NAAC

Best Practice-2

For the Session 2017-18

The Blood Donation Camp:

The Context:

At SACCM, classroom teaching is combined with several community engagement programs with the aim of inculcating a spirit of social consciousness and civic participation among students. One community engagement program that the NSS unit of college regularly organizes in the college premises is the Blood Donation Camp.The shortage of blood in India is due to an increase in the demand, with fewer voluntary blood donors. By organizing Blood Donation Camps, the college aims to do its bit in serving the local community.

The Objective:

The aim behind organizing voluntary blood donation camp is to collect protected and fresh blood and supply the same to medical organizations where it can be deployed judiciously. The camp also aims to motivate students to come forward and donate for this noble cause. The college believes that once the initial hesitation and fears of the first time donors are addressed, they will muster the courage to participate in more such camps in future. SACCM looks to bring an altruistic change in the attitude of students by engaging them in such community service programs.

The Practice:

SACCM regularly organizes Blood Donation Camps in its premises. These blood donation camps are organized in collaboration with medical organizations like Christian Medical College, Dayanand Medical College, Civil Hospital and other blood transfusion service centers such as Red Cross Society. The college also collaborates with NGOs like Zindagi Live Foundation for the said purpose. The college facilitates the easy accessibility and adequate supply of safe and quality blood and blood components from voluntary blood donors to those in need. The blood is stored and transported under optimum conditions by the collaborating hospitals. Transfusion is always done under the supervision of doctors and trained nurses. The donors are provided with refreshments and a certificate which is valid for a period of one year and can be exchanged for blood from the hospitals, if required. To ensure smooth conduct of blood donation camps and follow up work, student volunteers from NSS team assist the NSS Program Coordinator.

Impact of the Practice:

This practice of organizing blood donation camps has had a profound impact on the students, teachers and community at large. More than 100 volunteers participated in 2017-2018 and donated blood which was utilized by leading hospitals of the town. Through this practice, students get reminded about their responsibility towards the community they live in. The blood donation camps also provide an opportunity for student volunteers to understand how events are planned and organized, thereby giving them a hands on experience at acquiring managerial acumen. Encouraged by the success of this practice the college intends to make this activity a regular affair.

Problems encountered and resources required:

There are still a few hindrances that need to be dealt with. Being a small college with a strength of less than 1000 students the frequency of conducting the camp is limited to once a year. Being an undergraduate college, students being just out of school have numerous apprehensions with regard to donating blood. Students are to be made aware of the safety and precautionary measures before transfusion to dispel any doubts that they might be carrying. Motivating them to come forward in large numbers still remains a challenge.

For the Session 2018-19

NSS:
The Context:

At SACCM, classroom teaching is combined with several community engagement programs with the aim of inculcating a spirit of social consciousness and civic participation among students. These community arrangement programs are organized by the NSS unit of College. The programs aim at infusing the sense of social welfare among students. This is an initiative to make the students understand the sense of gratitude, humility, selflessness and humanitarianism.

The Objective:
Aimed at living the concept of holistic development of students, NSS helps them in growing up as complete beings; the one who is not only self sufficient but also contributes for the betterment of society. The college fosters the philosophy that when it comes to serve the society none could be little smaller nor bigger. Accomplishing medals and success in careers makes students strong on economic front, but the actual feeling of being complete can be comprehended when even once in life a person proves worthy of extending help to others without his own profit motive. SACCM looks at bringing an altruistic change in the attitude of students by engaging them in such community service programs.

The Practice:

NSS unit undertakes a number of activities all round the year. The activities aim to inculcate feeling of humanity, equality and selfless service towards the society. Through well organised induction programme the newly admitted students are made aware about the motto and objective of NSS unit.

Activities at Glance (2018-19)

Activity 1: Standing firm and true to the motto of NSS “Not Me, But You” the first activity conducted was a Visit to an Old Age Home named “Shree Swami Vivekananda Swarg Ashram Trust” where students distributed fruits, biscuits and other eatables to the inhabitants and shared quality time with them.

Learning outcome: Listening to the life experiences of inhabitants helps the students to know about the hardships of the life.

Activity 2: The next activity was conducted whereby the students visited Bal Bhawan maintained by Red Cross. The students conducted various games, colour competition and rhyme recitation competition and distributed the gifts (toys, clothes, stationary and eatables) among the children.

Learning Outcome: A small act of kindness can bring a smile on someone’s face and it never gets wasted.

Activity 3: Students for the next activity visited traffic park whereby they were apprised of the traffic rules and importance of abiding by them.

Learning Outcome: Students can share the knowledge with their peers and friends.

Activity 4: The students conducted a cleanliness drive within the college campus and cleaned the classes, canteen and other sitting areas. The posters highlighting the importance of cleanliness was pasted in the entire college campus.

Learning Outcome: The students learned and spread the concept ‘Cleanliness is Godliness.’

Activity 5: Students enrolled with NSS unit, visited ‘Ek Prayas’ the school for differently abled children and helped them in preparing handicraft items like envelopes, diyas and candles etc.

Learning Outcome: Students learned the virtue of deriving happiness by helping others.

Activity 6: College organised a blood donation camp in collaboration with ‘Blood Sewa Social Welfare Society.’ 100+ volunteers volunteered to donate the blood to be used by the hospitals in need.

Learning Outcome: The students overcame the initial hesitation and fears of being the first time donors and mustered courage to participate in more such camps in future.

Activity 7: A week long activity titled ‘Joy of Giving Week.’ was conducted. The students collected the different stuff (eatables, clothes, toys and other material) from among themselves and distributed it in the underprivileged areas.

Learning Outcome: The students learned the virtue of ‘sharing is caring.’

Activity 8: Diwali stalls were organised in the college campus in collaboration with Ek Prayas. The handicraft items prepared by Ek Prayaas Students were exhibited for sale. NSS student volunteers helped them in managing the stalls.

Learning Outcome: Students comprehended that self service and helping others are the best virtues that align oneself with the inner peace and satisfaction.

Activity 9: To express gratitude towards the Sub Staff of the college that serves the institution through out the year, NSS volunteers arranged a programme ‘Samparan’ whereby the sub staff was invited along with their families. They are given a platform to showcase their talents.

Learning Outcome: Students are apprised of the sense of equality.

Activity 10: One day camp was organised on the agenda ‘Save Environment’. Tree plantation drive was conducted in collaboration with Eco Sikh whereby each volunteer planted a sapling. The drive was followed by a lecture to familiarize the students about criticality of the issue of environment devastation.

Learning Outcome: The students took a pledge to initiate minor efforts to save environment.

Activity 11: A meditation session was conducted in collaboration with Swami Vivekananda Meditation Pyramid.

Learning Outcome: Awareness about mental well being was created as students were educated about calming their impulsive and aggressive behaviour through regularly practicing meditation session.

Activity 12: In collaboration with JCI a ‘Walkathon’ was conducted on the theme ‘Run 4 Nine’ sensitizing about women empowerment.

Learning Outcome: Students were made aware about the need of women empowerment.

Activity 13: To educate the students about the martyrdom of our freedom fighters and appraising them of the costs that have been borne for earning freedom, a movie on pre independence era was telecasted.

Learning Outcome: Students realized the value of hard earned independence and acknowledged the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters.

Impact of the Practice:

The NSS team is divided in 16 members core committee. All the activities are organized and planned by the core committee under the able guidance of faculty in-charges. This helps in ingraining in the students leadership and management qualities.

The activities conducted help the students in realizing that superficial things can create happiness that is only short lived. The contentment and inner satisfaction, these are the most revered virtues, are embraced while serving the elderly and loving the differently abled.

Students are not only becoming aware about the social and environmental problems but are also creating awareness through innovative means. Virtue of selfless service embraced by the students, would always help them in doing good for the society.

Problems encountered and resources required:

There are still a few hindrances that need to be dealt with. Other organizations, institutions and people are not adaptive to the ideas. Resistance on the part of other organizations and getting permissions from the local authorities is the biggest challenge. Ours being a small college with a strength of less than 1000 students, still we were able to get the participation of 100 students. Out of this, 70 students were awarded certificates for attending 7 Day NSS Camp. Motivating them to come forward in large numbers still remains a challenge.