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City Ideas – Come Let’s Fulfill Our dreams : Part 1 (Text Format)

FPJ – OPED –  Dream Community Projects for Mumbai

Come Let’s Fulfill Our Dreams

 

“Free Press Journal and Karmayog.org have entered into a collaboration to promote the involvement and empowerment of citizens and community groups in civic and social issues. We will jointly present a special column every Thursday for featuring articles on social, civic and developmental issues.  The articles carried herein will cover a diverse range of topics ranging from disaster management to public health, improving city governance to senior citizens, etc.”

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“The most important contribution any of us can make now is not to solve any particular problem, no matter how urgent it may seem. What we must do now is increase the proportion of humans who know that they can cause change.”

 

From ‘Everyone A Changemaker, Social Entrepreneurship’s Ultimate Goal’ by Bill Drayton

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Several problems of Mumbai have reached such daunting levels that they can be overcome only via a concerted city-wide initiative. If such initiatives involve citizens as well it inculcates a spirit of volunteerism and of giving back to society.  The advantage of such projects is that they have a huge positive lasting impact. Moreover, for such projects, everyone is willing to work together – corporates, NGOs, citizens, volunteers, government authorities, media, etc.

 

The big and small ideas, suggestions, dream projects and wish-lists below are examples of such possibilities. The common thread of these is that they are not just good ideas, but they are ideas that are deeply rooted in life-defining values of determination and commitment, and, if taken up on a city-wide level, they have the power to historically transform not only any city but also the dynamics of civil society within it.

 

If you are interested in starting any of these projects in your area, or desire to join a project, or are already doing some project, do let us know.

 

 

 

Enriching the Mind

 

  1. Community Knowledge clubs in each locality, where people can buy and share books and circulate lists of books so that every one can read books and return after reading. Citizens such as older people, housewives, etc. can volunteer to manage these clubs thus making them valuable community resource centres.
  2. Public Libraries & Reading Rooms across the city with cheap membership and providing books and newspapers for all age groups as well reference books for students. These Libraries could also be places where people could meet and exchange ideas, have talks, seminars, etc.
  3. Counselling Centres across the city for people, young and old, who presently do not know where to go for help, and where somebody can listen to them. Often all that is needed is only for someone to be heard so that emotions can have an outlet, but this has great healing value for children, parents, teachers, everyone.
  4. Emotional Support System bringing lonely people together in a positive way e.g. single parents. Can be done in every local community hall.
  5. Save The Books by preserving the invaluable literary resources in the city’s libraries which have almost everything printed from the 17th century onwards.

 

Education and Awareness:

 

  1. Teaching poor children via local volunteers
  2. Nurturing responsible and aware citizens by conducting weekly debates about current affairs and social issues in schools and colleges to make students discuss and evaluate, even at home, by reading more news papers and thus building a stronger democracy.
  3. Ensuring a good education for all by focusing on children in BMC schools.
  4. Compulsory corporate sponsorship of minimum 100 orphans’ education, and vocational training.
  5. Introducing Yoga in schools to make children and their parents healthier.
  6. Creating awareness about rights and duties of a citizen towards society
  7. Extensive awareness about the Right to Information Act as it is a powerful tool for several problems

 

Enhancing the Environment

 

  1. Beautification  and increasing green cover by identifying spots for planting shrubs / trees, planting them, and arranging for regular maintenance
  2. Planting Neem Trees to improve the environment and also prevent spread of mosquitoes. This can be a community initiative with local citizens identifying locations for the trees, as well as volunteering to protect the saplings.
  3. Reducing green house gas emissions by transforming leisure use patterns.
  4. Parks and Gardens with playgrounds for children, walking path for adults, and large open spaces where everyone can move freely to be developed in each locality to spread greenery, beauty, good health for all age groups.
  5. Open Spaces in new developments by making it compulsory for all new big societies, malls, big commercial complexes to demarcate a space for parks

 

Cleanliness and Hygiene

 

  1. Improved hygiene awareness is critical to prevent outbreak of diseases and epidemics, especially in congested living areas.
  2. Cleanliness of local train stations and railway tracks can go a long way in not only image building of the city but also of the general hygiene and health of the millions who use the trains.   
  3. Eco-sanitation programme using “Eco-Toilets” – reactors that generate the resource to treat any kind of garbage be it biomedical waste or chemically toxic laced organics.  
  4. Effective waste management that is responsive and proactive to the needs of the people.
  5. Community clean up of beaches and parks by citizens and Local Area Citizen Groups, along with appropriate infrastructural support from the Government.
  6. Creatively improving the environment via student volunteers to clean up, paint, and decorate portions of local Government schools, compound walls, etc. so as to beautify the area and keep it clean thereafter.

 

Health

 

  1. Making Mumbai Pain Free by teaching simple exercises such as Pranayam and other Yoga exercises in schools, parks, community yoga centres, etc. for all age groups
  2. Community Health Centres at different locations e.g. community centre/ temple/ park, for all for periodic health checkups, etc.
  3. Easy Nature Cure by planting various medicinal plants and herbs (e.g.: Tulsi, Ashwagandha) at home, or in the locality for wide-spread benefit through easy availability of such medicines.
  4. Blood Bank Connectivity throughout  the city for increased effectiveness in times of disaster

To Be continued…..next thursday…

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