ADVITYA 2023

Advitya is a creative centre for those gifted with conditions like Down's Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and many others. The students at Advitya produce a variety of gifts including bags, stationery, and seasonal specialties like rakhis and diyas. The high quality of the finished product is evidence of the students' diligence and hard work. As volunteers, we helped the centre organise outings for the students and conduct art and music activities. Through working at the centre, we observed the students working together amongst themselves, and we witnessed their communication skills build up.

 

 

 

Encouraging them every step of the way and seeing the students enjoy themselves through a dance session at the end was truly heart-warming. They enjoyed the dance sessions to the extent that we decided to make it a norm for all future lessons: fifteen minutes of a dance break at the end of each session. Volunteering at Advitya taught us the importance of compassion, and it gave us a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by differently-abled people. It also taught us the value of teamwork, as we had to ensure that the plans that we devised for each session were exciting but also engaging. Every day, we learn something new from the students we serve, and we are reminded of the power of human connection and compassion.

 

Working with the students at Advitya has been an enriching process for all of us and has inculcated important skills such as communication, organisation, adaptability, teamwork, creativity, and planning. Although we did face a few challenges at the beginning with communication gaps and time management, we soon got more comfortable with the students and sessions flowed smoother and were more enjoyable! Reflecting as a group was therefore extremely important and useful for us, especially at the beginning. Through reflection we were able to identify our strengths and weaknesses as well as the activities the students enjoyed, and therefore plan for our next session better. We have loved all the time we’ve spent with our students at Advitya, but for us, the best part has been all the fun we have had dancing, doing crafts, and playing together!