Ms.
PR (Priyanka Ravishankar) with a flair for words was destined to be the Public
Relations (PR) head. She has been one of the most admired seniors who has the
ability to amalgamate any task with fun. The seniors find her innocently
hopeless in making jokes and wonder whether to laugh at her jokes or glare at
her.
She
shares how the meaning of Enactus has changed from, just a name of a society to
a lifetime experience for her. She expresses
how Enactus has given a lot more to her than what she has given to it.
Out of school, fresh into college, with
enthusiasm brimming as much as expectations. It is but natural to eagerly look
forward to college, a new world after a 12 year stint at school. The first day
began with meeting new people, discussing the overhyped 100% cut-off, talking
to some teachers.
The second day dawned and a plethora of societies began their recruitment drives - each talking about how they're the best and why we should 'so-totally' apply for them. Amongst the bazillion societies that SRCC boasts of, is SIFE - it is however not a society, but an 'international organisation that does social entrepreneurship' - 'Whoa, big words. Must be something cool' - I thought to myself - that's human psychology at work by the way - anything with big words tends to appeal to people's intellect. However, some Googling, and some talking around made me realise that the work done by SIFE was much bigger and much more meaningful than the initial big words that had attracted me to it. After attending the orientation, I was certain that this was something that I wanted to be a part of - because what's more to life than enabling the society to progress, what's more to life than putting a smile on the faces of people and ensuring that it stays on and what's more to life than enabling others to live a dignified and independent life?
I applied, went through the various stages of recruitment, and thank my stars, was selected to be a part of it, selected to be part of a journey that would not only enable me to contribute to change lives, but one, that would change my life as well.
I still remember vividly how our SIFE SRCC seniors had very animatedly proclaimed 'You are in for the best three years of your lives'; and having completed almost 2/3rd of the aforementioned 3 years and drawing a little from my basic econometric knowledge of extrapolation and forecasting, I too can proclaim that being a part of this organisation has been the most fulfilling experience ever - one that would stay with me throughout life!
Working with varied communities - rickshaw pullers, underprivileged women, manual scavengers, puppeteers– the first year in SIFE SRCC had been a wonderful experience of team work. With the second year in Enactus SRCC, came leadership, in addition to the teamwork. Donning the shoes of our Seniors and becoming people that our freshers would (hopefully :P) look up to. The second year has made me more organised, systematic and has given me valuable lessons on leadership – how to lead from the front, from within and from behind; and how to constantly give the juniors that sphere of independence because they are the ones that would lead in the year ahead. And I’m sure my batch mates would agree with me when I say that the process of leading a team has also given us an opportunity to learn from ourselves, our fellow team mates and our juniors – life is a process of continual learning after all.
The second day dawned and a plethora of societies began their recruitment drives - each talking about how they're the best and why we should 'so-totally' apply for them. Amongst the bazillion societies that SRCC boasts of, is SIFE - it is however not a society, but an 'international organisation that does social entrepreneurship' - 'Whoa, big words. Must be something cool' - I thought to myself - that's human psychology at work by the way - anything with big words tends to appeal to people's intellect. However, some Googling, and some talking around made me realise that the work done by SIFE was much bigger and much more meaningful than the initial big words that had attracted me to it. After attending the orientation, I was certain that this was something that I wanted to be a part of - because what's more to life than enabling the society to progress, what's more to life than putting a smile on the faces of people and ensuring that it stays on and what's more to life than enabling others to live a dignified and independent life?
I applied, went through the various stages of recruitment, and thank my stars, was selected to be a part of it, selected to be part of a journey that would not only enable me to contribute to change lives, but one, that would change my life as well.
I still remember vividly how our SIFE SRCC seniors had very animatedly proclaimed 'You are in for the best three years of your lives'; and having completed almost 2/3rd of the aforementioned 3 years and drawing a little from my basic econometric knowledge of extrapolation and forecasting, I too can proclaim that being a part of this organisation has been the most fulfilling experience ever - one that would stay with me throughout life!
Working with varied communities - rickshaw pullers, underprivileged women, manual scavengers, puppeteers– the first year in SIFE SRCC had been a wonderful experience of team work. With the second year in Enactus SRCC, came leadership, in addition to the teamwork. Donning the shoes of our Seniors and becoming people that our freshers would (hopefully :P) look up to. The second year has made me more organised, systematic and has given me valuable lessons on leadership – how to lead from the front, from within and from behind; and how to constantly give the juniors that sphere of independence because they are the ones that would lead in the year ahead. And I’m sure my batch mates would agree with me when I say that the process of leading a team has also given us an opportunity to learn from ourselves, our fellow team mates and our juniors – life is a process of continual learning after all.
With SIFE/Enactus, you receive more than
you give. Now, being a person with a tendency to reduce everything to points
(:-p), here's a kind of What-you-give –What-you-get analysis of being a part of
Enactus:
What you give/do
|
What you get/receive
|
1. Facilitate the further development of skills in people/ facilitate
the imparting of new skills in people.
2. Give time to your community to gain their trust, motivate them and
ensure smooth progress of training and the business – numerous field visits
and community interaction sessions.
3. Design a business model – Hours are expended on utilizing the
mental faculty - brainstorming, ideating and analysing various possible
business models – periodic changes in model based on market research and
market response.
4. Learn and understand procedural formalities involved in setting up
a business and entering into partnerships, you interact with varied kinds of
people from the corporate world and the government.
5. It is year round work. Even during exam time, work goes on because
communities are real and their life can’t stop because you have a hectic two
months academically.
|
1. The happiness of witnessing the sparkle in the community’s eyes
when they hold in their hands, their ‘apni kamai’.
2. The satisfaction of having been instrumental in changing the world
by moving from being a problem-stater to a problem solver - if the world is a
better place ten years hence, you know that you have contributed to that.
3. A sharper brain as a result of the continuous work-out, which
reflects not only in better Projects but also better analytical capabilities,
widening of perspectives while looking at any situation/problem – with
applications in many spheres of life.
4. Gain business and practical knowledge that is extremely essential
to work efficiently in any field that you decide to pursue in life.
5. Soft skills such as the ability to interact with various kinds of
people, the ability to effectively work in a team, organise events
successfully; effective leadership skills.
6. Application of classroom knowledge to real cases, increasing the
value of college education.
7. Good appeal to potential employers due to the meaningful work done
and because you know how to interact with varied kinds of people.
8. Access to a huge network of people in companies that are partners
and mentors, the media, NGOs and NPOs.
9. The fun of working with a group of like-minded people, some of
whom you get so close to that you know you are going to stay in touch with
them for many years to come.
(There’s much more, but I have to consider the length of this
article, before I go on :p)
|
Ah, what you get back is so much more than
what you give. And this, among other things, pushes you further, to contribute
even more, only to kick off a virtuous cycle of development of the society and
the self. As an Enactus student, I often say “From SIFE to Enactus, it is just
a change in nomenclature”; however, having spent two years with this
organisation that had very initially appealed to my penchant for big words, I
can proclaim that this entire journey - through SIFE and through Enactus – for
me, has been a transformation, a metamorphosis of many lives, including my own.
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