- Title:Institutional Social Responsibility (ISR)
Our institution is consistently concerned about extending our services through the staff and the students towards becoming society-conscious and environment-friendly. We have a scheme called ANVEPS (Adoption of Nearby Villages for Educating and Providing Services) which centres on the activities carried out in 5 adopted villages. The focus of this forum is to create awareness on health and hygiene, to extend digital literacy and to promote economic independence through awareness and training.
- Objectives of this practice
- To know the environmental challenges and to become eco-friendly citizens
- To implant Social justice and Civic responsibilities into the minds of the students
- To advance human ethics and societal harmony
- To pursue research projects that could result in employability of the students and the public thereby promoting the healthy growth of the society
- To involve in activities related to health, education, hygiene and human-cementing values through the government projects like MHRD - Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, Swachh Bharat, Swachhta Pakwada, Clean India Mission, Poshan Abhiyan, Samakra Shikshan, Jal Sakthi Abhiyan, ODF ++, Fit India Movement, Make-in-India Movement and Skill India Campaign
- To function as a bridge between proposed people-friendly schemes and the general public
- The Context
Erode, situated in the western part of Tamilnadu is basically an agricultural area, though Textiles and Leather Industries are also prospering fields. VCW, now celebrating its 50th year, has consistently and insistently favoured women's education and empowerment. Though most of them are first generation learners, there is a rising tendency amongst the parents and the public to empower women with education and employment. VELCOWES (Vellalar College for Women Extension Services), with the view of extending purposeful services to the society, has created ANVEPS to reach out to the needy in terms of
- Addressing Social Challenges through Human Values
- Eco-friendly Activities
- Health Education
- Employment Initiatives
The services are extended through the clubs and committees and the coordinators in consultation with the Principal, plans and prepares the Faculty and the students to draw the roadmap for executing society- friendly activities
- The Practice
Institutional Social Responsibility initiatives are carefully scrutinized by the Principal and the Clubs Coordinators to facilitate harmony and peaceful and purposeful execution of the planned activities in the nearby schools and villages
NCC and NSS
create awareness on and to work in the field
- Planting Saplings and cleaning campaigns
- Imparting vocational skills to persons with Disabilities
- Cleaning the public arenas like Government Hospitals, Railway stations, Parks, Roads and the Temples
- Swatchh Bharat Mission
- Visiting Old Age Homes and providing psychological and financial assistance
Blood donation and Medical Camps:
Youth Red Cross Society, Red Ribbon club associate with Government Agencies and NGOs to undertake society-friendly activities
- Eye donation
- Master Health Check-up
- Bone Marrow Test and Mamo for women
- Awareness on AIDS and Dengue
- Eye Check-up
Green Society, Bio Diversity Club, Enviro Club and Health & Wellness Club:
- Training in Organic Farming
- Energy Management
- Solid Waste Management
- Seed Ball Preparation and distribution
- Drip irrigation
- Vermi Compost
- Mushroom Cultivation
- Tissue Culture Unit
- Use of Napkin Vending Machine
- Water Recycling
- Checking Haemoglobin, TSH and Vitamin D levels
- Herbal Nursery, Medicinal garden, Miyawaki forest, Napkin Incinerator, Rain water harvesting and Water conservation
Citizen Consumer Club :
- Awareness on consumer rights
- Quality Products
- Voter Awareness
VELCOW Extension Services (VELCOWES)
Creating Awareness in neighbouring villages and schools
Velichangal (Bright Light):
- Open defecation issues
- Sanitation and hygiene
- Addressing Social Challenges through Human Values
Creating awareness on Human values:
- Moral Education
- Dignity of the individuals
- Debating discrimination issues
- Inculcating equality, liberty and fraternity
- Remembering the national leaders who stood for ethics
- Addressing school children of impressionable age on gender sensitization
- Street corner plays
- Competitions on Gandhian thoughts
- Eco-friendly activities
Awareness and training programs are organized on:
- Rainwater harvesting
- Water and energy management
- Planting Saplings
- Preparing and distributing seed balls
- Cleaning public places
- Alternative bags for plastic menace
- Short films on Enviro issues
- Health Education
- Organizing Yoga sessions
- Training in swimming
- Physical fitness exercises
- Indoor-outdoor Stadium open for all women
- Awareness on Deworming, usage of Napkins, playing under early and late sun, chewing food for good health, oral hygiene, washing hands
- Trust Hospital for cost-effective treatment
- Employment initiatives
- Promoting entrepreneurship, training in preparing additives-free jam, pickle, squash, paper bag making, jewelry making etc
- Preparing Vermi-compost and details on the specifics for area and quantity
- Providing training Programmes on traditional and cultural arts like folk arts, street corner plays on social issues and Martial Arts
- Familiarising students and the public on revenue generating activities through production of eco-friendly plates and mats, baking products, etc.,
- Offering curriculum-integrated short term courses in Film Making, Photography, Story Board ,Collage, Photoshop, Tally, Spoken English, Embroidery, Painting, Mural Work, Android, PHP and My SQL
- Evidence of Success
(data for the assessment period)
- Students coming from the nearby villages become the brand ambassadors of our various activities and their already existing healthy relationship makes the transmission of information on schemes and materializing the same becomes easier
- Awareness on rainwater harvesting and the follow-up have built up ground water recharge
- Vermi compost training has enriched the home-Garden practice
- Eco- friendly mats and plates have reduced the plastic use
- Planting saplings has increased green cover
- Street plays entertain and enlighten the village people on social issues resulting in slow recognition
- Training in banking transaction have empowered them to be independent inside the bank
- Our Institution has been recognized as Mentor Institution by the NAAC under PARAMARSH scheme. We have signed MoUs with 5 colleges in Tamilnadu
- Study-In-India-Partner Institute (PI) with MHRD
- Problems Encountered and Resources Required
Limitations / Challenges
- Sometimes interaction and regular follow-up activities become sparser but it is managed through the Vellalar inhabitants of the said villages
- School children can be meaningfully motivated only during long holidays and that slightly impairs the regular working with them
- A slow down policy in addressing social challenges as it is a sensitive issue
- Speaking ethics to the hungry stomachs is highly challenging and the resulting disinterest and lack of support among the villagers are met with in a gradual process
- Time constraints, lack of funds and infrastructure hamper eco-friendly activities
- Notes : Optional
Our institution constantly focuses on quality education and quality service. As messengers of moral responsibility, our staff and students volunteer forward with messages of peace, happiness and economic Independence. Every national mission like a Swachh Bharat has an institutional unit which works concurrently with the national objective. Students cherish a good relationship with government and non-government agencies and hence and effective participation in social welfare activities becomes purposeful. Drama clubs and mimes carry forward healthy messages to create an ambience of togetherness. Providing marks and gloves to the industrial workers bridges and strengthens industry network. Training and creating market on the premises for eco-friendly and culinary products extends employment opportunities. Short-term employability courses functions of breakthrough in identifying the right kind of employment
- Title: Martial Arts and Well-Being Practices
To create and to sustain a healthy society, emotional/physical/psychological well-being is obligatory and all-out efforts are taken to empower staff and students on one side and the alumni and the home-engineers around on the other side to face any kind of health and safety oriented challenges
Our Institution has established "The Centre for Martial Arts" with a view to handle effectively stress-related problems and to create a sense of well-being. Though Martial Arts are codified traditions of combat for self-defence, they enhance physical, mental and spiritual development. Today's world is becoming too severe for women and it necessitates training for women in self-defence. Training Programmes for faculty, students, alumni, home-engineers and self-help groups make them stronger to face physical and mental challenges
- Objectives
- To get sensitized on the preservation of the nation’s intangible cultural heritage
- To practise wellness activities as entertainment as well as a means of spiritual development
- To lay strong emphasis on the mental and spiritual state of the practitioner with a view to rationalizing and calculating functions of mind so that the mind and boy can react immediately as a unit
- To practise Martial Arts as a part of philosophical and spiritual training
- To prepare students for Olympic Games as these arts are included as full medal sports
- The Context
The Vision and Mission of our institution is empowerment of women. Most of the students are from nearby villages and they need to cross many in-roads which may require them to be alert to safeguard themselves from the wrongdoers. Self-defence techniques are equally important as education and employment. The centre for Martial Arts uniquely contributes towards providing mental and physical alertness and strength.
- Achieved quick recognition and outsiders show interest in participation in the training programmes
- Many home-engineers express their willingness to get trained
- School teachers are given training
- Alumni also undertake training and they coordinate training sessions for the outsiders
- Self-help groups collectively participate in the training sessions
- The Practice
The players and the volunteers staying in the hostel turn into trainers and coordinators and the Physical Director carefully charts the time slots for various groups. As the participants are from various sections of the society, the outreach is more than expected. The players who visit the institution for competitions, the alumni, the teachers on campus and their friends, the self-help groups who conduct bazaars in the institution and our own students enrich the number of participants. In addition to the Martial Arts like Silambam, Boxing, Karate, and Taekwondo, Yoga and Swimming are also extended
- Students are imparted training to ensure their coping skills, stress reduction and healthy development
- To exercise and relieve stress
- To boost self-respect and self-discipline
- To stay active while learning discipline
- To enhance their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health
- To make them brand ambassadors of wellness
- Teachers on campus and off campus
- Fitness and flexibility are very important for the teachers who are on the move all the time
- Teachers to emerge as role models for the students
- In the event of electric and electronic gadgets making everyday chores easier, general health takes a back seat and hence wellness programmes are obligatory
- Relaxing the body and the mind after hectic sessions
- The ambience of the educational institution makes it comfortable for the women teachers
- Training and practice in the mornings and evenings facilitate the participation of off-campus teachers
- Alumni Involvement
- Coming back to the Alma mater to cherish butterfly days as well as getting trained is a double bonanza
- Interaction among them facilitate emotional as well as professional sharing
- Yoga for mental health and swimming for physical health in a women-only Institution open a free zone for them
- As representatives of the society they become ambassadors for indoor and outdoor games too
- Self help groups
- Women in 20s,30s and beyond get an opportunity for fitness exercises
- Inter-personal and intra-personal relationship result in mature understanding of each other
- Feel good factor and feel young factor are getting boosted
- Swimming as the life-saving exercise enables the elders to get trained and this necessity is passed on to the children
- Home Engineers
- This institution provides a safe and comfort zone for the home-makers
- The prevalence of chain-snatching and picking purses necessitates women to learn Karate to meet the challenges
- The convenient program schedules enable the home makers to decide on time-slots
- Evidence of success
- The participants have realised that swimming helps in burning calories, supports weight balancing, builds muscular strength and endurance
- Students on campus and school children have achieved a sense of confidence by knowing the body's power at the point and instant of impact
- Accomplishment of Mental Health through yoga contributes to self-esteem, self-control, emotional and spiritual well-being and the participants' behaviour stand evidence to that
- Strengthening the bones is very important to women and boxing participants understand the impact and by word of mouth make it known that boxing can minimise belly fat leading to good health of the heart
- Taekwondo is found to be popular among school children as this increases the sense of alertness and confidence
- Problems Encountered and Resources Required
Limitations / Challenges
- Organizing round the clock training seems a bit difficult but the systematic planning and the teamwork of volunteers and the faculty makes it hassel-free
- Getting the school children for the morning and evening time-slots poses practical problems but long holidays compensate this
- Involving in technical and often explosive moves such as kicks, punches and throws are initially difficult and harmful but gradually they get acquainted with
- Notes
Martial Arts is a new area, in general and extending the same to women poses a great challenge. Inhibitions are to be overcome and training sessions are to be meticulously planned to enlist more participants for every art. Regular workouts without break and brining in the experts require a lot of planning and coordination. Strengthening and maintenance of infrastructural facilities necessitates financial commitments which face a strain now and then. Since the Martial Arts are exhaustive exercises, generally, there is a thinning down of participants and hence regular conduct as planned becomes difficult sometimes. The importance of well-being exercises is not fully realized and the convincing and campaign sessions have to be more in number. Cultural thought-level block is common among women and requires consistent counseling and follow-up visits
