Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
The Youth Ambassadors off to a great start learning
The Ambassadors had quite a packed schedule of orientation for the trip. They first had a session to discuss how to best to experience the trip. Using different personas of a vacationer, prisoner and leader Stacey Kertsman in a very interactive session go the kids thinking about how best to experience the trip. Here are the Ambassadors at this session in the Jivox office -- it was on the terrace and a little hot but the kids powered through in spite of having just gotten off a flight!
Next up I walked them through an introduction to AIF and about the goals of the trip and the broad agenda of the trip to set the stage for the Ambassadors to get the best out of the trip. We encouraged them to keep their eyes and minds open and to be prepared to brainstorm, ideate and come up with some frugally innovative solutions to water issues in rural India. The goal for the kids was to end the trip inspired to be leaders and Ambassadors for social causes in India.
The kids got a break from the heat and went inside the office to have some fun with Henna and a Birthday cake. They then spent some time organizing themselves into groups for the activities ahead.
On Sunday evening the kids were treated to a great presentation by Hooshang Subbawala -- Head of GE's Water division in India. Hooshang is a very inspiring and entertaining speaker who was incredibly knowledgeable about water issues in India. He spoke about the stats and issues of water on in India and the crisis that is developing for clean potable water. Hooshang also showcased a few of their projects at Infosys where 100% of the water used in the several hundred acre campus is recycled and reused. He also showcased water reuse at a Toyota plant. Many thanks to AIF Board member Ash Lilani for organizing the presentation. Ash was also at the event so we were glad to see the support from the AIF board.
Next up I walked them through an introduction to AIF and about the goals of the trip and the broad agenda of the trip to set the stage for the Ambassadors to get the best out of the trip. We encouraged them to keep their eyes and minds open and to be prepared to brainstorm, ideate and come up with some frugally innovative solutions to water issues in rural India. The goal for the kids was to end the trip inspired to be leaders and Ambassadors for social causes in India.
The kids got a break from the heat and went inside the office to have some fun with Henna and a Birthday cake. They then spent some time organizing themselves into groups for the activities ahead.
On Sunday evening the kids were treated to a great presentation by Hooshang Subbawala -- Head of GE's Water division in India. Hooshang is a very inspiring and entertaining speaker who was incredibly knowledgeable about water issues in India. He spoke about the stats and issues of water on in India and the crisis that is developing for clean potable water. Hooshang also showcased a few of their projects at Infosys where 100% of the water used in the several hundred acre campus is recycled and reused. He also showcased water reuse at a Toyota plant. Many thanks to AIF Board member Ash Lilani for organizing the presentation. Ash was also at the event so we were glad to see the support from the AIF board.
First update from the ground
Hello Everyone,
Namaste from Bengaluru!
We have had two very full days on the ground. All our Ambassadors arrived Saturday morning and we kicked off the day with a guided tour of Lal Bagh Botanical Garden. Our guide Vijay welcomed us and in addition to a wonderful historical perspective, told us the three things that all Indians have in common; Bollywood, Mangoes and Cricket. Our Ambassadors managed to enjoy Mangoes today...we are hoping that they will experience cricket and bollywood as well. A highlight at Lal Bagh especially for our animal loving Ambassadors were the numerous monkeys' in a bamboo grove enjoying treats and showing off. We then headed to Jivox Corporation (Diaz's company in Bangalore) for our orientation to the program. The kids enjoyed mehndi(henna) and a birthday celebration for Sophia and Talia. We were amazed the kids lasted the entire day without jet-lagging and we ended the day with pizza and headed for a good night's rest.
We kicked off Day 2 with an early breakfast and walking exploration of Bangalore's flower and produce market. After safely crossing the street, the kids enjoyed the cacophony of sights, smells and sounds, and each of us were touched by the flowers gifted to us by the vendors. We returned to the hotel to immerse in a Leadership and Frugal Innovation workshop after which we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant. Contrasting the flower market in the morning we set off to a modern mall in the afternoon. We ended the day with an inspiring speaker Hoshang Subawalla who leads GE's innovative water recycling efforts in India. He gave us a great overview of the water challenges and the solutions that the government and corporations such as GE are working on, stating "If we can solve the water/sanitation challenges in India we can solve them anywhere in the world". The Ambassadors had insightful questions and are ready to dive into the project.
Please excuse our delay in blogging as the days are long and the internet connections are a bit unstable. We are hoping that the ambassadors will be able to do the next blog.
Usha and Purvi
P.S. We will upload pictures as soon as we can.
Namaste from Bengaluru!
We have had two very full days on the ground. All our Ambassadors arrived Saturday morning and we kicked off the day with a guided tour of Lal Bagh Botanical Garden. Our guide Vijay welcomed us and in addition to a wonderful historical perspective, told us the three things that all Indians have in common; Bollywood, Mangoes and Cricket. Our Ambassadors managed to enjoy Mangoes today...we are hoping that they will experience cricket and bollywood as well. A highlight at Lal Bagh especially for our animal loving Ambassadors were the numerous monkeys' in a bamboo grove enjoying treats and showing off. We then headed to Jivox Corporation (Diaz's company in Bangalore) for our orientation to the program. The kids enjoyed mehndi(henna) and a birthday celebration for Sophia and Talia. We were amazed the kids lasted the entire day without jet-lagging and we ended the day with pizza and headed for a good night's rest.
We kicked off Day 2 with an early breakfast and walking exploration of Bangalore's flower and produce market. After safely crossing the street, the kids enjoyed the cacophony of sights, smells and sounds, and each of us were touched by the flowers gifted to us by the vendors. We returned to the hotel to immerse in a Leadership and Frugal Innovation workshop after which we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant. Contrasting the flower market in the morning we set off to a modern mall in the afternoon. We ended the day with an inspiring speaker Hoshang Subawalla who leads GE's innovative water recycling efforts in India. He gave us a great overview of the water challenges and the solutions that the government and corporations such as GE are working on, stating "If we can solve the water/sanitation challenges in India we can solve them anywhere in the world". The Ambassadors had insightful questions and are ready to dive into the project.
Please excuse our delay in blogging as the days are long and the internet connections are a bit unstable. We are hoping that the ambassadors will be able to do the next blog.
Usha and Purvi
P.S. We will upload pictures as soon as we can.
Friday, June 27, 2014
The group that left together on the 26th are here and are settling into their apartments
Hello All
The group that left on June 26th just landed safely and are in settling nicely in their apartments. We will post the day's activities at the end of the day.
Best
Usha
The group that left on June 26th just landed safely and are in settling nicely in their apartments. We will post the day's activities at the end of the day.
Best
Usha
Thursday, June 26, 2014
We are off and running
Hello All
The trip has officially started. 15 of our Ambassadors boarded Emirates on June 26th and are now enroute. Yes and everyone got visas on time due to the tremendous effort of Lata, Bhawna and Luz. Thank you!
A few of us are already here - Stacey Kertsman and Talia Kerstman, Sophia Nesamoney and I, Aidan Lilani, Riya Mody, Karan Mehta and Pranav Chandrasekaran. Neil, we are hoping you will get better soon and be on your way. Karan, hope you are recovering and we will see you in a couple of days.
We are also celebrating a few birthdays on the trip. Sophia Nesamoney turns 13 today and Talia Kerstman turns 14 on June 28th. Sophia/Talia, we can't wait to celebrate with you both tomorrow. Happy Birthday!
The Ambassadors will be posting starting this weekend. Stay tuned!
Purvi an Usha
The trip has officially started. 15 of our Ambassadors boarded Emirates on June 26th and are now enroute. Yes and everyone got visas on time due to the tremendous effort of Lata, Bhawna and Luz. Thank you!
A few of us are already here - Stacey Kertsman and Talia Kerstman, Sophia Nesamoney and I, Aidan Lilani, Riya Mody, Karan Mehta and Pranav Chandrasekaran. Neil, we are hoping you will get better soon and be on your way. Karan, hope you are recovering and we will see you in a couple of days.
We are also celebrating a few birthdays on the trip. Sophia Nesamoney turns 13 today and Talia Kerstman turns 14 on June 28th. Sophia/Talia, we can't wait to celebrate with you both tomorrow. Happy Birthday!
The Ambassadors will be posting starting this weekend. Stay tuned!
Purvi an Usha
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
2 more days before our trip
Hello Ambassadors!
Hope you are all packed and have your passports ready. Just 2 more days before your flight on thursday the 26th. Purvi and Bhawna will be traveling with you! Stacey and I are already in India and we are looking forward to seeing you in Bangalore early saturday morning. Have a great flight!
Usha
Hope you are all packed and have your passports ready. Just 2 more days before your flight on thursday the 26th. Purvi and Bhawna will be traveling with you! Stacey and I are already in India and we are looking forward to seeing you in Bangalore early saturday morning. Have a great flight!
Usha
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