Community Work
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
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At the end of Community Work, the student teachers will be able to-
1. Work closely with community centres and NGOs to strengthen social cohesion
2. Identify special needs of individuals in different community centres
3. Develop tailor made resources for the different community centres
4. Empower individuals to improve their quality of life
5. Demonstrate positive attitude towards people from the disadvantaged strata of society
6. Display an attitude of service and care
7. Demonstrate dedication and commitment towards social action
8. Initiate strategies for social inclusion
Objectives of Community Work and Outreach Activities in HJCE B.Ed. Program
1. To develop an understanding of social realities
2. To enrich the awareness of diverse backgrounds and needs.
3. To foster a sense of civic engagement.
4. To develop a desire to work for the betterment of society.
5. To build essential skills for effective teaching and community leadership.
6. To enhance professional development through service learning.
7. To engage with local communities, thereby realizing the significance of sustainable practices.
8. To enhance personal growth and character development.
Community service is more than just volunteer work. It is an opportunity to foster empathy, strengthen social bonds, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. At Hansraj Jivandas College of Education, the commitment to community engagement goes beyond academic pursuits. The following community work activities were conducted -
AKSHAYAPATRA : BASKET OF FRUIT : Our college has started a unique initiative that encourages students and staff to contribute to Akshayapatra. Fresh fruits are distributed to patients in the women’s ward and children’s ward of V.N. Desai Municipal Hospital in Santacruz with the donation money collected every month. This effort not only provides nutritional support to the patients but also instills a sense of community service and empathy in the students.
DAAN UTSAV (JOY OF GIVING) : The Joy of Giving Week was launched in 2009, as a nation-wide "festival of philanthropy” the week being celebrated every year covering Gandhi Jayanti by engaging people through “acts of giving". The vision of the college is ‘Encompass to pledge to the Global society.’ Keeping in mind the essence of this vision, the institution organizes several activities to generate empathy for the community at large. Staff and students of Hansraj Jivandas College of Education every year participate in a collection drive and contribute clothes and other materials for the noble cause of helping the downtrodden under the program of ‘Joy of Giving’.
COMMUNITY SERVICES RENDERED AT SHANTIVAN : Every year our college staff and students visit the Kushtharog Nivaran Sanstha in Nere, Panvel, to brighten up Diwali for the residents of Shantivan. Students spread joy by sharing sweets and lighting diyas, creating a festive atmosphere. Alongside these gestures, they generously donated clothes, grains, toys, and money to support Shantivan's residents. Engaging in activities like planting trees and participating in Shramadan further strengthened the bond between our students and the Shantivan community.
COLLABORATION WITH VARIOUS NGOS : Our college has been actively engaged in community service activities, collaborating with various NGOs
The following are the impactful initiatives undertaken:
AWARENESS PROGRAM
1) Holi Awareness Campaign : The Holi Awareness Campaign was aimed to promote safety and responsibility during the festive season of Holi. The campaign focused on spreading awareness about various aspects such as water conservation, environmental protection, and safety precautions to ensure a joyous and safe celebration for everyone involved. Our students spread the message of safe Holi by orienting people in the society and also through posts on social media accounts.
2) Election Awareness Campaign : The students spread awareness in their vicinity regarding the upcoming elections among surrounding people and asked the people to take an oath that they will go to cast their votes. The students spoke to all the helpers like the building watchmen, drivers and other building staff and motivated them to vote.
3) Awareness Drive during Ganapati Festival : The students participated in the awareness drive for celebration of Eco friendly Ganeshotsav. They motivated people not to use thermocol for decoration.
4) COVID Awareness Drive : The students created awareness about how to use masks, social distance, cleaning of hands, vaccination by posting posters and messages on social media. Some students also contacted people on the phone and provided information about care to be taken during COVID 19. The students took up the task of preparing short videos and posters to suggest measures to fight against coronavirus and posted it on various social media platforms.
DONATIONS : During COVID, student-teachers voluntarily donated meals or packed grocery kits, sanitizers, and other essentials to the marginalized and low-income segments of society comprising daily wage workers, migrant labourers, construction site workers, and needy people at old age homes and night shelters.
SERVE THE POOR : Our student-teachers prepared food in their houses and provided it to the poor & needy during Diwali.
LITERACY PROGRAM : The literacy program is aimed to address adult illiteracy by engaging S.Y.B.Ed students in the teaching process. This initiative focused on individuals aged 18 and above who lacked basic literacy skills. A group of B.Ed students were paired with adult learners. Each group worked closely with the learner, with regular sessions scheduled multiple times a week.
CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS WITH SENIOR CITIZENS : The student celebrate Christmas by distributing sweets in old age home and bring moments of joy in the life of senior citizens.
COMPASSION IN ACTION: MALAD FIRE AID (2023) : The college organized a donation drive for fire victims of Appa Pada, Malad in collaboration with Ganga Charitable Trust, Warli. Students donated grains, pulses, ready-to-eat food items, clothes, utensils, and stationery material for the fire victims.
MAHAWALKATHON 2019 (30th November 2019) : The college had organized Mahawalkathon to spread awareness about ‘No honking’, ‘Road safety’ and ‘Responsible driving’ on 30th November, 2019. Vehicle honking in cities has reached alarming levels, contributing to Noise Pollution in our environment. Mahawalkathon 2019 was a joint event organized by H J College of Education a long with Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department, Public Works Department, CASI global, and CSR Dairy.
MASK MAKING AND DISTRIBUTION: During COVID masks were prepared from pure cotton cloth to ensure that everybody can use it comfortably. These masks were distributed to the vegetable vendors, fruit sellers, people working at the milk Centre, grocery shops and medical shops. Students also provided instructions for how to use and dispose off the masks.
SWACHHTA PAKHWADA (2019) : The college conducted Swachhta Pakhawada by organising activities like clean campus drive, taking Swachhata Pledge, Plantation, Digital Poster Competition, Talk Show on Swachhata, and ‘Best out of Waste’ Competition.
REBUILDING HOPE FOR FLOOD VICTIMS (2019) : The college has organized a collection drive for people who were affected by heavy rainfall and flooding in various districts. The students collected essential items such as food, clothing, medical supplies, and other emergency materials to support the flood victims.
AKANKASHA FOUNDATION (2017) : Our students taught underprivileged children in Mumbai in collaboration with Akanksha foundation.
GLASS OF MILK FOR CANCER PATIENTS (2011) : The students distributed milk and food to cancer patients in Sarvodaya Hospital, Ghatkopar.
ACTIVITIES FOR SENSITIZATION TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT
FEED A BIRD : With the ongoing decline in forest areas as greener spaces and natural water bodies with abundant water supply, the population of birds is at high risk. Through bird feeders, birds can be provided with a reliable source of a year-round supply of food and water. Our students have prepared bird feeders and installed them at their homes.
PLANTATION : As part of our community work, our college organized a plantation drive aimed at promoting environmental sustainability. Students and faculty joined hands to plant saplings at Shantivan and Vasai.
BEACH CLEANING : Every year our students devote few hours to their city. The students collected a lot of waste strewn around the beach and played their role of active citizens towards maintaining clean beaches.
FEED THE VOICELESS AND QUENCH THEIR THIRST : The initiative “Feed the Voiceless and Quench Their Thirst,” focuses on the care and well-being of animals in the community. The students provide food and water to stray animals in their area, ensuring their nourishment and hydration, especially during challenging weather conditions.
ONLINE COMMUNITY WORK ACTIVITIES
Following project was undertaken in collaboration with Humanity, Andhra Pradesh:
Curricular Support Program : The college has collaborated with the NGO HUManity to organize Curricular Support Program for the kids in the Child Care Institutions in Hyderabad. The student-teachers prepared learning resources for the students of standard VIII, IX and X. The students are also participating in the research activity to help the NGO undertake the changes for better learning of the kids in the Child Care Institutions.
PROJECT UNDERTAKEN IN COLLABORATION WITH BOMBAY COMMUNITY PUBLIC TRUST (BCPT):
The Bombay Community Public Trust (BCPT) act as intermediaries and facilitators, and help to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Mumbai.
ENGLISH E-TEACH PROJECT : The college collaborated with Bombay Community Public Trust (BCPT) to successfully deliver knowledge and skills in English language to the students of primary schools run by Municipal Corporation through an online learning platform under the English E Teach project of BCPT.
PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN IN COLLABORATION WITH TEAM EVEREST : Team Everest is a Chennai based NGO. It provides quality education to underprivileged children through volunteering. The college has participated in the following projects of Team Everest:
STORY WRITING PROJECT : Each student wrote ten creative stories and designed activities based on the stories for primary school children in rural areas. The stories and activities were handed over to team Everest to use them in rural areas for developing language skills among their students.
HOLIDAY PUZZLE MAKING : The students were oriented about various types of puzzles. Each student had prepared five puzzles for school students in the rural areas. These puzzles were given to students in rural areas by Team everest to develop logical reasoning among them.
PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN THROUGH IVOLUNTEER : iVolunteer is a social enterprise that promotes volunteering with the mission to bring volunteers and organizations together to share time and skills.
PASS IT ON : The Pass it on Trust based in Ashwathnagar works amongst the poorest of the poor irrespective of caste, creed or colour. Bishop Sargent High School, Bangalore is run by the Pass It On trust. During Covid our college had conducted online sessions for the children in Bishop Sargent High School.
TEACH A SKILL (ANYBODY CAN HELP) : The college undertook the Teach a Skill project. The student volunteers were allotted slots to teach various skills to children in Yeola village. The various craft activities were conducted by the student volunteers in an online mode to teach various skills to students from rural areas.
ALL VIRUS AND NO WORK….. MAKES A VIRUS HAPPY : The students were allotted the task to create online worksheets in Mathematics and Science for children. The student volunteers had selected simple concepts from grade 3 to 8 and prepared worksheets making them fun and interesting.
TUTOR 9TH TO 12TH GRADE STUDENTS IN AN ONLINE MODE : The college approached Spark. A change Foundation to conduct online tutoring in Science, English and Mathematics for the students of grade 9th & 10th. The college has selected 10 student volunteers who had opted for Science, English and Mathematics method at the B.Ed. Program. All the sessions were conducted in an online mode using the zoom platform to teach students in the slum areas of Mumbai.
TELL A STORY and ONCE UPON A TIME : The college students participated in ‘Tell a Story’ and ‘Once Upon a Time’ activities. The students created a story bank by recording stories from the Panchatantra and other moral stories in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Tamil languages for children of the age group of 4 to 10 years in different Indian languages.
TEACH SPOKEN ENGLISH TO A CHILD : The students conducted sessions for developing English communication skills among school children in online mode. The sessions were taking on a one-on-one basis.
TUTORING HINDI LANGUAGE : The students conducted sessions for developing Hindi language among school children in an online mode. The sessions were taking on a one-on-one basis.
LEARN WASTE SEGREGATION AT SOURCE & DIY HACKS : The students were provided training in teaching DIY hacks for recycling. The students conducted awareness drive about recycling waste.
BASIC FIRST-AID FOR HOME EMERGENCIES : The students conducted an online session on basic first aid for home emergencies for the students during Covid.
HELPING RECRUITMENT PROCESS OF GRAM URJA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION : The students conducted interviews of the candidates interested in joining the Gram Urja Human Development Foundation and helped the organization to select/recruit best candidates.
TRANSCEND KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY : The Vision of transformed knowledge society is to empower persons with disabilities to make their own choices and to be celebrated as equal and valuable members of their families and communities. Online sessions were conducted to help women manage their finances better and hence help with their upliftment.
TEACHING SPOKEN ENGLISH TO THE NGO STAFF : It has become increasingly important for the staff in NGOs to develop the confidence to communicate in English. The students conducted sessions for the NGO staff by using friendly conversation with them and building staff their confidence and familiarity with the language.
TALKING ABOUT CANCER : The activity consisted of a talk with an experienced person by Ekohum Foundation on creating awareness about cancer. The students participated in the orientation session and then contacted people in the society to create awareness about cancer.
SEVA MELA- NEWSPAPER BAG MAKING : The students made bags with the help of newspapers. It was a part of the Daan Utsav week and the bags were meant to be given to others. Thus they spread awareness about eco-friendly bags.
TEACHING SCIENCE TO STUDENTS FROM 6TH TO 9TH GRADE IN GUJARAT : The college registered for the project initiated by Agastya Foundation. Students taught Science in an online mode to students in Gujarat.
MENTOR STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS : The college participated in the project initiated by Freedom Employability Academy (FEA). Our students helped students from low-income backgrounds gain a better understanding of availability of various professional options.
BE A SPOKEN ENGLISH MENTOR FOR STUDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES : The students participated in the project initiated by NavGurukul. Our students helped to develop English communication skills among students from underprivileged communities.
YOGA FOR FIT INDIA : Yoga is an art as well as a Science. It is a Science, because it offers practical methods for controlling body and mind, thereby making deep meditation possible. Our students joined this workshop on YOGA as part of the Fit India Freedom Run. The students taught basic yoga asanas to others in online mode.
LAUREL RECEIVED BY THE COLLEGE : The social initiative of the college was recognized with 'Bhavishya Bharat Award' at the National Award Festival for Social Work for Colleges organised by Nagindas Khandawala College of Commerce, Arts and Management Studies, Mumbai on 14th September, 2022. The college has been awarded the prize in the category of ‘Best Social Initiative’.