By Mrs Supriya Chowdhary Former Principal, Center Point School, Nagpur

1. A walk along the Boulevard of Expression…Reflections of a Teacher on Student volunteers for Emergency Management By Mrs Supriya Chowdhary Former Principal, Center Point School, Nagpur

2. “The world does not want and will never have the heroes and heroines of the past. What this age needs is an enlightened youth not to undertake the tasks like theirs, but to imbibe the spirit of great men and answer the present call to duty with nobleness of soul.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson

3. The Need • Today’s youth is exposed to potential multiple-hazards in their lives. • Schools are foundational institutions that largely influence their behavior. • Young people apply the knowledge to increase their chances of survival and deflect unnecessary risks to themselves, their family, and the public safety of their communities - building resilience and aptitude for voluntary work.

4. The Need….. • The knowledge of survival skills will help to shape complex cognitive skills, knowledge acquisition, intra-personal development, civic responsibility and contribute to higher academic achievement.

5. Why volunteer? • Learning and Education • To become more comfortable with the realities of Hazards & their consequences. • To develop new skills or refine old ones • Social opportunity • To give back to the community • Beneficent utilization of time • To make informed personal or career choices • Expression of mutual respect & dignity for all.

6. What is the role of a volunteer? • Being there • Listening and supporting • Doing all that is necessary to save lives • Assist in Risk Reduction • Be ready to become Back-up volunteer for Emergency workers • Errands and breaks for caregivers • Acting as “eyes and ears” for Emergency Authorities

7. Role of a Teacher • Dealing with negativity • Expressions of negativity are common in school. • Questioning and challenging comments are healthy, but negativity for its own sake is not! for example “We tried that once and it didn’t work.”

8. Role of Teacher…. • Perhaps the most important contribution that a teacher can make to school improvement is to resist the temptation to become negative or cynical. • Where negativity and cynicism abound, there is neither energy nor motivation for change. • A teacher’s leadership in encouraging volunteer community work can overcome the negativity in student behavior.

9. Community Service Learning • Community Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

10. NCDCC Volunteers • Need of the day and the future • Trained volunteers bring these skills to their families, homes and workplace for enhanced survival. • Knowledge of Civil Defence skills allow trained volunteers to help their communities make informed choices about survival & support • Encourages public harmony & brotherhood

11. Conclusion With strong leadership, selfless service, individual and collective commitment, hard work and determination, an immeasurable difference can be made and resolutions can begin for real community problems, bit by bit, to include unraveling unbalanced systems and beliefs. But the beginning must be made from our educational institutions.

12. Thank you