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| Vinayshree Kothari, Picture from Canopy Nepal Archives |
Mahendra Rashtriya Higher Secondary School; this was the place which was a kick start for my Canopy Nepal journey. As I chose Education for my social work week, I got to meet Shreya Upadhyay Ma’am, the cofounder of Canopy Nepal there who not only taught us how to handle kids but also stood by the idea of making the mundane classroom fun through interactive learning. That was my first encounter in terms of working with the kids. Throughout the week, I could see a visible growth not only in the students but I also experienced gradual changes in myself too. The feeling of bringing even a slightest change in someone else’s life made me happy.
Soon after, I decided to give this a shot. I quickly sent my CV and was called for an interview. Shortly, I was selected and was given an opportunity to facilitate for EIC classes in Vijay Memorial Higher Secondary School. The kids were very welcoming and made sure they put in all their effort to learn as much as they could. They used to stay back even after their exams and came to attend the classes during their holidays. This was heart-warming. I celebrated my first ever teacher’s day with them. I couldn’t express how happy and grateful I was. We used to stay after classes just to play games. This made my bond with them even stronger. It felt as if I was reliving my childhood. Similarly, facilitating in other programs helped me understand its dynamics and importance. This was a learning experience for me. I remember a kid who wrote that the best part of his day was “Working out with Vinayshree Ma’am.” I was on cloud nine. I along with my co-facilitator even managed to win the Most Valuable Player during Katha Bunaun. Apart from that, all the facilitators even performed for the kids on Graduation. The kids loved our performance. I always felt like a proud parent whenever the kids used to share their journey and how it helped them brush off their skills. It’s always overwhelming.
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| Vinayshree helping her student learn. Picture Canopy Nepal Archives |
Bidding the kids goodbye is always heart-wrenching. It’s like an emotional roller-coaster. Seeing them sad and crying just breaks my heart. It makes me wonder how people get so easily attached. From being strangers to a small family, the journey is filled with lots of ups and downs but with positive and enriching results. Canopy Nepal has helped me channel my inner potential towards things that could possibly help these children learn and grow. Platform as such has the capability of bringing the best out of each individual. It helps us understand the areas where we could improve to bring better results. It gives me immense pleasure to be part of such a great initiative.
Author: Vinayshree Kothari, Canopy Nepal
Canopy Nepal is a team of visionary youths working in the field of education, skill and leadership development, diversity and inclusion. Canopy Nepal works in collaboration with like-minded individuals and organizations to achieve the targets of empowering the organizations’ beneficiaries with skills they need to bring about positive change in the community. Canopy Nepal aims at creating an environment where individuals have a choice to equip themselves with skills and abilities of lifetime importance. The organization intends to promote intercultural understanding among diverse groups by means of various programs.
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