Linda Lalrinchhani shares her heartfelt volunteering journey that helped her find her better self!
UNV India’s VForce is not a new platform for Linda. She has been involved in online and offline campaigns along with a bunch of friends and seniors. This gave me a sense of what it actually would feel to be a vehicle of change wherever possible. What attracted her the most to become a volunteer at UNV India was the ability to sensitize others about certain societal issues and a chance to give them a new insight.
My experiences as a volunteer has reinforced my desire to contribute to society and I learned the importance of Youth as an agent of change in promotion of social inclusion and it taught me a great lesson in life – The ability to observe, listen and participate. The materials provided by VForce on the Google classroom were a real eye opener for me; the rich information followed with a task was one of the most interesting parts about the VForce journey.”
As a student of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Linda developed a deep interest in understanding the society, its challenges, and mitigation. Being passionate about exploring new things, not just in terms of places but getting to know people’s ideas and motivation, having a chance to exchange ideas and get motivated by their stories makes her feel connected to the deep roots of humanity. Volunteering with VForce India was a valuable experience of volunteering for Linda. It gave her a chance to meet new people, organize and work as a team. It was a journey to work together with people from different age groups, discussing certain topics, and working on it to create awareness and inclusion in the society.
Promoting volunteering through VForce India’s materials was one simple and productive task, even though the viewers don’t join the Volunteering force right away, it gave them a chance to know more about UN and many other issues that take place in the society. Pondering upon this thought and journey, she says
“I was overwhelmed with the responses I received from different age groups, students from different schools. universities and diverse backgrounds showing interest and keen to know more about my post as UNV India’s VForce Volunteer and the variety of information I put up on different occasions. The ability to make people aware is our responsibility, it is the responsibility of every member in the society to take part in various social activities, to promote sustainable development and most importantly social inclusion through different social media platforms This I consider as an accomplishment as a VForce Volunteer.“
“My participation as a volunteer gave me a practical experience of different institutions in the society. I gained comprehensive knowledge on societal issues and how different regions in the world encountered different societal challenges. It gave me a wide range and developed insights on the environment, political and economic challenges the world is currently facing.”
During the International Volunteers Day campaign, Linda got an opportunity to engage with students from one of the most prestigious institutions in Mizoram. Linda felt great joy when she got to witness students with endless enthusiasm who are ready to build and spread their knowledge for an inclusive society. It opened a new window of perspectives on how privileged the students are to attend schools and to have a class room with the best possible facilities with committed teachers. To inspire them to be a vehicle of change in their daily lives to carry out sustainable development and build an inclusive society, the participation of the young minds, the students, gave this active volunteer a hope that we can still achieve a society with love and true humanity. The simple gesture that makes her feel good to be part of UNV India’s VForce is the text she received from her own old classmates and friends who just brought out the topic of things she posted on my social media with regard to VForce in a casual conversation.
Linda says, “I believe that it’s not always the big events and celebrated posts that reach the members of the society but the little simple things that are often overlooked are the ones that reach, teach and connect us.”
The sixteen days of activism against Gender-Based Violence- Orange The World campaign was another remarkable experience for Linda as a woman. As part of the VForce assignment, volunteers were asked to gather and light up candles and inform and aware people how crucial the role of street light is in women’s safety. This particular task put her into a realization of how we can support and work together towards a cause. Talking about her personal experience, she continues to share that, at first it was not easy as it may sound like. It demanded the participation of other individuals who were busy and played a crucial role in their family, repeated attempts to convince them to join this campaign made this campaign a success.
Describing her journey of impact, Linda says, “All the assignments that we’ve completed as a UNV India’s VForce Volunteer has educated me and widened my perspective on various topics. Thankfully, I have been able to carry out my assignments on time but with a lot of challenges. Personally, I am passionate about exploring not just new places but also people’s ideas. UNV India has given me a chance to exchange ideas and get motivated by people’s stories. Since I have extremely poor social skills which always led me to be tagged as a quiet or silent person, there were instances where I failed to express myself. UN Vforce assignments and the activities that we carried out as part of the VForce network really molded me into the best version of myself; I interacted with others more than ever before thus improving my social skills. Approaching others and asking for their support and work together to bring sustainable development and build an inclusive society seems much easier and more”
