Posts Tagged training
“THE FUN-GYAN COMBO” in Hyd
Posted by Sai in Volunteer Files... on November 22nd, 2009
It began with just with about 10 of us where we had this informal “chat on”! But eventually as the large number of late comers joined in, it was not only extremely educating but also (quite surprisingly) A LOT of fun!
We had the process training first. At the onset it felt like a lot of pyramids and a hundred thousand posts, each with a lot of “responsibilities”. But eventually we realized it was a lot more. A lot more fun and a lot more work. Clear structures of organization, we realized, were a necessary part of all focused work.
We also had a break midway through the breeze of pyramids where we got to know things that (well…technically have no business on something as public as a blog) were NOT KNOWN. Here’s a little bit of an insight:
We have a member in our prestigious team who wears a uniform for college. He is training to be an engineer by the way.
We also have a member who changed 5 colleges in 1 year for his MCA and after that (hold your breath) has worked in the same company for the past 7 years!! ?
'All ears'
Late comers's have fun enacting their childhood 
The syllabus training, that came next, was brilliant to say the least. It began with the current suddenly playing truant but thanks to our “experienced” mentors was taken off beautifully well. Along with a small introduction on what we were going to be focusing on in our classes and their basic structure we also got a lot of tips that would have taken us ages to discover. The little activities that we did kept the session interactive.
Prep for class
Preparing for the mock class
On the whole it was a great mix of fun, gyan and work. It’s unfair to end my piece without a mention of the stars of the show. (Come forward and bow as I name you please!). Glo, Kola, 9a, Lettie, the rest of the mentors and of course the newbies. 
(APPLAUSE)
Trivandrum MADiac’s Do Some P.T.!
Posted by Melvin in Volunteer Files... on July 3rd, 2009
Ever heard of Nikunjam Apartments?
No? Well, I hadn’t either, that is up until recently. This building houses residential flats at Convent Road, Vanchiyoor, Trivandrum. It stands off a rather bumpy road lined by tall shady trees so that if you look up, instead of the sky, you’ll see a green canopy. (just in case you were wondering, I’m not a real estate broker) So folks, you might be just a tad curious as to why you should be interested in a non-descript building that you very unlikely ever to visit.
Well, you wouldn’t be…not unless you belong to the sub-species of Homo sapiens sapiens that are commonly known as ‘MADdies’ a.k.a. ‘MADsters’ a.k.a ‘MADiacs’. Nikunjam Apartments is going to go down in MADstry as the place where the foundations for M.A.D. Trivandrum were tentatively laid in Feb ‘09.
A second MADstoric event took place in the courtyard of this building on 21 June ‘09. Our first Process Training was conducted and was attended by the following V.I.Ps : Melvin (our oh-so-fearless leader and President) and some of the V.Ps including Ganesh (placements), George (PT), Maria(finance) and Keerthi (HR). It was also attended by the following V.V.I.Ps (who are trying to be the rock upon which M.A.D Tvm will be founded so that when rivers rise and fierce winds blow, MAD Tvm will remain standing): Sebin, Jackson, Lipin, Remitha, Lekshmi, Spoorti, Meghna, Nayanthara, Anusha, Radha Aunty, Praseetha Aunty and of course, yours truly, namely, Aparna, whom Vishnu (our VP for PR) has kindly permitted (cough delegated cough) to blog about the P.T. using mel’s account.
Anyway, since we were due to start at 10:00 a.m., we began sharply at 10:30 a.m. The training was conducted by George Abraham, our VP for Training and invigilation. By the way, it will be George and Jackson who will be making that arduous journey to Chennai for Teacher Training and then, they will impart the wisdom to the rest of us.
So where was I? Oh yes… George got his laptop fixed up and started off by congratulating us on making it into this ‘largest but most choosy youth volunteer network’. Then he dove headlong into explaining about PORs (Positions of Responsibility- National, City, Placements, English), typical M.A.D working schedules, credit system, roles and responsibilities of the interns, volunteers, buffer volunteers, teachers, mentors, batch heads, centre heads and a bunch of other heads… I confess, I emerged out of the whole thing with my head slightly reeling. But no worries. We established the basics:
a) the children are PRIORITY NO. 1
b) NEVER miss a class
c) ALWAYS maintain a minimum of 3 credits
d) DON’T FORGET to give your feedback
After all this, we were divided into two batches according to the homes we were assigned. Since we need to walk before we run and talk before we sing, we’re starting small with two homes : Divine Childrens Home, Poojapura and the Girls home at Nalanchira.
We then parted ways (no, there were no waving hankies or teary eyes)
and headed in excitement to meet the children whose futures lay in our hands.
And what were those visits like? Well, you’ll get the gist if you just visit our orkut community. 
“Mighty things from small beginnings grow”- John Dryden
The MAD inaugration and training session
Posted by nisha in Volunteer Files... on November 25th, 2008
Day: Saturday
Time: 2.30 p.m
Do we remember the day we attended the first formal program of MAD? I feel so attached to the organization and my work that I do not feel it was just last Sunday we met for the first time. May be it was just the charm of the MAD organizers that gave us the feeling of closeness and greeted us with love. Awwwwww aint that so sweet!! Cheers to all of them.
These are the few vague things I remember of that Saturday.
I get up from a deep slumber and just realize that the MAD introduction program for all the volunteers interested in MAD was about to begin in half hour.
We were welcomed at the auditorium with a broad smile by Gloria, Letti and Samitha. The others I met there at the gate were Anu and Jithin.
My mind was filled with apprehension whether I should be a part of this program and will I be able to dedicate time and do justice to my commitments. I left this as a thought for later. The program started with a lot of ice breaker sessions filled with fun, laughter and getting to know each other. There was active participation from the audience. Later Jithin introduced MAD to us and giving us a brief overview of the entire organization, its goal, founder members, structure etc. This was a very informative session and a little boring too (just kidding) There was a lot of knowledge sharing about our ideas, about understanding goal etc. We understood what it takes to be committed and what are the requirements from a MAD volunteer.
Here is where I want to say something that really took me aback. I have been a part of many NGO’s and organizations that work with kids and adults. This was perhaps the only organization that put it straight down point blank, that we required to be committed, that we are there for a reason, that we are there to make a difference. That was not gyaan by the way
Then came the scary part ‘the Interview.’ Were all tensed and scared and there was apprehension and tension in all’s eyes. Do you think that was true?? We all knew we were here for a reason and knew that we wanted to be a part of this MAD group and walked in with confidence. Most of us proved it that we had it in us to be a part of MAD.
The second day was an intensive session of training and learning. We learnt a lot about what we will do at the classes and how we should ideally deal with the kids. It was a day long learning, but good fun and very intuitive
One thing I am really happy about is that I am a part of MAD and hope we can give our best toward it.
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