Introduction
My group feels that homeless children are also children and just because something unfavourable has happened in their lives, does not mean that they should be deprived of all that a child deserves. We as a group believe that in as much as an ordinary child has the desire for so many things that foster his growth and development, a homeless child too ought to be cared for by society in a way that his desires are fulfilled so that he develops into a confident and matured adult. Such children will be the pillars of the future generation and hence it becomes a duty for each of us to contribute in making the lives of deprived children better. The homeless child too needs stability, a routine and balanced life so that he develops into a competent individual in becoming an asset for society. Homeless kids will be overjoyed when they hear of being taken on a holiday celebration which they otherwise could never have imagined. They too are ordinary children and this has happened to them by chance. They often experience emotional upheaval which often causes a lot of disruption in their life. My group concluded that such children do get help by way of child care homes and schools but taking them for a holiday will be something quite unique and a new experience for them.
Main Text
My group was motivated to arrange for some happiness and enjoyment for homeless children in keeping with our objective of serving humanity in our own little ways. In serving tourists who visit the country, my group gets immense joy and satisfaction and we continue to do so. We also thought of diversifying our activities so as to add more value to the services that we offer for the ultimate betterment of society. Homeless children too want to play, share and explore new worlds. In adding variety to their world there could be no better way than to celebrate a holiday with them. This would certainly nurture their minds thus leading to growth and development in helping them to learn through the several exciting activities that we would engage them in. We would be able to provide them with opportunities of educational play and stimulation which is required by all children to grow and learn. This, we believed would certainly break the cycle of homelessness that they would be carrying in one way or the other in their minds. We decided to arrange for a group of such children, a fun packed holiday that they would enjoy immensely and cherish all their life.
My group decided that we would approach non-profit organizations and institutions that house homeless children and select a group of 50 children from five different institutions. In having 50 children to celebrate the holiday, my group will be well equipped to manage the small strength and also to enable the maximum enjoyment and learning experience for them. It was decided to take the children to the Marina Beach for a fun filled day that would engage them in playful and creative activities. The children would be made to take part in a number of competitions amongst each other which will instil the spirit of winning in them. The winners would be given prizes for their achievements and the entire day will be planned in providing the maximum adventure and excitement. The focus will be in making them feel nurtured and cared for so that they too have a sense of belongingness.
However since our group does not take payment for the services we offer, the financial resources at our disposal are too meagre to meet the costs of the holiday celebrations for this group of children. The total expenses were estimated at $600, which none of us could afford from the scanty pocket money that we received. After lot of deliberations we finally settled on raising money through our services without compromising on what we were already providing. There were proposals amongst us to directly approach the tourists that we served, for making donations in this regard, but it was felt that some may object to the requests or may feel offended. We considered on the different options available and finally drew on the strategy that we will provide all the tourists with mementos and with articles that are specifically unique to our region and which they would cherish in carrying back with them.
A unique characteristic of my city is the making of handmade greeting cards which can be used for various occasions such as Christmas, New Year and birthdays. Ironically these cards are made by homeless children under the directions of master craftsmen and the drawings too are made by them which reflect the innocent background and mental framework of these children. Each card is uniquely different since it is the creation of a single child and is also an expression of his feelings and emotions. The cards are unique and exported to centres across the world where they are sold at prices that are almost three times more than what is prevalent in my city. We decided to buy these cards in bulk which would be placed before each tourist whom we served. We would also not charge exorbitantly from them and will inform them that buying such cards will always give them a warm response from those that they are sent to, in view of their uniqueness in layout and quality. Some of the group members have their relatives who are marketing professionals and we would take their guidance and suggestions on how to go about the job more effectively.
Conclusion
Another strategy that we decided upon was the enactment of a comedy show for the large group of tourists that visit the city. We have fifteen members in our group who are members of the dramatic society of our college. We are well versed with the scripts and direction of plays. The difficulties faced in garnering professional involvement will be resolved by involving the college dramatics instructor. We would publicize in the hotel where the tourist groups stay, that on predetermined days our group would enact a comedy play whereby the local social structure of society will be presented as a comedy. The publicity for the play would be aptly done by each of us while we provide services to the tourists. We are sure that the presentation of the play will add immense humour and prove to become an excellent means of entertainment for the tourists. By involving ourselves in these two activities we are sure to be able to raise a minimum of $600 within a very short span of time.