Driving social change through volunteering

Satish Metri writing an exam as a scribe for a blind student. Photo by special arrangement

Distribution of grocery kits during the lockdown. Photo by special arrangement

Satish Metri conducting a session on nutrition in a government school. Photo by special arrangement 

Satish Metri with an aged beneficiary. Photo by special arrangement

When 31-year-old Satish Metri was in high school in Bagalkot district, a ghastly crime was committed against one of his classmates. The girl, who hailed from a Devadasi family, was later forced into prostitution and she eventually succumbed to HIV-AIDS.

Satish was greatly troubled by the chain of incidents that cost the girl her life. He then resolved to dedicate his life for the upliftment of the downtrodden and went on to do his masters in Social Work to acquire the skills required to work in this field.

Right from his student years, he has been volunteering for different organisations and government departments engaged in welfare activities in different districts of the state.

“In the initial days, I was mainly associated with organisations working in the healthcare sector, especially towards prevention of HIV-AIDS and those working for the empowerment of women,” says Satish, who also had a stint teaching students of Bachelors of Social Work.

In 2019, he joined Youth for Seva in Mysuru, a platform that provides opportunities for youth to take an active part in community development programmes. The volunteer organisation receives funding from corporates as well as private individuals.

The organisation mainly works in four fields: Development of government schools through adoption, healthcare, environment conservation and creation of livelihood opportunities through vocational training. As a full-time coordinator for the Mysuru region, Satish is involved in programme implementation, planning various activities, identifying beneficiaries through field surveys, as well as coordination.

“After Satish joined Youth for Seva, the frequency of events and activities has increased significantly. The number of schools we have adopted has increased, and as a result, many students have been benefitted. We are now able to reach a greater number of people due to his efforts,” says Sandesh, who has been a volunteer at Youth for Seva for nearly five years.

To mobilise student volunteers, he visits various colleges in the district, where through presentations, he motivates the youth to participate in community service activities.

“After visiting a college, I create a WhatsApp group for interested volunteers and post details of upcoming events, and the students generally turn up at the venue,” he says. Motivated by these efforts and their positive impact on people’s lives, many aged and retired people have also started volunteering in these events.

Beyond the call of duty

Satish has extended his volunteering efforts beyond Youth for Seva and supports people in his personal capacity as well. He works for the differently-abled and often volunteers as a scribe for visually challenged students.

“Satish has helped many women and homeless people. Apart from spending money from his own pocket, he also raises funds for their needs,” says Kishor Kumar B, a volunteer.

During the Covid-induced lockdown, Satish worked relentlessly to meet the needs of several people. He was involved in the distribution of food, grocery kits, and other essentials across Mysuru.

“When I contacted him to inform that around 300 daily wage workers near my office have lost their livelihood, he promptly stepped in to provide them with food and other essential items,” says Anil Kumar M, who got to know about Satish through a friend.

Satish and his team started the ‘Mask for Mysuru’ campaign, which encouraged people to stitch masks and distribute them among the poor. Through this campaign, several lakhs of masks were distributed.

He even conducted camps for students from government schools to cater to their learning needs during the lockdown.