Introduction
The process of Persistence is an opportunity for us as citizens of this world to take the initiative of giving back to society by starting with our community at school. One such initiative is Muskaan (translated to smile in English).
Here we, students of Grade 11, take accountability to ensure that we help and guide the support staff of our school to learn and hone skills. These are chosen as per their need and according to their capabilities.
Muskaan is not only about empowering the support staff but also building a relationship with them. It is a way for us to show them the respect and gratitude they deserve for making our time at school fun-filled.
Our initiative could additionally inspire our juniors to continue the practice even after we graduate. To pursue this aim of creating and cherishing a bond with the support staff, students from grade 11 come to campus every Saturday and take one and a half hour sessions on various topics with the support staff.
Covid Story
Riverside school believes in giving back to the community and showing gratitude. In our teenage years, it is stressful for us to focus on one thing and persist. Therefore in 2017, we came up with a program named- Persistence. It helped us be diligent and put someone else before us.
Muskaan initiative is a small part of that program. As the word already suggests, muskaan means bringing a smile to a face. In this case, we spend time with our school support staff and help them learn multiple things they might be struggling with or play a game of antakshari and call it a day.
Its purpose was- build an everlasting bond with the support staff and express our gratitude to bring a Muskaan on their faces.
When our grade first got this initiative, we brainstormed ideas for engaging with the support staff. At first, connecting with them and building a bond was something that we struggled to do. Though, once we started spending time with them, we realized how fun-loving they are. Their little insights about their day made us smile.
The first few years, we focused more on getting to know them through different games and activities. Later, we moved on to their cognitive segment. It helps them with their daily life as they need to interact with children and different visitors.
In 2020, due to Covid-19, and conducting sessions were tough. However, we never give up. Even when Coronavirus was at its peak, we stayed in touch with them and made it a point that they were safe and taking precautions. To do this, we called them every week to get updates.
Other than this, the Muskaan team conducted sessions every Saturday with the help of Zoom. On zoom calls, we explored different online platforms and took the games on a higher level.
In 2021, things took a turn. It was relieving to know we were back offline. A sense of satisfaction overcame our minds. The sessions started to happen more often and were more productive. Slowly they started improving; their progress was visible.
People in the initiative started communicating using English, which helped them recall and revise all the concepts done in previous sessions. Throughout the school years, we helped them maintain and clean the place.
We also spent our festivals with them. It helped us get to know them personally. An example- We celebrated our school Garba with them and assisted them in serving food. During our Diwali, we held a Secret Santa: where we got gifts that brought a smile to their faces.
In the future, our goal is to make sure that they are independent and able to communicate fluently without any hesitation. Muskaan has helped us look outside ourselves and move out of our comfort zone. We intend on spending more time with them and bringing a smile to their face.
The English Program
English is a language that everyone would like to learn and speak, and the same goes with the female support staff at Riverside. Our reason behind starting an English program was to enable the support staff to talk and communicate with everyone in English.
It was one of their wishes to be able to converse with the children in English. It helps them with their future job opportunities, makes them feel more confident while talking to anyone and doing paperwork. It will make them independent.
Personal Stories
Sudena
One thing which made me put in my best for the initiative was the opportunity to lead. Earlier I used to be passive while talking to the support staff, who knew how I was.
I understood that it takes courage to lead the entire initiative and work hard to achieve the goal. It made me improve myself. Now I make sure that I put in efforts and inspire others to do the same for the initiative.
Prabuddh
I want to share an incident. It made me feel confident about the bond I have with this initiative.
Once, I helped Jignasha Ben, a support staff member, set up a classroom for a parent-teacher meeting during our school hours. She was not feeling well that day and needed help. I made sure to help her so Jignasha Ben would not need to worry about the rest of the day. It made her smile. In the end, she said, thank you so much beta. It always reminds me that I have put in my best and will continue to do so.
Khwahish
Something that used to bother me was that many of our support staff did not know my name. It led me to reflect and realize perhaps I have not made myself recognizable to the support staff. I started building relations with them, especially Mumtaz ben and Rashida ben, and actively contributed to the sessions. Now I can proudly say that all the support staff knows me by my name. I have also noticed their ease in approaching me–be it Pinky ben or Roshan ben or Premila ben–which never used to happen before.
Mansi
Before Muskaan, I rarely noticed any of our support staff and spent most of my time with myself and my friends. After this initiative started, I noticed how fun it is to spend time with them and sit with them, talking random things. Now I know each of their names; they also know my name. During school, if I greet them when I see them. If I don’t notice, they approach me. I am grateful to muskaan for making me interact with them.
Shriya
At the start, I didn’t see any relevance in doing all of this. As I was new to the school, I didn’t know any support staff; they did not know me either. Gradually as I started spending time with them, I understood how important it was to know them and show gratitude. Now, I see any support staff, I try to communicate with them in English and ask them how their day is going.
The Muskaan initiative is truly successful in bringing smiles to the faces of students and staff alike.
