Hello, I am Yukesh...LTL Volunteer - Madurai

 Hello All,

Once again...Welcome to Lit the Light's Coordinator aka Leads Blog Series. Today we want to present the testimony of our coordinator “Mr. Yukesh” sharing his experience and moments with Lit the Light in simple words.  He is here to express himself on "What?... How?... Why?... and few more questions on dedicating his time, volunteering with Lit the Light"…in his own words.

These testimonies are considered as an assessment of Lit the Light’s performance and work on improvement suggestions (if any) from our Leads, who have been part of us during our ups and downs. To continue with... Here's our Mr. Yukesh, a dedicated coordinator, a valuable team lead, supporting us with scribe requests, as a reader, and also in many other field activities too in our Madurai, Tamil Nadu area.

Lit the Light's Coordinator Mr. Yukesh’s words on travel with us…

• Can u tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hey, I’m Yukesh! I’m from Madurai but I’ve been working as a PCB design engineer in Coimbatore for the past 4 years. Apart from engaging myself in social work, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and playing video games! I’m also very passionate about music and play the guitar.

 

• How did you hear about LTL and why did you decide to start volunteering here?

In 2015, I came across an LTL post on WhatsApp, intrigued by the work done by the organization I had contacted Mr. Barath, the founder of LTL. However, seeing that the organization was mainly based in Chennai, I was not able to help out. In 2016, after having graduated from college, I got a call from Mr. Barath saying that they would like to extend their work to Madurai as well and was wondering if I would like to be in charge of coordinating the services here. I was very keen about saying yes, however, I told him that I didn’t know how to go about it. Barath offered to help me out and constantly guided me through the process. I first approached the ‘Indian Association for Blind’ and the ‘St. Joseph Blind Trust’ in Madurai to offer them my support. They were so grateful for our support as they said that there were very few people who volunteered and had the teachers themselves scribe for the students. I am happy to say that within a period of four years, we were able to see significant growth in the number of volunteers in both schools and colleges.

• What aspects of being a volunteer do you like the most?

The students would often tell me that before we started helping them out, they would not be able to even think about studying for their exams as they were tensed about looking for people who would volunteer to scribe for them. Now, they feel like they don’t have to worry about finding a scribe and could put all their energy into studying as they are confident, we will arrange one. Just a simple ‘thank you I receive from these students, fills my heart with joy and motivates me to continue doing my best for the Visually Challenged Community. 

• What is your most memorable experience volunteering with LTL?

Every minute I spend interacting with these students and listening to their stories is memorable. Their positive energy is very palpable and the sheer joy I see on their faces after aiding them with their exams fills me up to the brim with happiness. 

• Do you have any message for anyone who wants to join us at LTL?

Firstly, you need to remember that your personal life will be affected and that there might be times you might feel like there is no time for you to volunteer. But time shouldn’t be a factor at all because you can always make time to help these students out. For instance, I work nearly 17 hours a day and get an average of 4 hours of sleep, but I make it a point to devote some time to volunteering. Secondly, try to really listen to the needs and wants of each individual. I would ask the students which tone and style of reading they are most comfortable with and accordingly coordinate with the volunteers. Feedback is always important! our motto I try to run by is "No one can help everyone but everyone can help someone", this drives me to do my part in bettering the community, and hope it drives you too.

Lit the Light thanks Yukesh and appreciates him for his time and support for the upliftment of the Visually Challenged community in every possible way...Lit the Light takes the opportunity, rather proud to brag that Yukesh is one of the indispensable backbones of our organization, who is instrumental in helping us spread our wings in Madurai and adjoining areas… and a role model for many other volunteers. Thanks again Yukesh, for your time…support…and most of all, for being part of Lit the Light’s Team.

Compiled by Nandita Vaidyanathan, LTL Volunteer