Model Citizen: Camping is her tool to create awareness

I was inspired to return and start an organisation in Chennai. I co-founded Camp Canaan to transform lives of not just those who are economically underprivileged but also socially and physically challenged. It was started in 2014 to work with children and youth who don’t get an opportunity to develop themselves in an outdoor setting. Here, camping is used as a tool to create awareness and encourage them to build a life for themselves, work on their future and not just restrict them to their backgrounds. 

The initiative involves children from the age of six years and above. The activities involve hiking, trekking and a number of outdoor activities, apart from having follow-ups with the children on a consistent basis. The idea is to give them a break from worrying about responsibilities as they mostly have single parents or no parents. Most of-ten, they are constantly thinking about their future at an age when they should be thinking about school or having fun. 

The camp gives them a clearer image of what they are and what they can do to be better. The initiative is also aimed at involving mothers — single moms who do two or three jobs a day and who have no time for themselves. The camps for them are more of retreats that help them rejuvenate.