– Poulami Mukherjee, TGT (English) and digital media coordinator, Vista International School, Hyderabad
In today’s increasingly competitive world, where contentions are endless and cut-throat and the stakes are really high, the word ‘altruism’ is sadly receding into a place where it signs the attendance book of one’s vocabulary but is seldom called into action. But its absence leaves a notable mark in the psyche of an individual and robs a person of what is probably one of the most satisfying feelings of contentment. At Vista International School, we strongly advocate the need for wholesome upbringing. We vouch to ‘make minds, not careers’, we hone their leadership skills and encourage them to be go-getters. We fuel their competitive spirit and empower their mind. But empowerment at the cost of empathy is a loss. Therefore, while we galvanise their mind to help them reach their goal, we also nurture their spirit to be kind, empathetic and altruistic.
A step towards that goal was the ‘Inclusive Summer Camp’ hosted by VIS, where our students revelled in the joy of learning and growing with the students of the Special Care School, BHEL. In this first-of-its-kind summer camp, our students got the unique opportunity to share time with the children with special needs and discover how sweet the taste of joy is when it’s shared. Twenty-nine students from the Special Care School, BHEL visited the VIS campus from April 27 through May 17. These students, who braved a range of challenges including cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, speech impairment, visual impairment and underdevelopment of motor skills, among others, would visit the campus with their teachers and care staff and spend two blissful hours with our students. During these two hours, they would immerse themselves in a scintillating adventure involving exciting activities, games and more.
The days began with a session of yoga – led by the competent co-curricular staff of VIS. The children would then be escorted to various activities including painting, dance sessions, clay mouldings, outdoor games and many, many more. The students of the Special Care School, BHEL were so thoroughly invested in the activities that, according to their parents, they would wake up each morning raring to get ready and enjoy another eventful day at VIS. Fun and games aside, it was extremely important to ensure that the children were comfortable and well taken care of. While the adept care givers vigilantly stood guard, the co-curricular staff of VIS along with the students, lend their hand to ensure that our guests have a pleasant experience with us. This enabled the students to become careful, vigilant and responsible individuals.
While creating beautiful art work together or playing under the sun, they relished the feeling of camaraderie that they were able to establish with those wonderful souls. The hurdle races felt more interesting, the clay mouldings seemed livelier, the paintings looked more colourful and the songs sounded much more melodious as they were paired with the unreserved laughter that emanated from all the children. It was suddenly no longer important to finish first or be the best – it was important to finish together and bring out the best in everyone.
The camp, which continued till May 17, became a source of untainted happiness and joy for both the VIS students and the students of Special Care School, BHEL. The closing ceremony was, therefore, filled with laughter and the joy on the face of the little students was amply evident. We bid adieu to our little guests with a goody bag filled with cookies and chocolates and a lifetime of memories to cherish.
It can be hypothesised that often the fear of the unknown robs one of the chances to expand and grow. We tend to gravitate towards the cocoon of familiarity, compel our minds to ‘colour between the lines’. But every now and then, when we do step out and expand our horizon, it makes us a better version of ourselves. During this ‘Inclusive Summer Camp’, our Vistaians not only gained a deeper insight into the lives of the children with special needs – their challenges, their struggles and their coping mechanism, but also learned how much they can help these students break away from being marginalised and be completely integrated with the society. They realised how being in an inclusive environment can only make us richer, grow wiser and overall stay happier.
With activities that catered to various sense stimulations and exercises to enable individual growth and growth as a team, this Inclusive Summer Camp sneaked in learning laced between copious amounts of fun. This, of course, is only the beginning. VIS plans to keep adding more such experiences in the days to come. And what was the best part of this endeavour? Well, for the Vistaians, the word ‘altruism’ is now at the front and centre – no more a wallflower.
Also read:
Vista International School, Hyderabad: Setting benchmarks in new-age schooling
