international day of volunteering

Report 2011

sewaday

www.sewaday.org

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‘sewaday’

annual report 2011report summary Sewa Day took place on 25th September 2011.Building on the momentum of 2010, we achieved the following:

• 200 community service projects took place in UK• 15 countries participated by organising their own Sewa Day projects• Croydon Council became the first local authority to support Sewa Day• 10 companies took part in Sewa Day

Through the above, 15,000 people took part in Sewa Day 2011.

An independent analysis on the social return of investment conducted by two professional economists has shown that Sewa Day 2011 provides approximately £4.40 of net benefits to Britain for every £1 expended on it, which equates to a conservative estimate of approximately £300,000 of monetised net benefit.

Whilst we say that the above listed facts are ‘achievements’, our true achievement will come when more people become engaged with local community projects on a regular basis than just on one day every year. By helping to develop a mindset that evokes the spirit of doing something beneficial for someone else without seeking a material reward or without expectation is, and should be, the measure we are tested against.

Realising that social & behavioural change takes time, each and every single ‘achievement’ encourages, promotes, and advances us to that overarching goal, so let’s celebrate our milestones – however large or small.

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uk & overseas outreachIn terms of organisation, we formalized a structure, which enabled us to reach out to regions across the UK. By instituting teams in South London, West London, West Midlands, East Midlands, North of England, we increased our ability to meet with & present Sewa Day to community groups, of all types, with a view to securing their participation.

Our international outreach was lead by a desire held by organisations that participated in 2010, who’s affiliate organisations had heard of and wanted to take part in Sewa Day in their respective countries. Sensing this desire, we made a concerted effort in contacting large organisations in these countries to seek their assistance. As a result we made contact with the following: New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia*, China*, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka*, India*, Nepal*, Pakistan*, UAE*, South Africa*, Kenya*, Nigeria*, Spain*, Germany, Norway*, Sweden*, Finland*, Netherlands, USA*, Canada (those with a * participated in 2011)

schoolsHaving prepared free resources, such as lesson plans, activities and assembly materials, we were delighted to have the participation of ten state schools in the UK on Sewa Day.

Through the resources, children learnt about the principle of selfless service embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who coined the oft-used phrase ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’.

As a result of their cross-curricular nature, teachers were able to use the materials provided in a flexible way, and backed up the learning by organising an act of public service, which most students participated in.

We envisage that the schools programme to grow exponentially as a result of our learning.

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riotsWith the summer riots seen across Britain, Sewa Day took on a new relevance as everyone seemed to be asking how in such challenging times, cohesive communities could be cultivated. Sewa Day offered one answer – by engaging in community building initiatives i.e. those with a local purpose that sought to improve the livelihoods of others, we may be better equipped to spread harmonious relations.

Whilst Croydon Council had already pledged their support for Sewa Day, the fact that the borough had taken centre-stage during this episode, resulted in a renewed conviction by community groups, companies, and other such entities to fully support us.

financialsExpenditure £ Outreach events 2,100.00Marketing 1,200.00Production of promotional film 3,600.00PR 800.00Design & print of t-shirts & wrist bands 12,825.00Administration 1,500.00

TOTAL 22,025.00

Donations:From corporate sponsors: £7,500From individual donors: £13,000

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public relations• 75 individual pieces of coverage in the printed • media – worth almost £80,000 (up 20% 0n 2010)• in advertising equivalent, incl:

• OK Magazine• The Press Association• Birmingham Mail/Leicester Mercury/Bradford Tel & Argus/Cross-London media• Red Hot Curry• Asian Voice• Eastern Eye

• Wide online media, incl: Yahoo News• TV – ITV Central,• Radio - across the country, incl: BBC Northampton, WM, Manchester, National BBC radio

Network Sunrise Radio, Asian Network

Media Coverage -Category

Media Coverage – Media

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thanks• Cllr. Vidhi Mohan - Cabinet Member for Communities

& The Big Society, Croydon Council• Jon Rouse – Chief Executive of Croydon Council• Louise Neicho, Woodland Trust• Arjan & Shashi Vekaria of Vascroft Contractors Ltd• Vikram & Jyoti Goyal of Unesta Ltd• Kartar Lalvani of Vitabiotics Ltd• Rupin Vadera of First International Group Ltd• Nat Puri – Chairman of Purico Ltd• Dixit & Priti Joshi• Kadwa Patidar Association• ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor• Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Golders Green• Meera Syal, media celebrity• Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer• Shin from music group DCS• Jay Kumar, dance impresario• Lopa Patel, Editor of Redhotcurry.com• Swani Gulshan• Lizzy Cundy• BTCV, Croydon