> Know your Special friend - A journey of Integration

Dear Volunteers,

For the First time ever .. a 180 day nation wide campaign ... mass awareness through a human chain ...

A journey of integration across 34 state capitals ...
Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Chennai, Pondicherry, Jaipur, Srinagar, Raipur, Shillong and every other state capital city.

Update : Cities visited

Bangalore - 3rd March
Pondichery - 9th March

Upcoming:

Chennai - 12th March [Monday]

Soon it could happen in your city.

Touching hundreds of thousands of lives .. you have the Power to integrate children with and without challenges ..

It takes only one person to make the difference ... you can make the difference!

This programme will reach all state capitals in its effort to
> change perceptions toward inclusive education
> create awareness on building a bond of communication between children with and without challenges. Hundreds of children with and without challenges will be partnered to prepare placards
> carrying the message of peer acceptance, social interaction, fellowship and understanding, caring and sharing
> Our Chrysallis Volunteer Motorcyclist will ride 18000 kms across the country to 34 state capitals

where exhibitions of the placards will take place.

The outcome

• better interaction between the children
• awareness of the great abilities of the challenged
• working in partnership with each other
• understanding each other's needs.

We need volunteers from all state capitals in the country to help with co-ordinating and sponsorship of children

1,00,000 children participating nationwide
Sponsor a child - Rs.150/- per child

You can ... motivate hundreds ... for the cause of thousands .. touching hundreds of thousands of lives,

For details of volunteering, contact immediately - events are already being co-ordinated in different cities



Please forward the message across
Merci Beaucoup

Just posting the emails i received.

Hi Friends,

We, at Chrysallis Performance Arts Centre, are organizing a Nation-wide Integration programme in bringing together children with and without challenges. Our motive is to bring the unfortunate children (with challenges) on par with the fortunate children (without challenges) and make them socially interact with the general community. We work through music, dance, movement and drama as therapy for the children with special needs.

We have a "Know your Special Friend - A creative Placard Activity" programme partnering thousands of children with and without challenges in every state creating placards. We will then exhibit the placards in the "Chrysallis Power of One Placard Exhibition" to be held across all the state capitals.

We are in need of dedicated volunteers to help us make a difference. If you have the strength, courage and drive in you to make the difference, you can be one among us.

What we expect from the Volunteers:
• Schools(of children with and without challenges) to participate in the Creative Placard Activity
• Volunteers to help support and organize the programme. (lead a team of two children - with and without challenges)
• Space to conduct the programme
• funds to support the event ( Rs.150 per children)
In Bangalore, the event is scheduled on March 3rd 2007 from 9:30AM-12 afternoon @ Mount Carmel College, Vasanth Nagar.

In Chennai, it will be on March 12th 2007 @ Pastoral Centre, Old No-15, Kutchery Road, Opp Santhome Church. We need 115 more children from Chennai to participate in the event.

We would be conducting a Volunteers Enrichment programme soon and hence all interested volunteers are requested to mail back ASAP.

For further details, volunteers registration and queries mailto : diana.tholoor@gmail.com

The Campaign is a nation-wide event and we need volunteers for all the state-capitals. So please pass on the message to all interested volunteers.

A few more...

What we did in the Bangalore event: (volunteer’s role)

• Initially the volunteers were grouped into teams, lead by one, as there were so many volunteers for the Bangalore event.
• We guys prepared some decorations to be put up in the hall, where the event gonna take place, so that it will enrich the place and to make it look pleasing for the children taking part in the programme.
• So we went around 7.30 in the morning and started putting up our decorations.
• Children from both normal schools and special school started coming around 9am.
• Some cheering up - jus to break the ice and to bring up some josh and energy to the children was held, by singing of the “Know your special friend” theme song by Diana herself along with the kids.
• Each team of volunteers are assigned 2 schools (one normal and one special school) as the programme itself is to pair a normal child with a special child for some 90 mins or so, to make them interact, converse and build up themes and put those into executions in making a placard, under the guidance of a volunteer.
• Here the volunteer’s job is to make the children interact more… sort out any communication problems if any and to bring them as close as possible.
• So, the kids start, by communicating with each other, bring up their ideas and by working together, they put those ideas into execution by producing a placard in the next 1 and half hours.
• Finally, the picture of the child was pasted into a card that was specially designed for this event. He/She will write on few words under “Why I like you so much ….” Along with his/her b’day date and contact number in it and both the kids exchange the cards, so that they can keep in touch with each other.
• Our volunteer team of around 8 was given 2 schools - FAPS (Frank Anthony Public School) the normal school and Kutumba School, the special school.