Caravan Experience - More Stories Please

I liked today's caravan very much. It was very relaxing. For the first time I was assigned to storytelling and theatre space and it was fun. The children and the volunteers too shared their stories. I loved listening to them.

The kids were so involved in the space that they asked the volunteer to tell more stories. They didn't see this space as boring and loved the interactive nature of the space. However, I also noticed that only female children come to the storytelling space.

In today's caravan the large group game with the egg was very interesting. Groups of children had to work together to create a contraption that would protect the egg on being dropped from a height of 6 feet. The children enjoyed it and it brought out their creativity.

-Jyothsna Antic

Caravan Experience - Spending Time With the Little Ones

The feeling that I get from the caravan is always so beautiful and amazing as I get to spend time with those little ones as it feels so nice to talk to them and play and dance and do different activities.

My space is arts and we had this activity where we have to make group of 2 children and one will be given a drawing and other person has to draw the same drawing without seeing it. The first person has to give out instructions to the second person on what to draw. It was so amazing to see as some are making  the exact drawing as dictated and also some are not coming up with the same things.

-Richa Podar

Caravan Experience - Dance Dance

The dance part of the caravan always brings out smiles and joy to children. It is fun to observe how even our instructors act like children when the music is turned on. I noticed a young girl in the corner practicing the steps of a song. I felt like she was shy and didn't know the steps properly but later I realized that she didn't want to leave her friend who was in the art group.

I feel like the caravans keep on adding to my experiences of community service. Earlier, I had some stereotypes associated with boys who were in <caravan location> but these caravans are helping me to understand that the reality is very different.

- Aeiman

Caravan Experience - Creating Your Own Borders

It felt refreshing to be back after a long time.

The activity in the art space was a group activity where a group of children paint together on one large piece of khora cloth and yet I saw all of them painting their own thing on that same piece of cloth. It was cute to see how they made their own border for themselves on that piece of cloth.

The kids were so enthusiastic as always and I learned to be as excited about life as they were!

- Vaishnavi Desai

Caravan Experience - Nothing Can Stop Us From Playing

I saw that the building was being renovated and there was a shortage of space but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying themselves. I felt that instead of complaining about everything if we can start finding joy in the little things it'll make all the difference.

I was in the indoor games. We were handed puzzles which were all jumbled up and some pieces missing yet the kids were determined to put them back together and the joy on their faces even if it was a single completed puzzle was really memorable for me.

-SWATI SINGH

Caravan Experience - Children Helping Facilitator Play

This was the first caravan of the new year and the first caravan held at <caravan location> in a long time. There was a lot of excitement in the air as we would be meeting the kids at the school after a long time.

At this caravan, most of the time was spent interacting with the kids as I hadn't seen them for a long time. They were were excited. We played badminton for the first time at the caravan. As this was a sport that I had never played before, I was really bad the first few times, but the kids who I was playing against showed great patience with me and even gave me tips on how o plat better.

-Christopher

Caravan Experiences - No One To Pass Judgement

It was my second time to this school where the caravan was held. It's beautiful to work with younger children. They show so much respect and gratitude. They are more devoted than the older students in the other caravan location.

This activity of creating drawings with alphabets is something I used to do as a kid. It was very creative. The children help each other and enjoy such activities.

This is one amazing activity and it indulges their mind to a great extent. I am so grateful to be volunteering here with Headstreams, it brings back memories and activities I have not done in years. It brings back so many memories from my childhood and of course to be a child all over again with the children. The best part about caravans is that there is no one to pass judgement.

-Sakshi Sipani

Caravan Resource Drive - An Interesting First Experience

I had an interesting experience as I'd never done anything like this. I've never facilitated a donation drive and so I was a little apprehensive to ask people for donations.
However, over time I realised my hesitation disappeared. As I care about the girls at the <caravan location> very much, I want them to have all the materials and resources that were available and so I began to feel very passionate about this drive. In most donation drives, college students feel they can't contribute because they don't have the money to do so. However, people were happy to realise that they could contribute in the form of simple things like newspapers and plastics as well.

A major challenge was in regard to monetary contributions. Most people I interacted with lived in PGs and hostels away from they family so even though they wanted to donate, they didn't have the money or materials to.

I told people who wanted to donate but didn't have the resources to, that even if at a later date they had something to contribute, they could reach out to me.
I told people to be especially careful while buying bottled water and packaged food and to keep the containers and give it to me as and when it is convenient to them.

One major thing I noticed is the amount of waste that privileged people produce. A few friends asked me if they could give me a few bottles of leftover paint of the same colour. This made me think how we often purchase in bulk without understanding our necessity. If we only use what we need in a respectful manner, we could save a lot and instead work on giving back to the community.

-Premaja Bhatt Joshi

Caravan Resource Drive - "Having Fun" Seriously

Since I live in a hostel I asked my housemates if they would be willing to contribute to the caravan resource drive. And since there was a minimum amount, they were uncomfortable (as it was too much for their budget) in giving money but agreed to buy some art supplies and donate.

I shared my role as a playworker with them and they were really amazed to learn a lot of new things about play in general. I asked them if they would be willing to donate in kind as even a small contribution matters a lot. I kept texting them to remind them about the things.  It really felt nice that all of them who contributed told that they wished they had Headstreams when they were in school too. All of them were really amazed by the kind of work Headstreams was doing.

From the time I remember, I have been very fond of stationary and anything related to games in general. When I was on the collection drive it reminded me of the privilege I had as a child and even now. These things may be the simplest things, but not necessarily affordable to all.
Thus the takeaway I had from this experience was that it's high time that we stop taking "play" for granted and also stop trivializing it. It's high time we take "having fun" seriously.

- Swati Singh

Caravan Experience - The Feeling of Love

I felt like we were not in <caravan location> but a fest with all the music around and various stalls where children were completely engaged. It seemed like everyone was having fun and was completely in the moment.

I was in the art section and what I realised across pieces of the painting was the theme of love. I had a chance to witness the expressive power visual art has. One child drew an image of her Mother and Father and expressed her emotions.The setting in which we were working with makes the theme extremely relevant. Every child used that medium to draw/ paint or write their loved ones name. My biggest learning was that children essentially need to feel loved and the lack of it is something that has real consequences.

It is very humbling to be around children and see that each have their own set of stories that have brought them to where they were. I felt grateful to be able to give them a space to be whatever they wanted to be.

-Varsha Ashok

Caravan Experience - Helping Each Other Out

It was a beautiful experience yet again. It felt very nice to have met all the children and help them out in whatever little way possible. The beauty in the caravan was just watching them try out and explore bubble painting for the first time. I had never tried bubble painting before.
Along with the students, I myself got to try something different.

One of the incidents that caught my eyes today was that one of the students was doing bubble painting and the other couldn't, so the first student helped him out and passed on his materials, whatever he had prepared till then.

Before they could do or help themselves, they helped each other which is very important in today's world. This is something I learnt from them and I see as a constant through the caravans.

-Sakshi Sipani

Caravan Experience - Expression Through Dance

Caravans are always fun. As days pass by, we are learning new things in every caravan we attend. We are actually getting familiarized with the kids as well.
As my space allocated was music and movement, the kids really enjoy to dance with different types of songs and music. They follow the steps shown by us and even portrayed their own steps.

Today was really a very good day with them. They not only danced well, but they were co-ordinated as well. They taught me steps and made me follow those steps.

The smile on their faces, the joy they had and the happiness they were expressing put a big smile on my face.

From beginning to end, their energy level was the same and they were ready to dance again and again on the songs. Every moment from beginning to end of the caravan allowed the children to express their feelings through dance.

As the days pass by, I see the children becoming more patient. They are participating and exploring  each and every space. Its good to see them learning new things through the play process.

-Afrah Siddiqua

Caravan Experience - The Spirit of Sportsmanship

Having interacted with the kids for the first time last week, I recognized many of the faces from the last week. Some of them recognized me too. This was a surprise. In this caravan session, we managed to play several rounds of volleyball and football. Seeing the enthusiasm and interest the kids showed through the games was particularly inspiring. Facilitating the games was very joyful.

Whilst playing football, one of the kids suffered a minor cut. But he still continued as though nothing had happened. This was refreshing to see as you'd expect a kid of that age to stop playing having suffered a cut.

The corporation that the kids showed at the school really stood out. The kids explained the rules to each other better than how we did, as it was something that we struggled with owing to the language barrier. The students were were enthusiastic about learning new things through the games we played. The students waited patiently for their chance throughout the entire session. Interaction with the students was made easy due to the enthusiasm of the students.

The incident that caught my eye was the sense of sportsmanship that was clearly evident among the children. I was in charge of football and all the children played the game fairly, there were no fouls committed and if ever a handball was committed, the children owned up to it. This was very prominent throughout the game.

-Christopher

Caravan Experience - Little Things Make a Big Difference

Today was the first time that I got to experience anything like this and I had a wonderful time.

There was one incident that caught my eye. My friend was standing right under the sun during the closing session of the caravan and her discomfort was evident by her facial expression. One of the young boys from the school noticed it and asked her if the sun was hitting her eyes; when she said yes, the boy pointed to a shady spot under a large tree and said 'Go there, the sun won't hit you anymore.'

I thought that was so considerate coming from someone so young, who not only was aware of her discomfort, but was also sensitive enough to show her the shady spot. It made my heart warm.

 My Saturday didn't feel as unproductive as usual.

-Waluscha Fernandes

Caravan Experiences - Making a Masterpiece

I felt so happy looking at little kids enjoying themselves with activities. Most of the boys and girls were working in groups and helping each other rather than fighting for resources. At the end, their eyes were filled with joy, looking forward to the next Saturday.

In Craft and Maker's Space, two boys from 9th grade took on the challenge of making "Rocket" out of matchsticks. From beginning to end, they were highly focused and conversed with me politely. When it was taking too long, two three boys from other group joined hands happily and the result was a masterpiece!

From today's experience, I cannot think of any suggestions that has to be made for making it better because kids enjoyed to the fullest in almost each area. I just want to mention that I feel this initiative is not only helping children enjoy their time playing and relaxing themselves it's equally therapeutic for volunteers like me as well. The smile on their face, their giggles, joy of completing a task makes adults like me contented.

- Ashni Shah

Caravan Experience - Persistence Through Play

I had forgotten what it feels like to be so naively happy about the little things in life and spending time with the kids reminded me of just that.

I think what struck me was that even though we weren't able to effectively carry out the activity that was prescribed for the art space (i.e. having two people tie their hands together and create art together as one) a few of them still picked up the makeshift prop that we had made (i.e. a sketch pen attached with thread at both ends) and strived to make a whole sketch with it, while I was expecting them to give up after few strokes, cause it's that frustrating not being able to hold a pen in a sturdy manner. But they really persisted through it, and it reminded me of how children have this ability to lose themselves in a creative project for hours at a time; and for some reason, as we get older, we stop seeing creative activities as worthwhile.

-Annmariya Joy

A Start to Caravan

In the beginning I was really scared to meet the boys as I have never been to the (caravan location) before. I was nervous about interacting with them. I have to admit, the entire caravan was challenging but I was able to interact with one of them.

I observed that, all of them really need love and care. They were all hurt inside, their reactions were those of dominance.

It's because they've learnt it by instinct. They can still be shaped. Also, their mental ages vary a lot.

I was able to interact with one boy. The rest I only listened to. The guy I spoke to was very mature. I was thinking of how I'll make him understand what empathy means given the theme of the caravan was 'Listening and Understanding with Empathy'. But when he spoke, I had all the respect for him. He was able to give examples from his personal life.

When I observed their art work, it reflected a lot of pain. It longed for freedom and love. It was all overwhelming.

In another space, the boys were sharing their personal experiences. I think of it as a way to learn and move on. I guess they felt at ease after sharing their feelings.

-Shailee Prasad

A REWARDING EXPERIENCE

The past couple of months have been as exciting as they were tiring. All the hours of dancing, painting and running around is something I wholeheartedly enjoyed. 

More than anything else, the Caravans have inspired me to be more active. Having been pampered by phones, movies, cars and other forms of technology, it had been a while since I had done anything physical for the fun of it. The kids I met through Caravan have shown me how rewarding it can be to actually go out and play. 

The other thing I learnt through Caravan is Kannada. A few of the kids thought it was about time I learnt it. Granted I'm not even close to being fluent in the language, I now know basic words and phrases and understand it quite well.

Of course, there are many other things that the children have taught me, like the value of patience and the importance of a smile. But over all, Caravan has been a lot of fun as well as an extremely fulfilling experience that I will remember for a long time.

- Senalda Ronald

PLAY AND LEARNING

The thing about 'play' I love the most is how it's such a happy word. There's always such a positive reaction that comes from almost anybody upon hearing it. As a kid, I remember how eagerly I would wait for the bell to ring at lunch time, so I could run to the playground and play with my friends. It was the best part of my day.

I think Headstreams through the Tackle Caravan program is doing a wonderful thing. It sort of reminds me of how my mother would fill my lunch box with red chapattis and green chapattis and I'd be so stoked. This is a weird comparison, I know, but hear me out. Through Caravan, I feel like these children gain so much more than they're aware of. They've come out of their shells, work effortlessly in teams with people that weren't initially in 'their gang', learned to be patient and have learned how to share. I feel like play has been cathartic for many of them, and through their art I've seen a lot of expression. What have those chapattis got to do with this? It's simple. The red were actually beetroot, and the green were palak. While I was so excited by the colour I had no idea my mother was feeding me vegetables. I think that is the beauty of Caravan, the immense learning and growth that is happening within each child without them knowing, helps facilitate a much more authentic change.

As for me, and what I've gotten out of this entire experience; it's been several things. I truly believe that learning and growth have been running parallely, between the children- their personal journeys and me and mine. Before I signed up for this program, I was sure in my head, that this is the sort of work I want to do in the future. I wanted to work with children and help them figure themselves out. I'm happy to say that these past months haven't changed that notion, but only strengthened it. Through each Caravan session, I've also seen myself evolve. From being the awkward person who could barely move from side to side, I've now let loose completely and am so much more comfortable with my body. From sitting idle at home, to actually working on my interests more. This process has actually sort of rekindled a dying spark of enthusiasm in me, and has reminded me what my goals are and has motivated me to work towards them. What I'm most grateful to Headstreams for, is that 2 hours every week, where I leave everything else behind and I'm automatically childlike.

- Anisha Rego

The Experience of all the Experiences

Working with Headstreams has definitely been a life changing experience for me. The idea of just being

with kids and playing with them was just so incredible but when I actually started going for the caravan

that’s when everything got more real and better. It is only through this experience that I have become

more caring and understanding towards other human beings. Dealing with kids have definitely made me

more patient. I have learned that experience is the best teacher. Through this experience that I am more

grateful for all the things that I have today. It fills my heart to just look at kids being so happy in their

lives even after not having the branded clothes or the most expensive gadgets. The love and respect that I

receive every single time that I go to the caravan is just so priceless.

I have never felt more productive my entire life. Honestly I am so grateful to be associated with this

organization. I am not only grateful for the experience that I had but also for the people that I have met

along this experience. I keep telling my friends how tiring it is but at the same time how rewarding it is

just to look at the smiles of these innocent kids.

- Livi Chishi