Volunteer by Chance, Active Citizen by Choice

Posted By CMCA on 23 Aug 2019

My journey as a CMCA volunteer started nine years ago.

In 2010, I happened to notice a leaflet which came along with my newspaper. It was about volunteering opportunities in schools with CMCA. After a telephonic interview, I was selected as a CMCA Volunteer Educator and was called to attend a two-day training programme. At that time, we were only in seven schools where the volunteers would take CMCA sessions for 8^th graders.

Thinking about those first volunteering days brings back such cheerful memories – interacting with children for the first time, being part of their world, seeing how keenly and enthusiastically they would take action! Something else that stayed with me is how all CMCA member students feel like they are part of a big CMCA family; I noticed this during the annual programmes where CMCA students get a chance to meet each other.

When I’m travelling on a bus or I’m at the mall and I hear one of my students call me, it gives me such joy! It makes me realise I am doing something good for them.

Being a CMCA volunteer also had a great influence on my personal life and motivated me to be an active citizen. I have started following a lot of good practices – I approach the municipal corporation whenever there are civic issues to be solved in my locality, I have started saving water at home and using only cloth bags instead of plastic ones, and I wear a helmet at all times. Moreover, after joining CMCA I also met many like-minded people who are concerned about our society and always strive to make a change. 

 

This blog was written by Balasundaram P., a CMCA volunteer from Hosur, and published here with minimal editing.