National Sewa Day: 21st November 2010

National Sewa Day is a social action initiative. The social action day recognises the need for local communities to take the responsibility for overcoming the challenges of disadvantage & deprivation by harnessing resources and talents that exist within them. National Sewa Day takes place on 21st November 2010, and has secured the participation of over 100 diverse organisations which results in approx 5,000 people engaged in addressing issues connected with deprivation and disadvantage. Within five years, we believe over 50,000 will participate in National Sewa Day.

Having studied existing initiatives like Habitat for Humanity, Make A Difference Day, Mitzvah Day etc, the organisers seek to leverage, primarily but not exclusively, the support & talents of the Black & Ethnic Minority community in contributing towards a more prosperous Britain.

In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, 'Sewa' means selfless service. Sewa UK is a secular, non-political UK registered charity.

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE DAY – 21st NOVEMBER 2010?

On 21st November 2010 the first National Sewa Day will be held. Events are being organised by participating organisations up and down the country to allow the community a chance to come together on one day and make a difference through volunteering.

The aim of National Sewa Day is to provide people a chance give back to the community through volunteering on a single day to make a difference. Each event that is being organised is based on at least one of the guiding principles below:

1. To relieve hardship and poverty
2. To bring a little joy where none exists
3. To help the environment

All the events organised will take place on the same day (21st November 2010) and will not have any fundraising as this is an opportunity to give back to the community by giving up something as valuable – our time. From Infants through to Pensioners anyone can get involved and make a difference. National Sewa Day is an unprecedented collaboration between organisations and individuals in the community to come together on one day and make a difference in their local communities.

What is the anticipated community impacy from all this effort?

We believe the following impact will be created as a result of National Sewa Day:

• The impact of volunteering on volunteers: increased sense of making a useful contribution. Well documented research suggests the positive aspects of volunteering on physical & mental health.
• The impact of volunteering on employment prospects is also well documented, and through engaging BME communities in social action, we are seeking to provide opportunities where they’re improving their abilities to work in teams, improving their social & communication skills, increased leadership skills, ability to manage time more effectively etc. Volunteering and social action can be useful springboards into employment.
• The impact of volunteering on local beneficiaries like hospitals, nursing homes, disability centres, churches, youth groups can also be measured in terms of economic terms.
• The impact of volunteering on local communities: perhaps the biggest benefit to the local community is that of increased social cohesion and trust. Research suggests that volunteering builds up social capital that benefits a wide array of people in local communities. Volunteering improves networking and connectivity which are major contributory factors in encouraging a sense of being involved in what happens on their doorsteps.

How will we measure success?

1. By receiving recognition and feedback from the people we impact – post 21st November, a major effort will be made to collate as many reports on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of National Sewa Day.
2. Using the Volunteering Impact Assessment Toolkit devised by the Institute for Volunteering Research, we will measure the impact of National Sewa Day on all stakeholders.
3. By listing the number of new organisations who have expressed an interest in participating in 2011.
4. By measuring the efforts of our PR campaign using established measures like Advertising Value Equivalent.
5. By keeping a track on number of new unique visitors to our website, Facebook page, and Twitter followers.

To register, visit www.nationalsewaday.org