The times have been devastating for all of us. Every person has had their own struggle and the pandemic has just shown us, how in Unity there is strength. How if a community stands together, it can fight any battle, on its own level.
Non-governmental Organisations(NGOs) across the world have shown how organisations, in their own strength, can help people, and enforce the idea of development and decentralization within a social, political, and economic structure, especially when the times are bleak. So, the importance of these Organizations can only be amplified further in the times to come at both National and International(groupings/Multilateral systems) levels.
The amount of help that people have done for each other, especially absolute strangers bring in hope and makes us look at the brighter sides of humans. We have all been volunteers, in this pandemic, directly or indirectly. We have all helped pick each other up. This we could do by being a part of a ‘Network’. This organization has been, for me, a manifestation of just that.
Wishes and Blessings has been working on the ground level since 2014, and in such a small span, has done immense work for society. With its ‘Squad for Change’ initiative, they have started to gather volunteers, expand their network of people, and take-in people from different walks of life. The initiative, from my understanding and experience, has tried to integrate the skills of its volunteering team, with the overall goal of the organization. On top of this, it’s very flexible and supportive.
I hosted a 1 day-Dance Workshop for all the volunteers. It was overall an amazing experience. The team was very welcoming. The volunteers have been doing amazing work in these times, and nothing could make me happier than putting a smile on their faces(hopefully). The satisfaction of doing this, made me feel like I would love to do something like that every now and then, as for me, this opportunity came as a two-way street.
Since I am a Research Scholar, I have been concentrating on academics. Although, I have continued with dancing, as it’s been a stress buster for me, over the years. I feel lucky that I trained in dancing while doing my academics, as now, I am able to do both, and am not stuck with doing just one thing. This also made me realise how important extra-curriculum activities (be it anything- sports, singing, dancing, playing instruments, painting, etc.) are, for the overall development of a person.
To keep oneself motivated and keep going, one should abide by a schedule, which is tough to keep up nowadays. I for one, to keep myself sane, Dance. Every person has a different way of getting recharged. In such times, to get rejuvenated, exercising or any kind of physical activity is all the more necessary. In order to fulfill this, extra-curriculum activities come in handy.
Every person is a changemaker, in this fight especially. Every person has something to offer, so let’s share our gifts with the people around us, not just in the pandemic but beyond.
Arushi Painuly conducted a Jazz Workshop for the Wishes and Blessings volunteering wing- Squad for Change.