Two days that changed my life

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The Volunteer's View

 

Two days that changed my life

 

By Sanjay Vaja, Manchester

 

I completed Modules 1-6 of the SSEHV Foundation Course almost a year

ago as part of a project to try and kick-start an SSEHV youth centre

in the Manchester area. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and it

left me thinking how I was going to use the gift of SSEHV.

 

I wanted to get involved with the SSEHV camps in Oldham, but because

of work etc. I never got round to it. Then came the Christmas camp

in Oldham and I found I had volunteered to help for two days.

 

I was both excited and nervous as I've not been around primary

school children for a long time - well, since I was that age myself!

Babies are fine, but I really had no idea what to expect with bigger

children. How would they relate to me? How would I be around them?

What would I say to them? I don't know what they like or what

the 'in things' are to talk about.... all these thoughts, all these

concerns were going round in my head. And there I was, sat in the

car park on my first day. I decided to just 'be' the values and

to 'be' love.

 

Wow. My heart was totally melted by the love of these children.

Irrespective of their backgrounds, at the Christmas school they were

all the same - children allowed to just be children, free and happy.

They seemed to leave their troubles at the door and just feel great

about themselves. I knew the theory and structure of SSEHV, but to

see it in action was amazing. The children would just come up and

talk to me, hug me, explain things to me and show me their work. It

was amazing how many just loved the fact that someone was totally

interested in what they were doing and gave them attention! And to

see them sitting quietly for lunch and for the silent sitting... I

never expected that!

 

Looking back, I had a very deep and profound experience. Perhaps it

was reconnecting with my inner child... perhaps it was seeing what

is possible in the world from running the SSEHV programme... perhaps

it was just being around children again. I don't quite know, but I

do know the impact that SSEHV makes is real and that I have been

given this experience for an important reason. Nothing happens by

chance. I look forward to doing more work with BISSE and supporting

more of these camps across our already very SSEHV-active region in

the future.

 

>From the Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (UK)

NEWSLETTER - February 2004

http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Feb04/email.htm