Post little hurdles start last year, with great hope we kicked off this year’s Speak Out batch at Eklavya
Balgram. The excited, somewhat nervous volunteers slowly showed up at the centre, as the
excitement levels of the kids already began to skyrocket. We started off with a quick introduction
session. Whoever possessed the ball had to introduce themselves (in English) and then pass it along
to someone who hadn’t yet. That way, everyone had to be alert enough to remember who did and
who didn’t. The kids were then mapped 3:1 for each volunteer leaving us with 6 teams to battle it
out for the next round, which was Who Am I? Each team was given a small chit with clues in English.
The volunteer would explain the clues to the kids in preferred language and once the kids had
figured it out, they had to paint it on the sheet provided to them. All the necessities were already
provided. The activity helped the volunteers to connect on a much deeper level with the kid. As I
collected the sheets, I could see a stronger bond between the children and the volunteers. Though
no prizes were there to be given away, the volunteers had gained much more, not just the kids.
Another interesting activity that was suggested by our own volunteer was to begin and end each
session with a prayer. The video shows the enthusiasm of the kids during this activity.