St Claret College

EXTENSION

COVID-19 Relief Services

The year was marked for the stronghold of COVID-19 pandemic over the lives of the general public. The pandemic severely impacted the lives of millions. SCC students from across departments took up the lead in reaching out to the vulnerable sections residing in senior citizen homes, orphanages and in the neighbourhood. Students rallied together to raise funds, distribute relief materials like food packets, clothes and stationary needs as required by different organizations namely Saraswathi Charitable Trust, Rainbow Home, Annapoorni Orphanage and the neighbouring families in Jalahalli. SCC was commended for its untiring efforts at ensuring oxygen cylinders, hospital beds and medicines for COVID-19 infected individuals throughout the severe second wave in Bangalore.

Awareness Generation Campaigns

Students are encouraged to take part in sensitization programmes on different themes. Some of the most notable ones have been the active participation of students in motivating the Jalahalli neighbourhood to get vaccinated in the quest to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Students have through multiple platforms heightened awareness on COVID-19 prevention measures. Students through various awareness sessions have been oriented on the multidimensional impact of the pandemic on communities. Significant emphasis has been placed on caring for mental health due to the isolation experienced during the lockdown period through workshops by practitioners on Mental Health.

Environmental Campaigns

As the impact of catastrophic climate change events are felt across the world, notably in India, in the form of heavy unseasonal rainfall across the states, searing heatwaves and droughts, the world cannot afford to be mere spectators. Students are sensitized to the significance of planet preservation by enhancing their knowledge on environmental concerns, through workshops on waste disposal, household gardening, tree plantation drives etc. Students are not seen as mere participants but active collaborators in designing and implementing green initiatives in and around the Campus.

Unnath Bharath Abhiyan

SCC is an active ‘Participating Institution’ (PI) in Unnath Bharath Abhiyan (UBA) 2.0 since 2018. The college has identified 5 villages as per the scheme and has identified their inherent development challenges and evolved appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth. These villages include Hullegowdanahalli, Lakkenahalli, Byregowdanahalli, Dasanpura, and Sondekoppa in Nelamangala district, Bangalore Rural, Karnataka.

A 13 member faculty team from the departments of Computer Science, Physical Education, Commerce, Humanities, Social Work, Science, Management, and Travel and Tourism are involved in the execution of the programs.

The UBA team of SCC (SCUBA) believes in linking the student community with rural India in order to broaden their understanding of rural realities, lifestyle, culture, value systems, inherent challenges, and coping mechanisms. SCC has organized numerous orientation and interactive sessions that have enabled the exchange of information between the college community and key officials of the aforementioned villages, namely the Sarpanch, ward members and other office bearers, the general public, and a few other significant people like village school headmasters. These interactions have proven beneficial in getting first-hand information from the rural community gatekeepers and planning for participatory interventions within these communities.

A number of initiatives have been undertaken to steer UBA within the SCC culture. Student volunteer orientation programs have been periodically organized to involve students as volunteers within UBA villages. This has been done in order to develop a sensitized young cadre of students who are attuned to social realities and encouraged to contribute towards need-based village development, using appropriate low-cost and sustainable technology.

An intensive two-day village survey was conducted in the initial phase of the UBA program which saw the participation of 749 student volunteers. The detailed household survey was conducted with the help of Panchayat members and local stakeholders under the direct supervision of faculty and staff. This was conducted to understand the socio-economic status of the villages. Data on household livelihood patterns, demographic details, and utilization of various central and state govt. schemes, landholding, livestock possessions, etc., through the UBA Questionnaires, were gathered. The data was uploaded onto the UBA official website, post which based on the analysis generated; appropriate intervention plans were formulated for implementation.

SCUBA regularly organizes brainstorming sessions with UBA experts and actively participates in their regional workshops in its quest towards strengthening the interventions program with the active involvement of SCC faculty and students.

Claret Centre for Community Development

The Claret Centre for Community Development (CCCD) is the social extension wing of Saint Claret College. CCCD comprises Social Action Forum and Unnath Bharath Abhiyan (UBA) Programme, which is a flagship programme of MHRD and is coordinated by IIT Delhi. Saint Claret College is designated as a Participating Institute within the UBA programme.

This Centre’s objectives align with the college’s mission of forming young, intellectually competent, professionally skilled, spiritually vibrant, morally responsible, socially just and culturally sensitive global citizens through holistic Claretine education to advance a civilisation of love and harmony.

The Centre believes in strengthening the knowledge of young minds by exposing them to realities, situated out of their comfort zone. This is done to develop within them, a sensitive outlook towards people, cultures, attitudes and issues around them.

This is achieved by encouraging all the UG and PG departments to sensitize their students through extension activities on varied themes. Each department takes the onus of developing robust extension activities which not only sensitize towards varied concern areas but simultaneously widens their capabilities at multiple levels.

Students learn to execute programmes, enhance their field level knowledge and begin viewing realities from a mature lens. These qualities hold them in good stead in their endeavours In its quest to contribute towards sustainable changes, the Centre places immense significance on developing linkages with communities and neighbourhoods near the College. Active student engagement with communities’ offers learning opportunities to know their neighbourhood, social issues prevalent therein, and the space to provide their skills and talents to contribute towards community development.

Within UBA, the college has adopted 5 villages in the Nelamanagla District, Karnataka. CCCD promotes village development initiatives with these pre- identified rural communities in specified thematic areas to empower them socially, economically and politically. Students have undertaken Shramdaan, knowledge enhancement sessions on nutrition and COVID-19 sensitization in these villages. The Centre is the perfect opportunity for students to engage with both urban and rural community issues, alongside developing their skills on awareness generation and sensitization programmes for promoting community wellbeing.