Why don’t you start by introducing yourself?
My name is Virenn Jay and I’m currently pursuing my BTech at DYPIU, Pune. In 2015, I was a 7th-standard student at Navy Children School in Mumbai and a CMCA Club member.
What’s your first memory of CMCA?
I have to say that I was excited to be part of CMCA even before the beginning of the programme, as I had heard great things about it from my seniors in school. In fact, my whole class was so thrilled about being part of the CMCA Club, that we did our first ‘act of active citizenship’ before the programme even started. Instead of buying new notebooks for CMCA classes, we all tore pages from our old unused notebooks and recycled them to create new pads.
Did CMCA inspire you to change your view on certain aspects of life?
CMCA brought about a radical change in me and deeply influenced my way of thinking and attitudes. It also played an important role in instilling in me a set of values that I still live by to this day. I learnt to be more empathetic and inclusive towards people of all backgrounds and to be aware of the implications my actions have on the environment.
Did you do any ‘act of active citizenship’ when you were in school or later?
When I was in school, my class participated in a beach clean-up campaign and we also called the local municipal corporation to fix some potholes near our school campus. These two initiatives taught me that it is not only about being aware of problems around you but also about taking action so that you can have a positive impact on society.
There is also this funny anecdote I’d like to share. In 2015, my class attended an event organised by CMCA called ‘Inspiration’. On that day in the same building, there was a talk in which someone was presenting an initiative to recycle waste to build school benches. I wanted to be part of that initiative, so I collected a bunch of empty Tetra Pak juice boxes that were given to the students as refreshments and brought them home with me. I planned on giving them to the CMCA teacher so that I could also do my bit and be an active citizen. Unfortunately, I missed telling my mother about it and, thinking it was just waste, she threw them all!
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CMCA has been accredited by Credibility Alliance under the category “Desirability Norms” – for good governance, accountability, transparency and continuous improvements. Credibility Alliance is a consortium of voluntary organisations committed to enhancing accountability and transparency in the voluntary sector through good governance.
