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I was drawn to Atma because of their professional approach. The whole application process was extremely structured, which assured me that volunteering at Atma would be valuable and the projects would be productive. Furthermore, its objective of quality education was something I wanted to work for. Keeping that in mind, I set concrete internship goals.

As a high school student, I volunteered at local orphanages: there, I would read to kids and teach them English and Hindi letters. The positive part of that volunteer work was that I got to observe children’s behaviour and interact with them. The flipside was that I could not bring about sustained change. With Atma, I looked forward to being a part of the educational program designing in working with Atma Partner CHILDReach, a school for children with learning difficulties. Here, I could take my experience in the classroom and create lasting materials that would be used even after my time at Atma was over. This would ensure that my work would have a long-term impact.

My goals from this internship were:

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Karla Kevin and Ravi Bagaria recently completed a five week Atma Volunteership. This is their Atma experience in their own words.

Ravi: After having given our Final exams for becoming Chartered Accountants, Karla and I started looking for a volunteer opportunity. We had two months in hand and wanted to utilise it to the fullest by helping non-profits with their investments, financial and tax planning.

Karla: The first thing that set Atma apart from other NGOs was the professional manner that volunteer recruitment was done. I received prompt responses to emails and we went for a meeting at the Atma office where our volunteer role were defined from the very beginning. That illustrated how much Atma values their volunteers and their resources, which was refreshing and encouraging! I instantly knew Atma would be the place where Ravi and I could make the most of the time I’d set apart for volunteer work.

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An open letter from Summer Starr, Atma Partnerships Director

In 2004, I graduated from the University of Washington. Armed with a BA in International Development, I flew to Kenya to “change the world”. What I discovered was that neither I nor the organisation I went to work with were prepared to utilize my skills in the most effective manner.  As a young person with minimal work experience, I lacked the perspective and skills the organisation truly needed, and the organisation was not prepared to use the skills I did have.

In not being able to make the impact I wanted, I felt disillusioned. This experience pushed me to “step up my game”. I realized that passion was not enough: I needed to gain experience so that I could maximize my impact and contribute in a meaningful way. In addition, I needed to look for volunteer opportunities with clearly defined roles that fit my talents and expertise.

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In 2010 Emily Quinan came to India for the first time from Canada on an AIESEC internship to teach as a volunteer at a school for children with special needs in Kerala. Through this experience, Emily glimpsed the challenges faced by the NGO sector in India. She also realized that although teaching for a short period was a rewarding experience, her time in Kerala didn’t have a long term impact on the NGO or the community.

So, when Emily graduated with a BA in psychology from McGill University, she began looking for a way to engage in capacity building that would have a more lasting impact. “I was drawn to what Atma does because I realised that there are so many NGOs in India that aren’t running to the best of their ability,” said Emily Quinan of her initial attraction to working with Atma.  Emily saw the potential of NGOs to facilitate change, but also observed that organisations often need someone to devote their time and expertise to take projects ahead. Emily was also looking for an opportunity to gain professional experience and use her expertise in the field of education. Before coming to India, Emily had done significant research in the fields of special education, effective motivation and praise, and teaching methods for children with special needs. Based on her research in the Interpersonal Relationships lab and Language and Memory lab at McGill,her background working with children with learning difficulties and her interest in curriculum design, Emily was paired with Atma Partner CHILDReach to develop an English Curriculum for children with learning difficulties.

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Atma volunteers come from all over the world to undertake specific projects with measureable, concrete outcomes for Atma and our partner NGOs. The profile of an Atma volunteer is a proactive, independent professional who is an excellent communicator. The Atma volunteership is an opportunity to use professional skills in the development sector, which shapes the lives of thousands of children by laying a solid foundation in quality education.

Volunteering with Atma is a way to learn and engage with the NGO sector on the ground in Mumbai and offer concrete skills towards a specific project and goal. This results in a significant personal and professional development experience. Atma reached out to a few of our former volunteers to see how their professional development experience with Atma has changed their life paths.

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Divya arrived in Mumbai in June 2010 to begin her Atma volunteership. Almost one year later, she looks back on her professional experience in the Mumbai social sector.

As a recent undergrad of Indian origin about to immerse myself in the Canadian corporate world, I was looking to contribute to the non-profit sector in India in a meaningful way.  I knew volunteering would provide perspective on international development issues, be personally fulfilling, and allow me to reconnect with my roots. While researching development sector opportunities, I was impressed by Atma’s professional website, well structured volunteer program, and defined volunteer roles. Atma’s extensive experience weaving volunteers from all over the world into the fabric of Mumbai assured me the transition would be smooth. Atma’s position as a ‘capacity builder’ also seemed like the ideal place to bridge my corporate experience with the non-profit sector.

I had worked in a variety of corporate internships and had volunteered in an ad hoc manner during my university career. However, I had very little experience as a full-time volunteer. My first and most important goal was to make an impact by using my skills in a meaningful way. Secondly, I was hoping for a better understanding of what life in India is like and what working in the non-profit sector is like. In short, I wanted to give of my skills to a cause I believed in, and take away a personal and professional development experience. (more…)

After finishing her BA in International Business, Simran Daryanani began considering working in the field of development. She knew that her classroom studies could only take her so far, and was looking for an opportunity to use her skills on the ground and gain professional experience. Her search for real hands-on social sector experience brought her to Atma.

In April, Simran finished a six-month Atma volunteership. Simran assisted with organisational development at Atma’s newest partner, the Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH).FMCH aims to improve early childhood development by providing underprivileged communities with health and nutrition education as well as interventions such as clinics and nutrition supplement programs.

Photo by Jacek Rezsko

At FMCH, Simran found a challenging volunteer opportunity: one that allowed her to truly work on the ground in the strategic planning and programs of an NGO.

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Photo by a CHILDReach Volunteer

This boy is a student at Atma Partner CHILDReach school in Santacruz. CHILDReach is a school that focuses on meeting the needs of students with learning difficulties that range from dyslexia to disgraphia and ADHD.

In the 21^st century, every organization is tapping into new media channels to promote and grow their businesses. New media strategy is now an integral part of an organization’s positioning and development. Recently, NGOs have also been harnessing the power of social media: to spread their mission and vision, and to engage supporters. Does social media for NGOs work in the same way that it does for corporate companies? Katya Ponkratova, a former Mosaic intern and current Atma volunteer, says it does.

“Google Adwords and Search Engine Optimisation are used by for-profit companies. The same model can be embraced and interpreted differently for NGOs.”

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Photo by a Masoom volunteer

This young man is studying from a Braille textbook at a night school supported by Atma Partner Masoom. Masoom works to improve the educational offerings at night schools in Mumbai.