Embracing Your Inner Child
Meet Deena Younan, Lotus Life’s Executive Director for Media Design. Read how helping disabled children in India is helping her even more.
Working with children is one of my favorite things. Unlike my peers or older people, I never feel awkward with kids. Even if they are shy or misbehaving, I can always connect with a child by letting loose and getting in touch with my own inner child.
As I move on in college and spend my summers working and taking classes, it becomes all too easy to forget how to enjoy the small moments and get a good laugh. You are never too old to play a fun game or to watch Justice League Unlimited in your pajamas! Working with children allows me to re-learn how to be filled with wonder and crazy dreams, and how to have fun! These traits might be called childish by some, but I think they help us become positive and energetic people.
My soft spot for children has led me to become involved in the education branch of Lotus Life. Last year, Lotus Life opened a brand new school in Karanjveri in Gujarat, India in partnership with CORD. This school houses and educates children from the nearby area who have some type of disability.
Our aim is to provide them with an education that can teach them life skills, along with a traditional curriculum. Some of these life skills will make them more independent, such as using special tools to write in Braille or physical therapy to improve key motor functions.
This program gives these children the opportunity to become empowered individuals while offering a supportive community of peers. These children never cease to amaze me with their positive attitude and ability to enjoy life despite any hardships. Our program may aim to teach them how to succeed in life, but I think we all can learn much more from them.
— Deena Younan, Executive Director of Media Design
