Vikalp SMVDU conducted Village Contact and Awareness Programme

KATRA: Vikalp, the student-led social initiative of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), conducted a Village Contact and Awareness Programme in the neighbouring villages ofSirah Colony, Sool, Kakryal and Dheerti with the objective of strengthening community engagementand encouraging greater participation of children in its educational activities. A team of 35 Vikalpvolunteers visited households across the villages and interacted directly with parents and children.

The volunteers apprised families of Vikalp’s activities, encouraged children to attend its classesregularly, and addressed concerns of parents who were hesitant about enrolling their children orcontinuing their participation. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of regularattendance and sustained involvement for the academic and overall development of the students.

As part of the awareness initiative, volunteers also shared copies of the Vikalp magazine, containingphotographs and reports of its classes, programmes and activities. This provided parents with aglimpse of Vikalp’s work and helped build greater familiarity and confidence in the initiative. Morethan 100 households were covered during the programme.

The interaction received an encouragingresponse, with several parents expressing their willingness to ensure regular participation of theirchildren. The outreach also enabled Vikalp volunteers to better understand the reasons behindirregular attendance and hesitation among some students.

The programme reaffirmed Vikalp’scommitment to reaching out to neighbouring communities and providing meaningful educationaland extracurricular opportunities for village children. Vikalp express its sincere gratitude to Prof.Pragati Kumar, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SMVD University, for his continued encouragement, helpand support for the initiative over the years.