. Some stories bring tears in my eyes. But all stories leave me humbled and inspired. Professionalism can be taught. Passion cant.

Passion and Inspiration. Aren't these the 2 things around which human life should revolve? Ask yourself – Do you get up everyday passionate about what lies ahead and inspired to live the day?

If not, are you living life???

Namrata Agarwal
Volunteer Manager
Dream a Dream

Director's Note: New Developments at Dream A Dream

2007-12-17T12:32:00.000+05:30

The last few months have been extremely exciting at Dream A Dream and I just thought that as stakeholders it would be wonderful for you to hear all the exciting things happening at Dream A Dream.

Strategic Planning : In 2006-07, Dream A Dream conducted an extensive Strategic Review of the organization and came up with a new Vision Statement, Organization Structure and Strategic Goals with support from volunteers, board members and Institute for Leadership and Institutional Development (ILID), who facilitated the entire exercise. A lot of work happened but it was too overwhelming for us to continue to keep the momentum going. Last month, we had a senior business head from a company in UK spend a month with us helping us take the strategic goals forward and convert them into Strategic Plans for the next 3 years. It was a break-through assignment for the team at Dream A Dream and we have now come up with a single page-strategic plan for Dream A Dream that will drive all activities for the next 3-years. You can see it in the attached document.

A World Class Team : Over the last year, Dream A Dream has been on an over-drive to recruit top-class people and add to the already highly committed and excellent team at Dream A Dream. Today, we have a full-fledged, highly qualified, passionate and committed team that is working day-and-night to ensure the smooth functioning of each program, to ensure volunteers are constantly motivated and engaged and to ensure we continue to be a transparent, accountable organization. Over 11 full-part and part-time people work at Dream A Dream today fulfilling hundreds and thousands of Dreams and at anytime we have atleast 4 full-time international volunteers supporting our activities. The team today makes me very proud and confident that this team will take Dream A Dream to newer heights and help impact the lives of thousands of children and volunteers. Go to the About Us section of www.dreamadream.org to read more about the team.

CII Quality Summit - Dream A Dream was invited to present its work at the prestigious CII Annual Quality Summit held in Bangalore. The topic was “Passion to Professionalism” about how socially relevant organizations are not just about passion but also about a professional approach to change the world. Over 600 Business Heads and Managers attended the event and absolutely loved Dream A Dream and our work. They were very appreciative of our efforts and came forward to offer their support in anyway they could. It gave tremendous visibility and branding to Dream A Dream as also creating more awareness about our work amongst the corporate sector

Annual National HRD Conference – Subsequently, Dream A Dream was invited to present its work at the Annual National HRD Conference held in Kolkata for over 600 HR Heads and Managers of companies across India. The theme of the conference was “India’s Century – The challenges ahead for the Indian Business Leadership”. The list of speakers included Sri APJ Abdul Kalam, Nandan Nilekani, KV Kamath amongst others. It was a very high profile event hosted by ITC Ltd and I was lucky enough to present Dream A Dream to this august audience. Again, the response to our work, commitment, passion and achievements was phenomenal. The response can be judged with the fact that they had to extend the session on social entrepreneurship by another 30-mins because of the positive response from the audience. The NHRD Network also gave a beautiful citation to Dream A Dream and a donation of Rs. 1,00,000/-. I carry back with me over 50 visiting cards of companies that I need to follow-up with now J

India NGO Award – Resource Alliance and Jeet Khemka Foundation have instituted an annual award to recognize an Indian NGO for its unique intervention model, governance, resource mobilization strategy, volunteer management strategy and credibility in the sector. This year, Dream A Dream applied for this award and we have been short-listed for the second stage of the award. We have sent across our response to Stage 2 of the application process and are keeping our fingers crossed to see if we move forward in this process.

Changemakers Sports for Good Award – Dream A Dream is among over 175 organizations that has applied for a global Sports for Good Award for our Dream Hockey Program. Dream a Dream is proud to announce that our work has been highlighted in an international online competition as a leading example of best practice in how sports can build a better world. Ashoka's Changemakers.net (www.changemakers.net), in partnership with Nike (www.Nike.com), has featured us as one among 16 foremost organizations around the globe that is effecting social change using the medium of sports. The collaborative competition, Sport for a Better World, seeks leading innovations that use sports to improve community, accelerate development, and drive social change. For more information, and to read our profile, click on http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/728/mosaic#talreja

UnLtd UK Learning Journey – From 24th Nov to 28th Nov, 20 Social Entrepreneurs and Business Managers from UK descended onto Bangalore to visit and learn about the social sector. This was part of the Annual Learning Journey organized by UnLtd UK, a start-up venture fund investing in social ventures in UK and India. The Learning Journey in Bangalore was hosted by Dream A Dream whereby they spent a day interacting with children from our partner NGO, BOSCO Sumanahalli and also visited other organizations such as MAYA Organic, Unnati and Enable India. Dream A Dream also hosted an interactive evening between the UK Visitors and Bangalore based Social Entrepreneurs which was an high-energy evening of interactions, inspiration and collaborations. It also helped Dream A Dream build tremendous credibility amongst our partners and other NGOs across Bangalore.

Launch of Ashoka Support Network in India – Ashoka launched its “Ashoka Support Network” forum in India recently which aims at engaging High-Networth Individuals to become investors in Ashoka and Mentor Ashoka Fellows in India. The launch was held at the Mindtree office and the invitees included over 18 High-Network Individuals including Subroto Bagchi, Sridhar Mitta, Parathsarathy, BMP Commissioner Jairaj and a host of other prominent people from around Bangalore. Dream A Dream was invited by Ashoka to present our work to this august audience as Ashoka believed that Dream A Dream was a good show case of what Ashoka believes in and invests in globally. It was indeed a proud moment for Dream A Dream to be present at this forum.

All I can say is that the ball is rolling, Dream A Dream is slowly and steadily moving into the big league and all this has been possible due to the efforts put in by the superb team within Dream A Dream, over hundreds of volunteers, supporters, partner NGOs and well-wishers and a very professional board.

Thank you all and let’s keep the dream going !!!

Warm regards,

Vishal Talreja
Director | Ashoka Fellow
Dream A Dream

Support Dream A Dream - Watch "The Ungrateful Man"

2007-08-09T17:28:00.000+05:30

Volunteer for the Nortel LearnIT Program

2007-06-26T22:53:00.000+05:30

Hey Dreamers,

Hope those of you who attended the Dream Celebrations had got the pulse of different programs @ Dream A Dream. Those who couldn't there is always a window of opportunity to know what's happening @ D-A-D. I believe the response to the volunteer appeal mail for the Nortel IT Program has been disheartening. So i thought why not share few experiences on the Dream Computer program and rope in some more volunteers for the program. I have been Part of this program over the last couple of years and its been a great feeling working with the children and the volunteers. Recently when i visited Ananya , 2 kids who passed the "Word Processing" exam walked up to me and said "Uncle its only you who made pass the exam through the computer program u teached us" . Though grammatically the sentence might be wrong but i got the essence and was elated that my efforts were recognized by none other than the children themselves. Though want to share some more thoughts which are more or less have been reflected in the experiences shared by our friends who contributed to the program in the last academic year......

Vikram Balakrishna Says –"There were really moments that moved me when the children took a big leap and expressed their desire to stay up and gain the complete knowledge of what we had planned for during the following weeks. Also, I was amazed by the inquisitive nature of so many children which led them to ask us many advanced concepts for which we wouldn't be prepared and had to handle on the fly. I am sure that this is just a beginning and as we take it a step further as we go along and can really bring about a change."

Vishal Augustine says "I always wanted to contribute non-monetarily for a social cause. Getting involved in the DaD Computer Programme fulfilled my wish. The cheers that I could bring in the kids' faces rewarded me more than I had expected. When I learn that my activity did help the kids in many ways, a smile of satisfaction spreads on my face. With this activity I have grown as a more mature person. And that came as a bonus that I had not thought of."

Bankim Says "I had an experience of teaching engineers but getting into teaching the children is entirely different feeling and an exciting job, during training with Dr. Rao and Dr.Shashi I came to know about the kid's behavior, understanding and teaching them computer in a very informal manner.I never had the realm that these kids whom we thought are not into mainstream can do the same things if given a chance. I understand that they possess tremendous potential and intellectuals in them. Just need an eye to understand there talent and hands to help them to bring them into the society where they could be able to find there own destiny with the qualities which we could provide them. We not only trying to make them self sufficient but also provide them a confidence that they are not demoted part of society and they could live the same normal and prestigious life as the privilege guys have. It's more than an institute and teaching where you get good friends, meets great people and understanding your inner call towards your liability to society. Personally, it makes me more sensitive towards the underprivileged kids.

Tanu Says "My experience has been more about learning than teaching. Maybe, I have taught someone about how to switch on/off a computer but from the kids I learnt the art of acceptance, language no bar which I don't think is a part of the curriculum of any school. Being not familiar with kannada was my biggest challenge only until I had met the young minds. Sharing or editing a document is just a click but teaching your team member to move the mouse as easily, not moving to the next topic unless your team member is comfortable is team work. Inserting an image on a word document is one time activity but learning how to do it forever is a skill, I feel great to be a part of such a team who not only has the independence to design their session but also gives desired attention to details and ensures that the target is met. My most memorable day so far was to watch the children make presentations of their projects which they had made using all possible skills they learnt so far. In fact it leaves me speechless even today."

Aawardhan - "Computer program has always been fun, that's why any one who comes once becomes a regular volunteer. Core team sees to that every volunteer is given enough responsibility and importance, which is one of the key features to the success of the program. I look forward to participate in more computer programs to come. Result from "Ananya" shows that we are decent teachers and we are on the right track."

My personal appeal to all of you would be to sign up for the "Nortel Learn IT Program" and believe me it will be one of those rare experiences of your life.

Waiting for More Dreamers to signup for the program.

Yours
Vijay Kumar Yenne
Volunteer Coordinator

120 Minutes!!!! ~ Pritesh

2005-12-04T13:50:00.000+05:30

Its not just a description of 120 minutes. Its about those 120 minutes which gave me confidence that I can fulfil my dreams.

Saturday we had our first session of Dream Computer Program. Two weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon, 7 dreamers met,under guidance of Mr. Rajkumar and shashank, and decided to take a big challenge of giving 10 kids from Makkala Jagruti knowledge about computers. We had one clear idea that we are not going to make these kids Computer experts( which we anyway cant do in 6 sessions).But one thing we were sure of that we 'll make these kids aware about computers. Two sessions of planning, thinking about all possible ways and methods to make our teaching more effective. Some agreements, some disagreements, some nice words from experience of Mr. Rajkumar, Girish and Shashank, and to add to it, enthusiasm from everyone. We seemed ready for the D day.

Come Saturday. We meet at the venue(our classroom, but I say more like our playground) Kaps office. We come to know that these 10 kids are actually going for formal education and are from class group 6th to 8th. All we could think of that today we'll be really short of contents and all our plannings is going to be a waste. Still we hold on to our nerves and kick start the session. 10 little minds( 5 girls and 5 boys) are our target. We 've to make them believe in power of computers.

Because of some confusion on MK side session starts 15 minutes late. But nothing was going to affect us. Some of us( or at least me) 've done preparation which we never did for our presentation in our work also( believe me I was so nervous before the session). Session started with introduction by this little kids, their likes, dislikes. They seem to be really enthusiastic bunch of kids. We start as per plan. I ask my first question "What is computer?" and to my amazement I get an answer "Computer is an electronic device". Next question "Can you point out computer in this room?" And everyone points to the nearest computer. That's good. Next we explain them about usage. One of the kids told us about saving documents using computer. One girl told us about ticket reservation also. Games and music you can expect from anyone.

Then we explained them about computer parts and their usage. then turning on computer and using mouse. they played some games and then finally turning off computers. 120 minutes were over so fast.

These kids are really fast learners. They just need some help and guidance. I am so happy that I could do my bit for them.

After they left for their home, we had small discussion over days events. My impression was "It was very chaotic and we need more preparation. But I could teach them what i had planned to." I faced some language problem ( I don't know Kannada, hope Krishna comes to my rescue with his workshop). But I was in a wonderful team. I dint need to tell anyone to help me out. All just did what made it so ease of a task for me. Others found it was good and effective. Shashank and Girish thought it was really less chaotic than previous sessions. I am really relaxed to hear that.

At the end of day, I can boast of one wonderful session. Thanks to the great team and our wonderful facilitators. Mr. Rajkumar, Girish and everyone at Kaps are really a big help. Shashank for his support( though he was not well yesterday and had come wearing two jackets) I know now that even I can teach kids.Thanks D-a-D.

Pritesh Jain, Volunteer, Dream Computer Programme @ Dream A Dream

The Caterpillar & The Butterfly Performance

2005-10-19T00:12:00.000+05:30

A big hi from Pritesh.This time no movies :-) ITS THE TIME TO DISCO. Yes i am here sharing my experiences of the dance performance on Saturday 15th OCT.

A day of fun, day of happiness, day of meeting many new faces, day of meeting many old faces. Most importantly It was a day of cheering those little ( and big) kids from Freedom Foundation. It was the first time i met those kids, but believe me It was like meeting old friends. All of them wanted to share their joy with me, all of them wanted to share their pain. they were so excitede about the event that before the event it was really difficutto handle them and make them relaxed.( all the people backstage must have tough but really good time with those kids). They practiced with their heart, again and again till just before the events. The event itself was really amazing. The response and attendance was real good. I met lots of Dreamers their. everybody just enjoyed the performance.

Brinda and Supreeta did an amazing job. I congratulate to them. Really nice work. Nice music. I thank and congratulate all others who were involved with this project in one way or other. Dream a Dream just ROCKS.

-Pritesh

About Us....

2005-09-20T16:52:00.000+05:30

In 1999, a group of young Bangaloreans thought up a lofty but impressive initiative to reach out to children in Bangalore’s vulnerable communities. Vishal Talreja, a co-founder and current managing trustee describes the initial fervor the young group felt. “We didn’t know how far we would take Dream A Dream,” he said, “but what we did know was that our lives would never be the same again and we would greatly impact the lives of a few children.”

Today that dream has come a long, long way. Dream A Dream reaches out to over 350 children in the Bangalore area, providing a variety of programs ranging from drama, to sports, to cinema to outdoor camps.

The Dream A Dream concept is a simple one. The young founders of the organization realized that above and beyond fulfilling the basic needs of food, shelter and academic education for a child, it is important to empower children, and enrich their lives with life-skills development programmes through exposure to extra-curricular activities. Filling this void in the lives of under-privileged children, Dream A Dream believes, is the key to integrating the underprivileged with the mainstream. Dream A Dream achieves this by partnering with the local NGOs that fulfill basic needs, and with the mainstream community that has resources, time and energy to offer to the children.

The Dream Sports Program is one such example. In June 2003, Dream A Dream teamed up with former international TT player Vasanth Bharadwaj’s Winner Choice TT Academy to offer Table Tennis to 30 children. Soon after, Dream A Dream initiated a Hockey Program in association with Dhanraj Ballal Hockey Academy spearheaded by Arjuna Awardee Ashish Ballal. Today, both programs continue to thrive as the children play in tournaments and competitions. Dream A Dream has also tied up with The Adventurers (A Wilderness School) and designed the Dream Outdoor Program. In conjunction with Hippocampus and Akshara Foundation, Dream A Dream implements a reading program at three government schools. KAPS IT Solutions offers its facilities for the Dream Computer Programme. Volunteers from GE run the Spoken English Programme and a host of other individuals and corporates who come forward to support in a variety of ways.

On the flip side, Dream A Dream impacts the mainstream community in a positive manner by sensitizing and involving individuals to become active agents of social change through an active and innovative volunteer programme. Thus the model leads to an empowered future for all. Volunteer Shuchi Mehta attests to what Dream A Dream has done for her, “Dream A Dream takes credit for instilling in me values likes hope, faith and loving without any biases or discrimination. I learnt to dream.”

The fundamental idea of the young founders of Dream A Dream was to work with children and utilize the powerful passion and energy of youth to help children achieve their dreams. Today a registered charitable trust, Dream A Dream works with over 350 children from diverse backgrounds including street and slum children, orphan children and HIV/AIDS positive children.

Dream A Dream welcomes and encourages more people from the community, corporates and philanthropic groups to come forward and support the initiative by volunteering one’s time, talent and skills; by making monetary contributions to support our activities or to just say ‘HELLO’ to the children at Dream A Dream.