Aasra at the International Volunteer day Programme on 5th DEec 2012 at Khar, Mumbai org by SOSVA

Aasra's Director Johnson Thomas was one of the Panelist's discussing the latest trends in Volunteering.

Aasra feedback session pics

aasra feedback session, Aasra statistics, Aasra(bookmarks,poster) at Landmark book store Inorbit, vashi

Samaritans Befrienders York conference summary by Melanie, regional co-ord south asia

The York Conference.-23rd – 26th September 2010.

York is a beautiful city and the University of York is set in a picturesque part of its suburb with lakes and sprawling parklands amidst impressive buildings of the University. The organizers of the conference had seen to every detail of the 3 day conference and each delegate was accorded a very warm welcome. The accommodation provided was clean and comfortable with more than adequate heating and hot water. Liz and some of the members of the BW steering group were there to welcome me with hugs! As prearranged we met at a hall to discuss matters pertaining to BW and the way forward. It was lovely meeting up with all ten members and Vija. I was delighted to meet the out going south Asia coordinator, Mallika who had helped me no end during these past months. She is a lively bubbly person who calls a spade a spade and I felt as if I had known her all my life. She has that effect on people.
Over a thousand delegates and invitees from 300 branches worldwide were present making the event a memorable one.
The international training team gave an informal presentation to what we could expect from the Training Event scheduled for the whole of the next day. Meeting volunteers from different countries and different cultures and colours was an experience in itself. The presentation was lively and fun with the team distributing mini musical instruments of every kind and hue and the noise we made was certainly not harmonious!
The training event proper got underway on Friday 24th. The theme chosen for the event was ‘Recruitment and Retention of volunteers’. The selected resource materials were from a range of BW centres. ‘It offered a mix of materials and some extracts from ideas gathered from around the world.’
The contribution from Mawanella branch for this event sent to the head office compiled by Hema and Anula was very beneficial and was chosen as the contribution from Sri Lanka. We thank Hema and Anula for their hard work and job well done and all other centres that sent in their well prepared contributions as well. The contribution from the Indian centres for ‘Retention Material’ was selected from Pondicherry Maitreyi centre. I found the lay out original and easy to retain. I have requested for the material used for this programme and hope to get it soon to share amongst all the branches. Sabrina and Brian from Colombo attended the conference as well and we thoroughly enjoyed this programme conducted by trainers from 4 BW countries who made it interesting, absorbing and fun.
That evening at 8pm was the opening of the plenary in the central hall. To see this massive hall packed to its capacity with volunteers from around the world was something I would never forget. All the more relevant as we got into conversation with total strangers who spoke the ‘same language’ felt awesome. To feel akin to the hundreds around you is a feeling I had never felt before. Then Sophie Andrews, Chair of Samaritans welcomed us to this 50th Annual conference in York. The key note address was given so convincingly by Simon Weston who shared his personal story ‘soldiering on’. A story of how he overcame the tremendous trauma of being severely burned and yet with his face disfigured beyond recognition he strove on with the Samaritans playing a major role to come out of his dilemma to conquer the raging battle inside whether to end his life or not.
Sunday 25th- the second plenary began with Sophie speaking on ‘Caller Care, the challenge of making ourselves relevant and accessible’ to say she had a certain presence is putting it mildly. She was my favorite speaker. She could turn any subject she spoke on, into one so inspiring with dots of humour along the way! The rest of the conference continued with seminars held at different venues in the vast and beautifully laid out grounds. One set of seminars featured the experiences and opinions of past and current callers and another on the big projects underway that will help respond to callers more effectively. By far the most soul searching seminar was related by Sophie on her own horrific life where she was sexually abused by her foster father from the time she reached puberty. Her book ‘Scarred’ gives us volunteers an insight into the despair a child feels when faced with this unimaginable horror. There again the Samaritans played a pivotal role in rebuilding her distraught life into one with a will to live on. At the point when Sophie felt that death was the only way out a Samaritan telephone number pasted on a call box turned out to be her redeemer in the way of a ‘soft kindly voice asking her if she would like to come and meet them?’ This caring voice turned her world completely as she became a caller at Samaritans. Today Sophie is the Chair of Samaritans. Can we remind ourselves again to the importance of the tone of voice we use when speaking to our callers? What would have happened to her if the volunteer at the end of the line sounded uncaring?
Another moving story was ‘Michael’s story’- a powerful insight into the loss of a child and how Samaritans helped to cope with the pain and to gradually find the will to move on.
5.30pm. the atmosphere around the exhibition stands was like a Sunday Pola! (market place) there were about 30 stalls manned by Samaritan branches. I was especially interested in reading the booklets on ‘the internet and children- What’s the problem?’ ‘What we all need to know to ‘protect our children from sexual abuse. ‘What is self harm?’ ‘Common misconceptions on this subject.’ Other stalls had colorful photographs depicting various fund raisers, ‘Walk for Samaritans’ and ideas on how to get funding for Samaritans. I have left the best for last! The International stall taking centre stage which was handled with friendly efficiency by Joan our out going twinning coordinator and her husband Tony. Our grateful thanks expressed to Anura for delivering yet another gorgeous Ceylon stone bracelet and the equally gorgeous pearl necklace from the Indian centres to be part of the annual raffle draw. Our warmest thanks to Lilamani for the generous gift of specially designed canisters of tea which sold like hot cakes! A most attractive display of handy crafts and other gifts that soon caught the eye of other volunteers were given by our international BW members. The funds collected goes towards the granting of bursaries at the York conference for our BW members when ever possible. The incoming twinning coordinator, Les Rowley is as helpful and friendly as Joan and we look forward to working together.
Sunday 26th –The final day of the conference. By which time we had made so many friends. Exchanged email addresses, telephone numbers and invitations to visit the respective countries! I followed another work shop that said ‘I hate role plays’ I was intrigued and interested to know what option there was to role plays. After the initial introduction we had to get into threes and one took the role of the befriender, the second the PV and the third the observer. It was simple really. Instead of a PV and the befriender having to act a given scenario (which at times is disturbing for a PV and hard to remember all the facts on the paper for the befriender) we acted a real life scenario. In this instance the PV spoke of the experiences at York and how it affected his/her personal life and the befriender listened and discussed other relevant details making it very real and easy to relate to. We could discuss this with our trainers and perhaps try it out at our next PV intake.
Interaction at meal time was a good ice breaker and conversations floored while enjoying the excellent food provided and served by the staff at every sitting. We were grateful to our past participants for having warned us of the bitterly cold winds that seem to pierce our ears and freeze our bodies. Wearing layers of warm clothing did not suffice and we soon realized that running to our meetings or seminars was the best remedy to fight the cold weather! That may be the reason we managed to drop the kilos collected at meal time and coffee breaks!!
The closing plenary ‘Something inside so strong’ delivered again by Sophie Andrews where she stressed on the strong feelings we each have to go forward but to be aware of becoming so familiar with our befriending that it sometimes become robotic! To explain this more clearly she and two other volunteers gave an excellent demonstration on ‘leader speaking to a volunteer who was worried if she had done a good befriending’. ‘Volunteer befriending a distressed caller’. ‘Volunteer befriending a telephone caller.’
We were given a true insight as to what a conversation feels like devoid of feelings and care. It was hilarious and the thousand three hundred delegates roared with laughter. Sophie expressed her thanks to each Samaritan in the UK and Ireland for their commitment. She made special mention of the close relationship Samaritans have with BW and she thanked all the volunteers spread all over the world for their contribution and encouraged us to continue befriending those in need.
Mela.

How to????

When was in my early 20s I saw the dead body of a close relative hanging from the ceiling fan.It was a suicide.That image does not go out of my head.Its like a movie playing in my mind. I can fully empathise with the family of the victim.The trauma that the family goes through is really tremendous.Everyone feels gulity. I know I did and blamed myself for not seeing the symptoms.
Recently we have been reading about suicides everyday. Young kids, Housewives and also Senior citizens.
I been trying in my own capacity to make pple discuss about suicide, about depression and about why pple take the extreme step.But Ive found that pple love to play the blame game.Generally pple are angry at the victim coz he/she brought SHAME to the family.
They hate to talk about it because they are afraid of the spirit of the deceased.
These ideas are so deeply ingrained in their minds that it becomes difficult to break the myths that they so religiously believe in.
What can Aasra volunteers do to initiate dialogue and make pple start talking about this grave problem? this problem of indifference?

kala ghoda festival

Aasra volunteers at the Kala Ghoda Festival...
It was valentines day we hd other plans but ....we all landed up at THE KALA GHODA festival....to promote the cause that we at AASRA believe in ..
WE LISTEN WE CARE.
We distributed more than 3000 book marks with our phone no.and address. We also made numerous people aware about AASRA, AND THE SERVICES WE OFFER

Later we went for the Shankar Ehasan Loy concert and from there proceeded to a stumptious dinner at BADE MIYA..JAI HO!

Article on AASRA in liveMint mumbai

LiveMint Mumbai Oct 25,Sat issue
* Posted: Sat, Oct . 1:43 PM IST
*

* Culture
*

Aasra, Mumbai
What Aasra needs right now is both visibility and volunteers
Sidin Vadukut



www.aasra.info
Several of the plastic chairs inside the Aasra office lie vacant at 6pm on a Sunday evening. Johnson Thomas and the two other volunteers could be expected to be crestfallen. But after years of trying to recruit volunteers, they are now used to the disappointing mathematics of Aasra’s weekly orientation sessions for new volunteers.“Six people had called up and said they’d like to come. We are happy at least two people came,” says Thomas, a freelance art and film writer, with an enigmatic half-smile that is his default facial expression. Every Sunday evening, Aasra, a 10-year-old helpline for people with suicidal tendencies, conducts an orientation session for potential volunteers. The sessions take place in front of a well-used blackboard, streaked with several layers of white chalk markings, in the cramped and slightly claustrophobic Aasra office in Koparkhairane, Mumbai.
During the hour-long session, Thomas and other volunteers take potential volunteers through a brief profile of Aasra, the process involved in becoming a volunteer and, as candidly as possible, try to convey a true picture of the work involved.
Aasra is part of an international network of suicide helplines supported by the UK-based charity organization Samaritans—the global network is called Befrienders International. Established in 1953 by Chad Varah, the organization’s prime activity is a telephone helpline that is open to anyone with emotional trouble, especially those that could potentially lead to suicides. Troubled individuals are encouraged to call in and speak to a volunteer who is specially trained to listen and offer support.
In Koparkhairane, Aasra volunteers run the helpline 6 hours a day, seven days a week, between 3pm and 9pm. Volunteers man the line in 3-hour shifts on most days. “Normally, we get around seven or eight calls a day,” says Thomas. But during school examinations and result declaration season—“You could call it ‘peak’ season for want of a term”— Aasra has to handle 70 to 80 calls a day.Schoolchildren are the single largest contingent among Aasra’s callers. The 20 volunteers end up working overtime handling calls from students.
Taking a call is anything but a matter of speaking softly in a soothing voice. “You have to be a friend: non-judgemental, non-intrusive. And never give advice. Most kids already get enough of that from their parents and teachers. They don’t want even the helpline to do that,” explains Thomas. And to make sure that every “listener” sticks to these basic tenets, all volunteers are made to go through a six-month training programme involving classroom sessions, group activities, role-plays and mock telephone calls.When asked to share his experiences with callers, Thomas is hesitant. Confidentiality is central to the Aasra’s—and Samaritans’— scheme of things. Callers are not asked to log their names or addresses and each call is treated as an independent engagement. Callers can come to the Aasra office for a face-to-face, but due to a shortage of volunteers, Thomas says, they try to avoid that as far as possible.
When pressed, he talks about how students, normally children in classes X and XII, call in during exam times. “It is a period of transition for these kids. And they feel scared. They call up saying they haven’t been able to study...or they’ve done badly in the exams.” The children then confess that they are scared of their parents’ reactions. Aasra volunteers first let the children speak their minds and focus on the issue bothering them—often just getting someone to listen to them prevents these children from doing anything drastic. Thomas says about 40% of the children call back for further help. “We don’t keep a database of callers. But we do know the frequent callers.” Calling regularly, though, is not something Aasra encourages. “We want them to become self-reliant over time.”
One of Thomas’ Aasra colleagues, an employee with Central Railways, relates how the volunteer training programme often ends up helping a lot of volunteers cope with their personal issues too. Thomas then reiterates how the rewards are unmatched: “When you do a good job here you save a life. Almost instantly.”
After the meeting ends, and both potential candidates leave, promising to call back, Thomas and his companions pack up after ensuring the phones have been set to auto-forward calls to volunteers’ cellphones: “This way, not everyone has to come down to Koparkhairane to help.”
What Aasra needs right now is both visibility and volunteers. After the meeting, the trio walks me down the road to a teashop. As Thomas sips on chai, he expresses his hope for Aasra: “We are happy with what we do now. But if we grow we can help more people. More children will see our telephone number and more children will call. If they do, we will make sure that there is always someone on the other end of the line.”
*****
If you want to volunteer
Those who wish to be “listeners” have to mandatorily go through a six-month training programme, over weekends only. All volunteers are expected to put in 3-6 hours of work a week, including at least one 3-hour shift on the phone and additional time for team meetings and any outreach programmes. Knowledge of Marathi or Hindi is desirable. You can also help Aasra by assisting it with seminars, outreach programmes and public events. Just turn up for the weekend orientation programme to know what you can do. For details, call Johnson Thomas at
*****
Rs5,000 for this charity can
Pay a month’s telephone and electricity bills
Pay three weeks’ rent for the Aasra office
Help them to conduct 10 batches of school outreach programmes where Aasra volunteers hold seminars and study sessions with schoolchildren
Buy five months of study material and refreshments for an orientation programme batch of 12 volunteers
*****
People like us
Saath
B12, Nilamber Complex, HL Commerce College Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad
Contact: Call
Lifeline Foundation
17/1A, Alipore Road, Sarat Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal
Contact: Call /7432
Childline India Foundation
Nana Chowk Municipal School, 2nd Floor, Frere Bridge, Near Grant Road Station, Mumbai
Contact: ‘www.childlineindia.org.in’, email dial1098@childlineindia.org.in or call 022-23881098.
Roshni
1-8-303/48/21, Kalavathy Nivas, Sindhi Colony, SP Road, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Contact: Call 09166202000
Sneha
11, Park View Road, RA Puram. Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Contact: Email help@snehaindia.org or call 044-24640050
Maithri
ICTA-Santigram, Changampuzha Nagar (PO), Kalamassery, Ernakulam Kochi, Kerala
Contact: ‘www.maithrikochi.org’ or call 0484-2540530
Sumaitri
1, Bhagwan Das Lane, Aradhana Hostel Complex, Basement, New Delhi
Contact: ‘www.sumaitri.org’ or call 011-23389090
The Samaritans, Helpline
Riddhi Siddhi CHS, Next to Lal Baug Police Chowky, Dr B. Ambedkar Road, Parel, Mumbai
Contact: 022-32473267