SPARK your ideas & realize your potentials: Akarsh’s changemaker journey

This story was written by Akarsh and edited for length and clarity. 

A visit to a government school during my time as a president of the school Social Welfare Committee and later interacting with children, made me realize their level of competency and lack of proper communication skills. I observed that though government policies had increased enrollment rates in schools; but, due to lack of support systems at home, resources in school, and methodology of teaching in understaffed government schools- most first-generation students weren’t able to benefit fully from that education. 

Upon discussing this with my classmates, I was surprised to see that most people in my class wanted to solve different social issues but didn’t know how they could make an impact. Statements like, “I want to help society. I will become rich and donate all of my money”, dominated the conversations. I had been accompanying my parents to visit various underserved communities from the early age of eight and was aware of the impact of volunteer work. In May 2018, this realization led me to co-found S.P.A.R.K, with a vision of inculcating social responsibility in young students and providing them an opportunity to showcase social leadership for child welfare and other causes.  

We have been running four different projects, which focus on linguistic skill development, interpersonal skill development, academic mentorship, and Library Enrichment and Development (LEAD). Each of these projects has been conceptualized and are led by high school and undergraduate students. We have regular weekend volunteering sessions where student volunteers serve as mentors for children from underserved communities. Utilizing the power of social media and through our micro-influencer outreach strategies, we were able to inspire hundreds of teenagers with no prior volunteering experience to work for a social cause, and eventually we grew from being a 14-member organization to becoming one with 500+ volunteers. 

When the pandemic hit India in early 2020, we started Project-Q, our COVID-19 relief project with a modest intention of ensuring the nutrition requirements of children of migrant workers weren’t compromised due to a pandemic. We were able to support 11,000+ people through these interventions. After this, we worked with the Gram Panchayat (village councils) and set up devices with internet connectivity at an Anganwadi (childcare centre). We also initiated the COVID-19 Impact Scholarship to prevent children from dropping out due to pandemic-induced poverty.   During the second wave of COVID-19, we worked to support grassroots healthcare and help India tackle the Oxygen crisis.

As an organization, we have had to face innumerable challenges in our journey. We were considered “too inexperienced” during partnership discussions and establishing a credible brand for the organization was an uphill task. But with strategies learned over time, we raised more than 20 Lakh Rupees over a year for COVID relief during the first wave. During the second wave, with everything we learned about donor relations, we were able to raise more a comparable amount within 2 weeks. We hope to continue driving social change at the grassroots by working with more Gram Panchayats in villages and government schools in cities.
 
“A shy teenager who had severe social anxiety, suffered from stage fright and was the textbook definition of an introvert.” That was me a few years ago before I founded S.P.A.R.K. But, the journey of being a changemaker has instilled in me a sense of self-confidence and made me a well-rounded individual. I believe that the people who benefit the most from volunteering are the volunteers themselves. The realization that you as a young individual have the power to transform lives makes you more confident and gives you the skills to excel in your own life.