Based in
Bangalore, this gap year volunteer placement is a unique and innovative project working with several children's organisations throughout the city to improve the quality of life for underprivileged children. They run programmes in sports (hockey, table tennis, basketball and football), summer camps, monthly camping trips (with canoeing, trekking and bird-watching), creative arts (pottery, painting, drama, music), spoken English and computer training, to name but a few.
Your Role: As an Activity Camp Coordinator running the Activity Programme (known to the organisation as a 'Dream Summer Camp') you will be planning, organising and running a multi-centre activity scheme along with other GapGuru volunteers. Your time will be spent firstly planning in the office, sourcing resources, researching activities, then facilitating the programme along with other volunteers and centre staff, then evaluating and making recommendations for the next year. You will have the opportunity to include interests and activities that you know and enjoy, as well as participating in other fun activities. These may include dance, drama, art, music and games. The children participating in this programme do not have the opportunity to take part in activities such as these, and build confidence through performance, and making choices and have the chance to express themselves through their art work.
What you Gain: The most important thing you gain is the immense personal satisfaction when you see a bunch of kids with sparkling eyes eagerly awaiting your sessions and seeking your acceptance after every small assignment that they complete. That apart, you will learn to work in a challenging environment and learn to "Expect the Unexpected". The project will also help you develop planning and project management skills, to learn to work with limited resources and use your creativity to the maximum. It will help build your own self- confidence, problem solving skills, decision-making skills, creative-thinking skills and inter-personal skills.
Day in the life of a project volunteer: The volunteer will have spent the first few weeks of the placement planning and organising the activity camp which runs at various centres around
Bangalore. Then during the camp a volunteer will go and facilitate the activities at a specific centre for the day, and help the children prepare for a grand performance at the end of the camp. After the camp the volunteer will be making a report on the camp experience, writing blogs of their experience for the organization and also collecting feedback from the children, volunteers, partners about the camp, The volunteer would be required to submit a project report evaluating the whole event, write about the children's progress and clear up the resources.
Volunteer skills/experience: We are looking for outgoing, confident individuals who enjoy working with children and running and facilitating children's events. Volunteers need to be creative and work well as part of a team. You would be required to have very high energies during the sessions with children.