Here's how a group of engineering students from Mumbai are helping underprivildeged and specially-abled children to hone their inner spark
All young budding minds need the right kind of motivation, encouragement and direction to fuel their passions. With an aim to do this and provide a helping hand, 11 engineering students have started an initiative called EnGage in Mumbai.
“Institutions these days do not encourage youngsters to think beyond exams and securing a job. The conducive environment to build on innovative ideas and make meaningful contributions is not encouraged. It was this thought which inspired the initiative,” says 24-year-old Viraj Shetty. So along with 11 friends, Viraj decided to made a small monetary investment to register EGage as a Charitable Trust in 2009.
Through EnGage, the group wishes to encourage former students and engineers to make meaningful and innovative contributions to help disabled children and those from underprivileged backgrounds.
The group works on a simple ideology: You work, You learn, You Share. They encourage students who are talented, to share their expertise and the aim is to use this expertise to educate the underprivileged and specially-abled children to enrich their learning experiences. Numerous young individuals are given the opportunity to deliver workshops at various colleges in Mumbai. The team of volunteers spends a sufficient amount of time in developing robust and fun ways of educating youngsters.
But the road to innovation is not without challenges. Viraj says that his biggest challenge has been to earn the trust and confidence of people outside the organisation to support the initiative. In addition, there was a lack of funds and unavailability of space. “We are a growing organisation. Every year we get motivated individuals who are willing to join us, but due to the lack of resources we are forced to limit our volunteer base and our capability to do more,” he says. Still, they have close to 100 volunteers working in Mumbai, comprising of mostly engineering and BSc students.
Despite the challenges, EnGage received support and encouragement from the Lion's Club, International. Also, 'Junoon', which gives special children a platform to display their talent through stage shows, is a commendable initiative. Over the past two years, hundreds of special children (both underprivileged and specially-abled) have been given an opportunity to showcase their talent. “This year, Junoon will be turned into a YouTube series. Our volunteers will be visiting schools and showcasing the talents of these special children to a larger audience through the popular video-sharing website. The idea is to establish a connection among people and urge them to join the initiative,” says Viraj.
For now, the good work is only limited to the city of Mumbai. “We have had requests from students outside Mumbai to start EnGage in their respective cities, but we before this happens we will have to make sure that we have the right funding capability and support from local institutions to put forth our initiatives,” he says.
The organisation is planing to encourage innovative startups wherein even underprivileged and specially-abled individuals will be involved. “We want to be the centre of innovation for the country. Unlike IITs that are meant for the 'cream of the country', our aim is to involve individuals without the constraint of intellectual capability and motivating them to do more,” says Viraj.
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