Teachers and students at Pearl Academy get together to work towards making a difference
10th November, 2014, Mumbai: Pearl, the leading higher education institute in design, fashion and related businesses, observed the “Global Days of Service” from 3rd Nov to 9th Nov, 2014 in Mumbai. This initiative was an opportunity for all the campuses of Pearl Academy, including Andheri East located campus, to collectively work towards making a global impact by volunteering to do something that can bring about a change in the society. The Academy is a member of the Laureate International Universities network, which has a presence in 29 countries serving more than 950,000 students.
During this week long event, Pearlites worked on the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action) model. They also worked towards learning about the various issues in the society and the methods of services used by interacting with NGOs which helped students select an issue and create a plan to tackle it. The team involved then, evaluated the resources and took guidance and help from the expert mentors present to create a strategic outreach. Additionally, architect Rakesh Amin who specialises in designing senior care homes for elderly citizens with special needs such as dementia, Alzheimer, etc. was invited for a special lecture which inspired the students to create such designs which could make the lives of the elderly citizens better.
With the help and guidance of SilverInnings, an NGO which works with Help Age India on 
issues faced by elderly citizens in the Indian society, the team at Pearl Academy zeroed-in on the activities for the week. They visited the Kisan Gopal Rajpuria Vanprasthashram in Gorai, where they spent a day with 110 elderly citizens at the home and took an initiative to understand their problems in depth. They contributed and made the most of the day by planning exciting activities which got the members of the old age home involved and enthusiastic.
Speaking about the initiative, Ms. Bulbul Chaudhary, Director, Pearl Academy, Mumbai, said, “At Pearl Academy, we believe in inculcating the best values among our students, in a way which allows them to explore their creativity and use their skills towards the benefit of the society. Our endeavor is to enable them to think beyond the conventional and provide holistic solutions for problems that people face on a day-to-day basis. This initiative is a great opportunity for students to understand the challenges faced by different sectors of the society and work to make it better.”
As a part of Laureate International University’s Global Corporate Social Responsibility initiative – ‘Here for Good’, Global Days of Service is an opportunity for the institutions within its network to come together during this one week to make a worldwide impact.
