"Spreading Smiles" - Launching OYA'S New Project

"Spreading Smiles"

- OYA'S New Initiative

Your mind cannot heal without laughter and Your soul cannot heal without joy...similarly great music can transform an ordinary day into something magical !

Many of us know the tremendous effects of music & laughter and the power it can have over both thoughts and emotions that include improving verbal IQ, aiding in heart disease treatment, evoking colors in the mind and even helping you see happy faces all around.

Laughter breaks the cycle of psychological negativity.

Laughter helps to think more clearly and have more integrative thoughts.

This is of great value to individuals who need or want to revisit, reorganize, or rearrange various aspects of their lives or experiences, to make them feel whole or more focused.

Individuals who laugh easily and frequently have better self-esteem and a much more positive outlook on life in general. 

In the bigger picture laughter is a survival skill that relieves tension, keeping us fluid and flexible instead of allowing us to become rigid and breakable in the face of change.

With these two as focal points OYA has come up with a new initiative "Spreading Smiles"....combination of Music & Laughter therapies with an integrated approach to improvise life skills.

- Roopa Mohan

Executive Catalyst

Open Your Arms Foundation

Change....

Change….

 I joined OYA with the hope of learning new things, meeting new people, trying new things and pushing my boundaries…but I learnt that there are no boundaries to push as this world is huge and so are my opportunities

I clearly remember it was a Thursday when my mentor told me that I had to do a puppet show with my friend for kids between the age group of 4 to 7 at Sharanam(home for girls) At this point I had 2 problems.. 1st I had never done a puppet show before and 2nd I had never met the kids at Sharanam,so I had no idea what they were like. But as an intern with a first assignment me and my friend were determined to do it...so we sat down and we decided to do the story of King Midas and his golden touch..we made puppets on ice cream sticks and a board with a night and day theme... and we decided that I would move the puppet and be the characters and she would do the narration...during practice I made a lot of mistakes. I forgot my lines when I remembered them I forgot to move the characters to make them look like they were talking and one time I knocked down the board that we made.. I was a total klutz.

So naturally on the day of the show I was nervous as I did not think I could do it... and my colleague kept reminding me...not to mess up my lines or not to forget that I had to move the characters to show as if they were talking.... when we reached Sharanam we met the girls and had the time to interact with them before the show. The kids were great and were excited to see the show. So we set the board up and the show began. During the show I could see the kids looking at the puppets and listening to story with such interest that it made me forget the things that can go wrong and just get into it…from this story we wanted the kids to get the message of not to be greedy and to be happy with what they have. And I guess we succeeded, but from this experience I learned a lot more, I learnt that just because we think we cant do something or we haven’t done something before, should not stop us from trying something new …Change is a part of life and so is learning.

So what! if you fail this time, so what!! if you get embarrassed. Its time that we stop thinking about what “people” think or say because in the next 30 years when you look back “these people” will not be the ones feeling the regret of not doing the things you wanted to do,or laughing at your funny memories or crying at your loss. So next time you think you can't do something or the task is way out of your comfort zone stand up look in the mirror and say “nah I can do it, and you my friend cant stop me because there may be people who could do this task better than me..BUT THEY WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER ME”

-Shivani F

Intern

OYA!

Working with Open Your Arms Foundation.

Working with Open Your Arms Foundation

Kids…gifts of God ! Innocent, naughty, mischievous, humble, lovable and loving, without being judgmental. The pure innocence remains intact till the time we remain kids. Don’t we often say “Childhood days were the best days”! No stress, no worries, just play, laugh, care and share with your family and friends. I often felt and said to myself and others too, “I wish I could return to my childhood”. Wish I could play the way I used to play. I always had a feeling of re living my memories of childhood. I had even put my Whats App status on my last birthday as “Wish I could go back to the innocent phase of life”.

 Working with “Open Your Arms Foundation”, OYA, I got the opportunity to spend time with a class of kids I never experienced in life. Through OYA I got the opportunity to work on one of its partner projects, “Project Street Children” which caters to the needs of under privileged street children. The first thing learnt through this project is the need for unconditional love and acceptance, a need for all classes.

 They play the same games I played during my childhood, off course with a few changes. They laugh and tease each other, fight but kiss and make up, joke around, trouble elders for studies but yet are innocent in their own way. I even got the opportunity to play outdoor games with them, where they taught me few games and vice versa. Thank you OYA for making me become more tolerant of kids and helping me re-live my childhood memories. 

- Shazia Khan 

Counselling Psychologist

OYA!

A Royal Voyage - Experience Sharing by OYA Intern

A Royal Voyage

Sometimes life brings to you the unexpected, something new and exciting. OYA to me personally was a breath of fresh air. Something that inspired me to take a step forward, help people and make them happy. I wanted to do something different for a change and when the opportunity presented itself I took it. 

OYA is more than just an organisation; it is something the people enjoy being a part of, helping people and making them smile is what makes us who we are. Being a part of OYA has taught me a lot of things not just that there are people who need us but that it is a whole new experience in itself. It has helped me open up to people, meet new ones and strengthen the bonds of the old. Making new friends was my worst trait but now I feel as if it were my best. Helping the kids is what brings me joy as we all know that the children are our future so helping them is helping our future.

 Yes people do have problems in life but no one is perfect and that’s what makes us human but solving the problems together is what OYA strives to achieve. It is fun playing with the children. It brings great joy and changes in my life and interacting with them I too know that I am doing the same with theirs. A two way process where we both get the benefits and learn from one another.  

I hope to be a good role model for the children and help them become the best so that they may pass on the knowledge to the future generation. Even a small change in the present can have the biggest impact on the children in the future just as a small snow ball rolling down a snowy hill can cause an avalanche. I would like to become that person that the children look up to and come to when in a sticky situations. 

Trust is something that is slowly and steadily built in OYA. Friendship is one other thing we in OYA value a lot. Between the children, the interns, the mentor trust and friendship is what binds us and holds us together. Joining OYA has changed my perspective of life. It has taught me that opening your life to new choices brings in new changes in life. I am glad I got the chance to join and be a part of OYA because even though it is small I know my life has changed for the better.

Veena Ravi

Intern

OYA 

Believe it, achieve it!

 Believe it, achieve it!

There is a force that controls all your decisions. It influences how you think and feel every moment you're alive. It determines what you'll do and what you'll not do. It determines how you feel about anything that occurs in your life. That force is your BELIEF.

All of us have certain dreams and all of us want to achieve those dreams, but how much do we believe in ourselves to achieve those dreams?

This is one thing I have commonly observed in people. 

THEY FEEL THEY ARE FAILURE but they have to understand that

THERE ARE NO FAILURES AND YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE. 

To achieve your goals you have to believe that there are no failures. The way you tried to achieve your goals wasn't a right approach but that doesn't mean you failed. It means that this didn't work so you have to change your approach. No matter how many times you have to change your approach, no matter how many times you make mistake you are not failure. Keep on trying. 

You lose the battle or you are a failure when you don't even care to make an attempt. 

Unless and until you don't try how'll you know whether you could do it or not?

People feel dejected trying for few times. They feel that they are good for nothing. 

But how often we try to turn the table around and instead of feeling depressed we make a point to try again and again. Unless we get our dreams fulfilled. Success doesn't comes overnight. 

Well anyone who plants a seed today and expects fruits should relocate to another planet. It isn't possible on planet earth. 

Here, you don't win unless you consistently and continuously back up your attitude to win with the attitude to prepare to win. 

Eleventh hour preparations do not work beyond 9th standard in school.

In life, preparations to win is a prerequisite to win.

BEFORE YOU ASK YOURSELF OR OTHERS, 'WILL YOU WIN?' YOU'D BETTER ASK 'ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN?'

It takes lot of hard work and dedication. Be dedicated to your work and no one can stop you.

When you are criticized by your teacher, boss or parents just don't feel bad about it instead know your mistakes and work upon them. 

Drop this attitude of I CAN'T because this is a language of death. The only time you can't do anything is the time when you stop breathing but till the time you are alive you have to believe in I CAN. 

We all should know one thing that if we don't believe in ourselves completely no one will. 

If you feel you are good for nothing than you give a chance to everyone for believing in this that you are good for nothing but if you believe that you can do only than you can do and make people believe in you.

If we keep striving to make things better, and we learn from our "mistakes", then we will succeed. 

ULTIMATELY, IT'S OUR DECISIONS, NOT THE CONDITIONS OF OUR LIVES, THAT DETERMINE OUR DESTINY.

- Vidhushi Jain

  Intern 

OYA! 

Funtala - A Fun Day!

Funtala

At Asha Sadan

Funtala is a FUN DAY.... Celebrated as a birthday of a donor. This Program is specially designed by OYA for the kids (3-6years)  and the girls (14-18 years)  to have loads of fun in creative ways.

Funatla Events for Children (3-6 years):

• Racing to the Jungle: The children were bubbling with energy to race their way by hopping or walking the walk of various animals. They hopped like little bunnies, and jumped like funny frogs, swayed slowly in a squatting position to quack their way like darling ducklings and galloped with confident strides like majestic horses. The common action that accompanied all the walks was the cheerful laughs.

 

• Rhythmic Rhymes: The children instantly caught the tune and the actions of the sweet rhyme, ‘Where is Thumbkin’. The impact of the rhyme was such that every visit Oya made after the Funtala, we were greeted by the ‘Thumbkin’. Singing to the rhythm, the kids learned how to greet people using the English language while having loads of fun.

 

•  Nana Nani ki Kahani:    The kid  wereall ears and eyes to hear a new story ‘Lion and the Mouse’. Gleaming eyes were eager to have a peak at the enthralling pictures. Curious minds awaited and tried to guess the up-coming events of the story. The gang ready to have loads of fun joined in the drama the story created through their actions and all the growling and squeaking to enhance the characterization in the story. Finally, the kids wrapped up all the fun they had not only listening but participating in the story and stored it in their memory along with its precious message of being there for your friends in need and respecting each individual for who they are.

 

 

•  Skipping Fun: Two volunteers of OYA held the tricky skipping rope from the two ends and made various obstacles using the rope for the kids to either jump over the steady rope at a short height or to pass from below it when held higher or jump over the dancing waves of the rope, all that without touching the rope. Each child enjoyed playing with the rope in this fun way and awaited their turns for each of the different obstacles.

Funatla Events for Young Girls(14-18 years):

•           Taal se Taal Mila: The girls instantly put their singing talent and their knowledge of hindi songs to use while having fun participating in various competitive rounds. The traditional ‘Antakshari’ round was a good warm up. Then the challenges increased the excitement through rounds like singing songs with the given words, guessing the song from its tune and acting out the songs while their team mates tried guessing it. The girls through the ups and downs of winning and losing each round learned to pull each individual’s resources together and work as one team.

 

•       Dramebaaz : It was a treat for the eyes and our hearts & minds to see the girls perform street plays, beautifully on the topics given. The focus of the street play competition was to express the our agony about some existing social issues using satire, irony, sarcasm and prepare a play that pinched our conscience but made our hearts laugh out loud. The girls demonstrated brilliance in their work, be it their ideas, presentation, acting skills, dialogue delivery or group work. The judges and the spectators witnessed creativity at its best.

The team performing on the topic, ‘Bhrashtachaar Humari Zaroorat Hain’ won the sparkling Trophy - "CREATIVE INNOVATORS" presented by OYA.

 

•         Soothe Your Soul: One of our promising volunteers, Nihar played a mix of old and new melodies on his guitar. It was the best way to bring the day’s events to a memorable end. The girls, Asha Sadan’s management and OYA team members all joined in to sing to the strings’ melodies.

 

A day packed with Smiles, Laughter, Innovations, Creativity, Talents, Learnings and FUNNNNNN!!!!! :) :) :)

 

 

How to be a Successful Entrepreneur - An Expert Talk

Expert talk by Mr.Rahim Munshi

Organised by OYA.

Topic :                         How to be a Successful Entrepreneur

Date:               13/04/2013

Venue:            Nalanda Foundation

Participants:   Social Entrepreneurs/Budding social groups/Psychologists/Counselors/any individual who would like to know more about the concerned topic

 

About the Resource Person - Mr. Rahim Munshi:

He is an IIT ian from Mumbai and a member of the Front End New Business capture team. He has the Ability to see the “ Big Picture “and understand multiple disciplines with technical credibility. He has Excellent communication / listening skills and capability to prepare and present to all levels of management and also has the Ability to work in a team environment, with a high level of initiative. He has extensive knowledge and experience to identify, modify, develop and implement systems engineering plans, processes and procedures. He is very knowledgeable and experienced in leading, training and facilitating Qualify Function Deployment (QFD) methodology and Risk Management. Above all, he is a man with multiple talents and humility.

 

Outcome of the Talk:

Participants learnt about various dimensions of working in a team like:

·         Team Building

·          Team Sharing

·         Importance of Acknowledging  & Appreciating Your Team’s Work

 

They also learnt about ways of successfully achieving ones goals through topics like:

·         How to Achieve your GOAL

·         Focusing on ‘What You Do’ – Ones actions that determine the outcome

·         Overcoming Distractions while Setting and Achieving Goals                

 

Finally, they received priceless guidelines to build a successful organization and be a successful Entrepreneur.

The response of the talk was remarkable. Various participants came ahead to share the experiences they had during their journey towards establishing an organization. Viewpoints were shared and each participant returned home with a new vision and plenty of hope for success in all their endeavors.