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
“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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.”
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.
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.
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
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.
Thank you