10th January 2009 - YFS Orientation

40 volunteers , I clarified. Yes came the calm know-it-all answer from the project co-ordinator. That didn't happen . Only 11 showed up. But it didn't stop us. I kept reminding myself that better 11 dedicated people than 100 people just dragging themselves here for the heck of it .

The volunteers sat patiently as myself, Majunath, abhimanyu and nitasha introduced various aspects of the project and rehab department. All of a sudden a began to feel a deep sense of gratitude to them as I looked at their tierd faces. these people could have spent their time chilling at home , but they chose to brave this sunny saturday afternoon to be a part of something special. Funny how symbiotic inspriation can be.

Highlights

1. Arrival of people late so self introduction was skipped. Imprompto name tags were issued.

2. I gave a welcome note and introduced the agenda of the meet

3. Manjunath gave an intro on stroke, its types and the importance of this info for volunteers.

4. Abhimanyu gave an intro on Stroke rehabilitation and answered questions.

5. Nitasha introduced the I-shine Project.

6. I concluded by giving them the aim of the volunteers groups and asked them to think over it and fill in the registration forms so that we could sort out the volunteers into groups .

7. Registration forms were distributed and filled.

8. Q & A

9. Badges were distributed.

10. meeting ended at 4pm .

2nd Jan 2009

Happy new year 2009. The year saw the introduction of a few volunteers. The experience was enriching, to say the least. I allowed the volunteers to mingle in with the patients so that they could get the feel of what was happening . Its amazing how they blended in. Its also helped in filtering out people who could not cope.I guess certain amount of maturity is required when interacting with stroke survivors. Patients have to be understood as adults and treated with respect. Some that cannot manage just do not turn up again, which saves us the trouble of asking them not to come. It all boils down to a matter of choice.. not of the volunteer, but if the patient choose to accept you ..