Behind the Scenes of SIP - Part 1

The Social Impact Project (SIP) at DLRC exists to help students and the community become more socially aware and responsible when they leave the institution. In Part 1 of this blog, we gather inputs from one of DLRC’s co-founders, Ajay Dalmia, about the thoughts and planning that went into SIP and what changed about it this year.

SIP has been an age-old activity at DLRC, starting from 2014 when the institution was established. The first SIP in DLRC was teaming up with Doorstep School. Their students used to come to the bungalow where DLRC was initially situated. Our students would plan activities for the children from Doorstep School such as painting and other workshops. 

DLRC has been experimenting with SIP – now involving students from Grades 9 to 12 – over the years, originally wanting to do it within school hours for 2 periods a week. Although this plan had its strengths, it also had many limitations. It’s hard to create an impact while being confined to the campus. Hence, we had to go outside during those two hours, and take up volunteering as our key pillar so we could give more time to social causes. 

Students of G11 prepared and distributed langar to the people of Susgaon

This effort not only helps bring awareness to the students, but it also extends to their respective families. This is because the families will have to transport the students and accommodate their needs outside of school hours. This makes SIP more than a school chore, and elevates it to an initiative that’s about giving back to the society. 

Last year, we had an NGO sangham where we invited several NGOs to display their work and products. We called NGOs that work on various causes, such as You and I, The Bookwallah and Doorstep School.

Students could get to know about them and choose to volunteer with any one of them for those 2 out-of-school hours. The purpose of having the event was to raise our awareness about the social work that is going on around us, and to find a cause and NGO that aligns with a student’s interest. 

Students of G9 interacting with the local people during langar distribution

Currently, all students from Grades 9 to 12, have signed up for some kind of volunteering activity during after school hours. At school, we engage in activities that help build our capacity to volunteer, and reiterate why volunteering is important. Recently we opened up Samajbandh Asha Kendra where we’ll produce sanitary napkins from cloth. These sanitary napkins will be reusable and thus more eco-friendly than regular ones. The time for making the sanitary napkins will be integrated into the SIP time. Students will be sewing, making posters and more.

The SIP time is going to be used to bring in speakers who are working in the field of social work to talk to our students. We are going to be closely working with Samajbandh, an organization helping tribal women, to understand the issues they focus on. We will keep exploring various social aspects through the program and improve our volunteering quotient.

Keep an eye out for the second part of this blog where we’ll get the students’ and mentors’ opinions on the new SIP program.

By Aasavari Khadilkar and Roshnee Deshpande (G9)