Deepam classes at West Mambalam (WM) happen at Sri Venkata Nivasam Primary School. The government aided primary school, one of the oldest schools in WM, caters to 120 under-privileged children from the neighbourhoods of Ashok Nagar, West Mambalam and Saidapet. We, at Deepam, handle the 4th and 5th standard kids, dealing mostly with English education. Since July 2011, we have also started teaching computers to students who have passed out from this school and are pursuing higher studies in other schools in the same locality.
An interview with Sayekiren, centre-coordinator
The story so far: We started classes at WM on “Teachers Day”,2009.We have an in-house developed English curriculum with which we teach the kids every week. Even though we have classes on a Saturday,which is a non working day for the school, we have had atleast 40+ children attending regularly. This overwhelming response from the kids in turn encourages us to be be committed to whatever we set out to achieve. In fact, one of the school teachers has started volunteering with us.
The Team: We are an enthusiastic bunch of 12 people from different backgrounds,varying from a college student to a home maker to a retired professional. Anybody with desire to teach and contribute to the society is welcome to be part of the team.
The WM Experience (off-the-record): We have an amazing volunteer group. As a team, we had super fun – eating vadaams at Priya mam’s place etc., during the summer break on the pretext of preparing the curriculum for this academic year.
Vision WM: We aspire to make the kids confident in speaking and answering simple questions in English. Also, we aim to introduce a lot of books to them and nurture their love for reading.
A WM experience that’s etched in my memory: I can’t forget Deepam’s Second anniversary celebration where the WM center kids performed skits in English on stage. It was their first ever stage performance!
Volunteering according to me: It is a very good distraction (cheeky smile) from the corporate life. Moreover, being around with kids takes you back to your childhood days.