Saturday, April 10, 2010

Project FOOTPRINTS - Event Report

AIESEC in Pune witnessed its largest and most memorable Learning event and Field Trip over the past weekend.  The event was organized by the development sector in coordination with Naomi, a Swedish intern from AIESEC in Pune who has been working for the Youth League Recreation Centre (YLRC), a residential school  situated in Buldhana, a district in Mahahrashtra , approximately 425 km away from Pune. She has been working for this organization for the past 6 months .This field trip gave an opportunity for 21 underprivileged boys from YLRC to come down to Pune to experience an unforgettable educational trip.



DAY 1
AGENDA
 
- Visit to the Katraj Zoo
- Visit to Aga Khan Palace
- Visit to Chokhi Dhani Cultural Centre



The boys accompanied by Naomi arrived in Pune at around 6:00am on Friday, the 19th of March in two jeeps which would also be transporting them around the city for the next two days. Arrangements had been made by AIESEC in Pune for them to reside in the Club House of a housing society in Aundh, Pune. Refreshed after catching up on a few more hours of sleep, the boys along with a few AIESECers and Naomi paid a visit to the Katraj Zoo. They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon observing the animals there.
Following that, at 3:00pm, the boys reached Aga Khan Palace, the place where Mahatma Gandhi was kept under house arrest in the 1940’s. Aga Khan Palace also holds the memorials of Gandhiji’s wife, Kasturba Gandhi and his secretary, Mahadev Desai who died while under house arrest in this very palace. On arrival at the palace, they were provided with lunch. This was followed by a motivational lecture which took place on the sprawling lawns of the palace by a Pune based teacher, Mrs. Vibha Singh who encouraged them to fulfill their dreams and presented to them the limitless career options which lay in store for them. Next the boys were taken to the museum inside the palace where they viewed the extensive collection of pictures and items from important incidents in Gandhiji’s life including many of his personal items.  They took keen interest in this as they were aware of the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his involvement in India’s Freedom struggle.
Subsequently, in the evening, the boys were taken to Chokhi Dhani, an ethnic Rajasthani village themed resort. All meals and activities in the resort were sponsored by Choki Dhani itself. It was here that they came to learn of a whole new ethnicity and background apart from the one that they knew of and lived in Buldhana.  They got to experience Rajasthani food, snacks, drinks, music, dances, puppet shows, rituals and traditions. The boys participated in all the activities that they could, pulling Naomi along with them from Ferris wheel to the other rides, and magic shows to getting temporary tattoos. They also played in the huge park there. After working out an appetite, they had a filling, unlimited Rajasthani meal. Full and thoroughly exhausted after their first day in the city, the boys returned to the club house for the night. The first day of the learning event was exceptionally successful, for both the children and the AIESECers as they got a glimpse into each other’s worlds and a learnt plenty in just a day. The boys had the best learning experience and simultaneously enjoyed themselves.


DAY 2
AGENDA
 
- Visit to the Pune Blind School
- Visit to a mall
- Movie screening - 3 Idiots


The next day started at 9:00 am with breakfast at the club house. The boys were then treated by Naomi to their first burgers, French fries and coke from McDonald’s. They then left for the Pune Blind School for an introduction to Braille and interaction with the students there. Here, the teachers took them to each department within the school to demonstrate how the children learn how to dance, play musical instruments, read etc. The boys got an opportunity to interact with the blind children in their scouting activities where they helped them to dig and carry heavy items across the field.



After an enriching experience at the blind school, they visited Pune’s Kakade Mall where they devoured ice creams and took a look at all the branded stores within the mall.
In the evening, the boys were taken to AIESEC in Pune’s president, Varun Avasthi’s house, where the Hindi movie “3 Idiots” was screened for them since they were really eager to watch it. At the same time they got a chance to meet the current Executive Body and other members who came to watch the movie and interact with them. Then they had dinner and went back to the club house for the night.
It was this day that the boys realized how privileged they are after meeting the children from the blind school and how grateful they should be for what they have. 






DAY 3
AGENDA
- Visit to Sinhagad Fort
- Visit to Pune University
-Visit to Big Cinemas (mall and arcade)


On the morning of the last day, the boys visited the historically significant Sinhagad fort on the outskirts of Pune. Halfway up to the fort by car, they stopped to have snacks. After this they trekked right to the top and explored around the fort and enjoyed the breath taking view from the top. In the afternoon, they left the fort and stopped at a restaurant to have lunch on the way back to the city. After this, they arrived at the Pune University where it had been arranged for Poonam Mahapure, a resident of the University to give them a tour and show them each department in the university. This also made them more aware and knowledgeable about the vast career options available to them in the future. After an educational afternoon at the University, the boys were taken to Big Cinemas, a mall and multiplex theatre in the city where they were given 20% discount on all the games in the video game arcade. They were thoroughly entertained and amused and couldn’t get enough of the games.


At night, they were treated to Dominoes pizzas, their fist pizzas ever! They also interacted with the AIESECers in charge of the planning and organization of the event and gave their feedback regarding the field trip, after which they bid their good bye’s and immediately left back for Buldhana.




The event was an achievement thanks to the precise and excellent planning on the part of the DT department, changing the world, one child at a time.



3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. great work and efforts. Best wishes for similar future events from an aiesec'er currently in Germany.
    U all seem to put in so much of efforts. both Thumbs up!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

President's Address

AIESEC, as the world’s most global youth run organization, develops the youth of today into the leaders of tomorrow by providing an unparalleled personal development platform consisting of leadership opportunities, corporate exposure, international internships, local and national conferences and participation in a global learning environment, not to mention we provide our members with an opportunity to build a 30,000 person strong network with the brightest young minds from all over the globe.

Since its conception in 1987, AIESEC Pune has impacted thousands of young people, and has given them an unmatched edge over their peers. Today, it provides society with high potential membership armed with leadership advantage in socially relevant issues.

Supported by leading organizatons in the city, including Forbes Marshall, Symbiosis, Zensar Technologies, Jetline Group, Cummins Generator Technologies, etc. 
AIESECers have carved a niche for themselves, and are among the few individuals who, at any point of time, are sought after by leading organizations the world over.

As the President of AIESEC Pune, I am certain that your experience with AIESEC will be amazing. Welcome to AIESEC Pune.


Best Regards,

Varun Avasthi

Local Committee President
AIESEC Pune

Picture Gallery