We are a month along into the new work-year and we all know that this year happens to be a year of change. In fact, a sea-change in no uncertain terms.
With founding director Sonia Mackwani more and more determined and committed to making dreams come true, Touching Lives is now attuned to fresh energies – advanced energies. Energies that are directed to setting into motion, the dreams of all those young souls who come to us. ‘Our work at Touching Lives can be defined in one simple formula’ she says, ”Energy to Evolution’. That is how any idea germinates, grows, blossoms and blooms. This is our way forward.’
Through extensive training, reorientation, and thoughtful and mindful actions, the core team of Touching Lives is now geared up to make several changes in the coming year. They are stronger, clearer and more poised than ever to take on challenges, let go the old and bring in the new. Here is a little peek into all the hustle and bustle happening at Touching Lives, starting off this wonderfully new work-year.
Touching Lives Media and Edutainment
The Media wing of Touching Lives which was on the cards during much of last year, is finally taking shape. It is spear-headed by our ‘media guy’ Debi Prasad Sahu, lovingly called Debi by his new colleagues.
‘He joined us a couple of months ago and it is a sheer delight to have him. He if fun. He is creative. And he is a true gentleman. What’s more we are happy to have more boys joining our team this year, since we were a predominantly female team so far. It is great that things are balancing out this way too!’ says Aditi our Human Resource head.
The Care Program
The most experienced and seasoned young mentor, Rubina Khan is finally realising her dream that she has been holding under her wings since a long time. Giving special attention to the children who need care, love and healing, so that they recover and emerge from their shells, get back on track with their learning and realise their true potential. The Care Program will be primarily guided by the boss herself, Sonia who is an renowned healer and therapist renowned for her unconventional mass therapy modalities.
Ram Soni
Ram Soni deserves a special mention here because he is indeed the fruit of all that Touching Lives stands for and is set to achieve. He is a dream come, a dream in the works, a future in the making. He joined Touching Lives when he was just a snot-nosed little child. He has walked many many miles from there and earned himself a full-time mentorship in Touching Lives. He will soon graduate with a majors in Psychology and was recently gifted a course in Hypnotherapy by the Clover Leaf Academy. He is also pursuing a course in Art Therapy. With all this knowledge and wisdom, his sincere dedication and intelligence, Ram is sure to make a brilliant mentor and an excellent therapist in his own right.
New Authors
Touching Lives Publishing is now entering its second year of teaching and learning Creative Writing and training students to become authors. Now, as we enter into this phase, authors Roshni Pal and Poonam Tevar are joined by two new authors in the making, Sonam Tevar and Prashant Jamol. They are currently being mentored for Creative Writing and Authorship by Chief Editor Nisha Joshi. According to her, ‘Prashant and Sonam are already pretty great with creative expression. Through the next few months I will be training them to hone their writing skills and build their confidence, before they move on to writing their own book.’
The Ashram Project
The Ashram Project by Touching Lives provides a spiritual retreat for young people. This project is tailor-made to uplift and rejuvenate its participants, so as to enable them to lead more effective and fulfilling lives. The project has already taken its first baby-steps and will soon host a retreat for young adults, with Ilango Nadar (also the official Life Coach of Touching Lives) and Tanvi Shah (also the Transit program mentor) as the architects of this Project. The duo continues to chisel and shape the Ashram Project, working on bringing innovative techniques merged with age-old wisdom on how to live life effectively.
Teaching Programs
Touching Lives’ teaching programs are not new to the organisation. Yet each year they undergo a revamp based on the learning from the previous year, and certainly on any new wisdom channeled through the Mentors. And given that his is a year of sea-change, there have been many changes on this front too! Our beloved Beginners Program mentor Divya Tevar moved to another city, leaving us all to miss her bubbly presence. All the same, this had also ushered in some fresh young energies, in the form of our super girls Neelam Tevar and Bharti Sakat. Both Neelam and Bharti have been students of Touching Lives. They are currently pursuing their Bachelors and work at Touching Lives part-time, rationally. They have so much love, kindness and learning to offer to the babies who trot into the Center with their big smiles each day.
Another change in the Teaching Programs is that the preschool class is now the Foundation Program, and the afterschool class is now called the Discovery Program. Nikita Shah who was the assistant mentor to Rubina earlier, has completely taken over and is now the sole mentor. And finally, the esteemed Teaching fellowship for the Discovery program has gone to Nisha Joshi this year.
So much change, excitement and action in such a short span. No, not jut change, but metamorphosis in motion. Remember to send your blessings and love to Touching Lives and all the children looking to their realize their beautiful dreams.