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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK & NSS

All students of St. Xavier’s College are expected to complete 30 hours of social service (One Non-Academic Credit) either from college or from outside. Those who wish to complete from outside are requested to take prior permission from their respective VPs. The college provides a number of opportunities for social work throughout the year. Students are encouraged to use every opportunity within their first four semesters.

The dept. of social work & National Service Scheme (NSS) is situated on the ground floor of the main building, near the college canteen. The office timings are from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Students who wish to become part of the dept. are supposed to collect the membership form from the office. After submitting the form, a student becomes eligible to participate in all the activities of the dept. Activities are held before and after class hours, during lunch break and on Sundays. Students are advised to read the dept. notice board regularly.

The dept. provides an opportunity to students to become part of the selected NSS Board which has a one year term from February to January every year. A Board member can accumulate all 6 non academic credits within one year provided she/he completes the full term successfully. Members for the board are selected on the basis of their commitment to social service, their genuine concern for the underprivileged, their regular participation and their readiness to accept any challenge that may come on the way.

A generous heart, a creative mind and a sensitive conscience is what we require from those who want to make a difference in the lives of others. The outcome is, while making a difference in other’s lives, they make a difference in their own lives. Here’s the chance to make that difference! Go for it! Feel free to walk in to the office for any query or clarification. You may contact the Director Ms. Cheryl Francis or the NSS Board Members to help you.

Dept. of Social Work & NSS from July 2012 – June 2013

The primary objective of our department is to reach out to the underprivileged and marginalized sections of our society and bring about the desired change. The motto of NSS “Not Me but You” enhances the essence of democratic living and upholds the need for selfless service in society. It brings the students together for a greater cause, to create a sense of social awareness amongst them. It establishes a constructive linkage between the campus and the community at large. Our main endeavour is to fulfill the vision and mission of our college that is ‘to create men and women for others’.

27th July 2012 – Rally to the Indian Red Ribbon Express: On 27thJuly, 2012, about 20 volunteers represented St. Xavier’s College in the rally organised by Calcutta University intended to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS through a visit to the Indian Red Ribbon Express. The train was stationed at Sealdah railway station.

The rally started from the university campus at 1.30 pm. There were many students representing different colleges under the university who marched on foot and reached the station around 2.15pm. They were taken inside the Red Ribbon Express where they got to know the details of how HIV spreads and the precautionary measures one should adopt. The students also got to know about the myths associated with the disease and the viability of these myths. There were pictorial descriptions inside the train. The train also had telephones connected to the all-India helpline for HIV/AIDS. There were guides inside the train to answer any questions the students had. After coming out of the train, all the NSS volunteers formed a human wall in order to escort the VIPs who visited the train shortly after.

It was an educational rally and the students are now surely more aware about HIV/AIDS.

7th August – The annual Blood Donation Camp was organised with the help of 68 volunteers. The camp commenced at 7:00 am in the SXC auditorium. There was a reading from the Gitanjali to commemorate the death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Our principal, Rev. Fr. Dr. Felix Raj then declared the camp open. The camp was highly successful with 687 donors donating blood.

11th August – An awareness programme on “Persons with Special Needs” was organized in collaboration with the Pol. Sc. Dept. About 200 students attended the programme. Ms. Lipica Bhattacharya, Mrs. Meenakshi Atal and RJ Den shared their knowledge and experience with the students. It was indeed an enriching and eye opening experience for the students.

12th August – Independence day was celebrated in the villages of Debipur, Shalpukur and Nurshikdarchowk. Around 55 volunteers were involved in organizing story sessions, quizzes and songs based on our Independence struggle and our nation. The children in each village were given biscuits and toffees.

14th August – The Green Clean Neighbourhood Campaign was started with 30 volunteers going around the college building, canteen and green benches putting up posters and charts to spread awareness about keeping the campus clean. A street play was put up in the green benches to help spread the message. 36 students from Italy who came on a visit to understand NSS activities at St. Xavier’s also joined the students in cleaning the canteen and the pavements outside the college.

7th September – Teachers’ Day at Rural extension centres. The extension centre volunteer teachers were felicitated for all the hard work they put in throughout the year. The children celebrated the day with cultural performances and presented flowers as gifts to their teachers.

15th September – The second awareness programme on “Persons with Special Needs: Looking through the Gender Lens”, was organized in collaboration with the Sociology Department and the XCGS (Xavier’s Cell for Gender Studies). More than 200 students attended the programme. Ms. Jeeja Ghosh from IICP and Dr. Nandini Ghosh from IDSK shared their experiences with the audiences. It was an eye opener for most of them and some students even pledged to work for the cause of persons with special needs in future.

30th September – A free Eye Camp was organized along with SXCCAA in collaboration with M.P. Birla Eye Foundation at Ragabpur. Around 222 persons mostly women from neighbouring villages got their eyes checked. 33 cataract cases were identified, 68 persons required spectacles and 14 persons were called to the hospital for follow up. Free spectacles distribution would take place on 12th Oct. and free cataract operation will be held on 15th Oct. 2012. All arrangements have been made.

N.B.: The Green Clean Neighbourhood project continued in August and September with a total of 40 volunteers in August and 82 volunteers in September. The Sunday Literacy and Education project continued in July, August and September in Debipur, Shalpukur, Bolorampur, Paikhala and Nurshidarchowk. A total of 117 volunteers participated in July, 196 volunteers participated in August and 250 volunteers participated in September 2012 in all the five villages. In the last three months about 250 children benefited from the initiatives.

28th Oct – 4th Nov 2012 - About 40 students attended this week long camp at St. Joseph’s Hospital, West Midnapore. Students were involved in manual work which resulted in a garden for the HIV/AIDS patients. A Free Eye Check-up Camp in association with SXCCAA and M. P. Birla Eye Foundation was also organized. A total of 267 people had their eyes checked at the camp. There were 89 cataract cases and 17 people were referred to the clinic.

13th January 2013 – The students union in collaboration with NSS and Dept. of environment organized a GREEN WALK for promoting a green, clean and safe environment. About 700 students from various departments participated in the 2 ½ km walk along Park Street, Russel Street, Theatre Road and Wood Street. Mr. Pachananda, the Police Commissioner along with Fr. Principal flagged off the walk. Fr. Principal appreciated the initiative taken by the students and encouraged them to continue in the true Xaverian spirit. The CP also praised St. Xavier’s College for taking a lead in social initiatives and being a role model to other students.

3rd February 2013 – An orientation was organized for students of Std. VIII upwards of Debipur, Salpukur, Ghostomat, Bolorampur and Nurshidarchowk. About 60 students attended the orientation which was focused on the need to continue higher students. It was encouraging to see that 90% of them were girls. Reasons for dropouts were discussed and issues ranging from alcoholic fathers, to financial crisis, to relationships, early marriage etc. were expressed freely by the students. Safety of young girls, eve teasing etc. was also discussed. The session concluded on a positive note where every student went back promising to themselves that, come what may, they would focus on making their futures brighter. The session was conducted by Ms. Cheryl Francis.

9th February 2013 – 55 students from the computer science department along with Prof. Romit Beed, Prof. Debabrata Dutta, Ms. Sujata Pakrashi and Ms. Cheryl Francis visited Gurap to organize Sports Meet for about 120 children. The students organized about 25 different races for the children. They were awarded with medals during the prize distribution.

24th February 2013 - Around 800 children from eight villages of Nurshikdarchowk, Gostomath, Bolorampur, Debipur, Shalpukur, Gurap, Bholakhali and Paikhala attended Shishu Mela as did children from 4 other institutions namely, Bodhona, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Snegam and St. Xavier's Evening School. (Titli). 17 different departments of the college had set up game stalls for the children to take a shot at and win prizes from. Under the watchful eyes of over 200 volunteers, Shishu Mela came to life with resounding laughter, joy and anticipation. The day kick started with the inauguration ceremony in which Rev. Dr. Fr. Felix Raj,SJ, our Principal declared Shishu Mela open. In his inaugural address Father said, “I want to thank the NSS of our College for keeping the spirit of service alive.” Father also appreciated the efforts of all the students and encouraged them to continue the good work. After a short song and dance ceremony performed by the XADAM students, the children were let free to either participate in the game stalls put up by the different departments or take a shot at the athletic events organized for them.

8th March 2013 - The DEMAND FOR DIGNITY WALK organized by JD Birla College started from the back gate of Victoria Memorial to the host college’s campus. A large number of students, along with many teachers, dressed uniformly in pink shirts that read ‘Dignity, is it too much to ask for?’ were present for the walk. Many of the students were carrying posters and banners that had eye-catching slogans. About 20 students from St. Xavier’s College had two such posters that read ‘Demand the dignity that you deserve’ and ‘Death of dignity is the Death of civil society.’ The walk ended with a competition for the best slogan, which was won by our college.

17th March, 2013 - NSS organised for the women of Paikhala and Debipur a small celebration of Women's Day, attended by approximately 100 women. At Debipur, the programme was inaugurated by Mr. Kunal Chatterjee, from Calcutta University and Ms. Cheryl Francis. The students divided the women into several groups and asked them questions on various issues, including domestic violence, child marriage, education of girl children and general safety. The women proved to be commendably forward-looking in their attitude, and agreed that they wanted to educate their daughters and marry them at a later age, although several admitted that they had themselves been married off as teenagers. As one elderly lady wisely noted, “bringing about a change would not be easy in their village”. Yet, they realised the importance of working together to take a stand against gender discrimination and injustice – the desire to progress, as Cheryl Ma’am said in her concluding address, must come from within. After a few games the programme was brought to a close by distributing special tokens of appreciation to the mothers of children who were punctual for school, neatly turned out and bright scholars.

21st March, 2013: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, NSS, in collaboration with SWAR and SXCCAA Women’s Forum, invited three eminent speakers and activists to discuss the two major anti-rape movements in India: the Mathura movement in the eighties, and the Delhi gang rape protests in 2012. The speakers included Ms. Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, ShriGautam Mohan Chakraborty, IPS, DG Traffic, West Bengal and Ms. Sunanda Mukherjee, Chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Women.

Starting with a dance performance by Xadam and the felicitation of the speakers by Rev. Father Felix Raj, the programme went into feminist mode as Shri Gautam Mohan Chakraborty illustrated, with the help of statistics and graphs, the dynamics of rape cases over the years. After a short question and answer round he handed over to Ms. Sunanda Mukherjee, who had the audience laughing disbelievingly at the handling of rape cases by government officials. Ms. Kavita Krishnan then spoke about the demands of the Verma Commission and the callous attitude of parliamentarians towards enacting laws for better protecting their women. A short question and answer round followed, after which the students dispersed, wiser, angrier and more determined for the cause of women’s equality.
Thus, amidst this atmosphere of discussion and demand, one remark of Ms. Kavita Krishnan hung in the air: the movement for equality of women does not end here, but has only just begun.

24th March, 2013: 6 NSS Board members made their way to the Calcutta University Rowing Clubto attend a First Aid Training Camp on Disaster Management. Organised by the NSS unit of University of Calcutta(CU) in collaboration with the Indian Health and Welfare Mission, Kolkata, it was designed to promote awareness relating to emergencies and natural disasters. Amongst the dignitaries present there were Prof. Suranjan Das(Chairman, CU NSS), Prof. Dhrubajyoti Chatterjee (Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, CU), Prof. Kaushik Gupta (Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal State University),and Cheryl Francis(NSS Director, St. Xavier’s College). NSS volunteers had come from CU and the different colleges under it. After the opening addresses, the student volunteers were segregated into smaller groups. During the first half of the programme, the students were briefed on elementary first-aid while the second half of the programme was more practical-oriented, with the volunteers learning the basics of handling blood-sugar and blood-pressure measuring instruments. The training camp proved to be a valuable learning curve. The volunteers departed, armed with knowledge of useful and practical first-aid tips.

Besides these activities, regular Sunday visits to the villages continued in four villages throughout the year. 1094 students visited 5 villages from Feb. 12 to Jan 13. Green Clean neighbourhood programme too saw overwhelming response of 681 students from February 2012 to January 2013.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

PRAYAS CAMP (Village to College) – 20th – 22nd June 2013

BOARD MEMBERS – 2013-2014

1. Anmol Garg (ENGA)- PRESIDENT
2. Ankit Joshi (B. Com. Morning) – VICE PRESIDENT

WORKING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

3. Saurabh Chawla (B. Com. Morning)
4. Rahul Goenka (B. Com. Morning)
5. Piyush Dalmia (BBA)
6. Moumita Das (ECOA)
7. Shreya Dutt (ECOA)

ADVISORS

1. Manish Agarwall (B. Com Morning)
2. Tanushree Chakravarty (CMSA)
3. Manuela Priyadarshini (SOCA)
4. Abin Bhattacharya (CMSA)