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Catching them young
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Rotaract clubs have a major presence in city colleges
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Archana talks non-stop. For someone who couldn't say "Hi" a year ago without breaking into sweat, that's a lot. "My communication skills have improved," she says before adding, "I have learned different approaches. I am a confident person now." Like many other students in Chennai, Archana joined the in-campus Rotaract Club.
Rotaract, (short for Rotary in action), the youth wing of Rotary International (RI), counts on student strength for support. It has a community arm that clubs its resources with less known NGOs, but its major presence is in engineering, medical, and arts and science colleges. It makes sense to talk of Rotary work now as RI is basking in a Century of meaningful service.
A bunch of enthusiasts shape Rotaraction at Easwari Engineering College. Camps organised by Presidency Candles make Jaby John boast that RCs have the best network for blood donation. Talent hunt concert for the blind, promotion of safe driving, gifts for AIDS affected children, they have done it all. At BMC and AM Jain College, many students are trying to balance college courses with community service.
Options to serve
If you are in the age group 18-30, joining the Rotaract is like standing in front of a 5-star buffet, plate in hand. Once you have the main course in mind - club service, personality development, community service or international cells, you could start picking — invite guest speakers, conduct hobby guidance classes, collect funds for courses for college peons or take a course in public speaking. You have a liking for personality development? Try running career guidance cells in schools, expose students to mock tests and interviews, start tailoring classes or computer awareness camps. If you want to be among the masses, do the tried and tested drives: tree plantation, health camps, poster making, rallies, consumer issues and village adoption. And if you go for international programmes, organise inter-city meets, youth exchange programmes, plan an evening of goodwill for international students or celebrate the international service orientation day. And if you've been there and done it, cook up ideas, just see that it's palatable to Rotary rules, and check with your superior.
Want to do something new? Invent one. Find the right ingredients. Or just stop beach walkers to ask, "I'm a college student. How can I spend my weekends to help my community/city/world"? Believe it or not, it has happened. And don't wring your hands and go red in the face about harvesting cash. Line up a fundraiser. Ask the district co-ordinator for help.
Listen to what Manoj has to say: "My community club put together `Punnagai', an evening for physically challenged kids. Raising funds and crisis management are now my strong points. My improved inter-personal skills in handling sponsorship calls add to my resumé."
Learning and fun
Agrees Sai Shankar, head of RC at Easwari Engineering, "Company HRs are sure to recognise this experience. It's an add-on for a job." Sai hopes to double the scope of RC in his one-year tenure. "We take decisions and learn from mistakes. Rotaract is both learning and fun."
Hey, that's cool. How do I join? If you're in college, walk up to whoever is running the campus RC. Easy to enrol since of the more than 80 clubs, 90 per cent are in campuses. If you have finished college, join/start a community club and choose your work area. If you'd already been a member of the Interact Club in your school getting into the RC should be a cakewalk.
This purely voluntary effort asks for just one bit of recognition. "College students who join RC do tremendous work," says Jaby John. "Members of NSS and NCC get credits. But RC is yet to be put on the credit list. Students who pitch in with RCs do so entirely for the love of the opportunities on offer. They manage schoolwork and social service with no less enthusiasm. Will the University consider this legitimate claim?"
GEETA PADMANABHAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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