Interview with Jayashree & Veda from MAD NGO

We all reckon that equality is a birth right for every individual in this world. So, it is important that every person has an equal opportunity to express his/her views and communication plays a pivotal role for expression.

MAD or Make A Difference is a youth volunteer network which works with children at risk to bridge the gap they face while communicating in the society. They ensure the fidelity between thoughts and words is achieved by the students. It was founded in 2006 by Kavin KK, Jithin C Nedumala, Sujith Abraham Varkey, Santosh Babu, Gloria Benny and Jithin John Varghese and it is spread over 23 cities and has over 3500 dedicated volunteers.

Our Dashing team got to meet Jayashree and Veda Nadendla of MAD Chennai chapter and we were intrigued to know more about MAD. We were interested in knowing several aspects of MAD ranging from functioning, resource management, talent identification etc.

Functioning

There are two divisions in MAD, One is MAD for children and the other is Friends of MAD. MFC is dedicated to different aspects of English training and Placements projects for children, while FOM works on fundraising by conducting workshops, selling dream T-Shirts (sale of a T-Shirt contributes towards a child’s course) and conducting several other fundraising events. Jayashree heads MFC and Veda Nadendla heads FOM in Chennai.

Role of MAD Chennai

MAD’s main aim is to increase the confidence of the students by helping them communicate, understand English and also help them know about the various career opportunities available to them. MAD’s method of teaching is quite different. They incorporate the use of activity based learning coupled with fun learning and it helps the students grasp the language better. MAD is currently reaching out to 90 students in Chennai and has 64 dedicated volunteers. The classes for the students are during weekends and they follow Cambridge University syllabus. It is a five year syllabus students from class 3 to 8thstudents. As a pilot project, MAD Chennai is teaching the Cambridge syllabus to students between 18–20 years as a fast-track course.

Volunteers for MAD

The volunteers of MAD are the support system for the cause. So it is important to select highly dedicated, self-motivated and quality volunteers. For this, MAD conducts a three step selection process which comprises group discussion, task sheet, and a personal interview. The volunteer competence is checked on three important qualities such as working as a family, putting cause above self, leadership through ownership.

Veda says: “Volunteers must have high energy and enthusiasm because they must be able to reciprocate the enthusiasm shown by the students”

Jayshree says: ”It is also important for a volunteer to be associated with MAD for a minimum period of 9–12 months so that the class flow does not get disrupted and the bond between the students and the volunteers is continues”.

Training for volunteers

The MFC volunteers are given training on using the Cambridge books and to handle various class management issues. The FOM volunteers are given training on people skills, marketing, creativity and different attributes involving events management and fund raising.

Personal motivation for MAD:

Jayashree says “I wanted to be a teacher and help students. MAD gave me an opportunity to do that. Also, the enthusiasm and the personal bond created with the students motivated us for this cause “. Veda concurred with Jayashree’s statement.

Memorable moments in MAD

Veda says “There are many memorable moments for us in MAD. One such incident is of a small sweet little girl called Reena. She is 7 years old and aloof during classes. She had an infection on her hand due to an injury. We took her to the hospital and helped her in the treatment. From that day, she became well acquainted with us and started performing well. It was heartwarming to see her beaming with smile and enthusiasm when in class”. Jayasree says ”We had a boy called Robert who came to us and said he wants to become a MAD volunteer like us when he finishes his course. It was a great feel and it filled our hearts with happiness and motivated us to do better for the children”.

Future of MAD Chennai

Jayashree says her primary goal is to help children in MAD perform well in their academics and gain confidence to express their thoughts in the society while Veda says she wants to raise enough funds, reach out to many cities and help MAD become a self-sustaining organization.