Dubai: Sharing is caring — it’s an old age adage, which most of us have read or have heard at some point in our lives. These three words have a much deeper meaning than meets the eye. With this motto in mind, I decided to initiate a journey that would help me share what I had with others.
A few months ago, when my mother was keeping aside my brother’s and my old uniforms, I had a thought. They were of no use to us, because we had outgrown them, but if we hadn’t, then all the items were in optimum condition to be used for many months to come. I thought it would be better if these clothes could be passed on to children who could use them instead.
Even school books at the end of term need to be passed on to others. No book deserves to go to a trash can or even a recycling centre before it has lived its lifespan. I have been passing on my books to my juniors every year, but now I wanted to extend this practice to others. So, I came up with “Winshares”.
The basic idea behind this initiative was prolonging the lifespan of resources as well as instil a culture of sharing within our school community. The motto I’ve propagated is: “Leave what you can, take what you need.”
I wanted to form a link between those who are willing to share and those who would welcome the shared items. I presented this idea to Meenakshi Dahiya, the principal of The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, Dubai.
Dahiya, who is herself a great advocate of sharing, welcomed the idea with great enthusiasm.
She said: “When Faraz came to me with the idea, I was really impressed with its simplicity, yet the huge impact it will make in the school. We have launched Winshares with the confidence that it will create a beautiful culture of sharing within the community.”
Her faith in the initiative encouraged me even more and I knew that this would be a wonderful plan, which could become an intrinsic part of our school. The school now has designated cupboards where any parent or student can drop uniforms and books they wish to share and similarly, anyone can take whatever they think would be useful for them. The only requisite is that the items should be in good condition.
The simple guideline to be shared is that do not give what you would not prefer to take yourself. This initiative has been fruitful in many ways. It has ensured the reuse of resources, which deserve to be reused. The more we reuse, the lesser the strain on our recycling facilities, which reduces the burden on our planet. The truth is that this is a finite planet with finite resources, which are already overused. Hence, a culture of sharing and prolonging the lifespan of items is the need of the hour.
Paulami Chakravorty, a parent of one of the students in our school, said: “I think Winshares is a brilliant platform for all families to connect with each other and help each other in the easiest manner. It has inspired a lot of children to look beyond themselves and understand the true meaning of ‘sharing’.”
Shireen Anand, a pupil at the school, said: “I am truly amazed and inspired by this initiative. It is a simple yet wonderful endeavour to do something for others. It has motivated me and really filled me with the zeal to contribute to the cause and make a positive impact, to think of others, to share, to care and make a difference in someone’s life.”
Sarah Jaleel, a student at the school, said: “I think Winshares is a great initiative. In the years to come, I see it as the means to bring students, teachers and families together and form a well-bonded community. I believe all schools and communities should take inspiration from Winshares and adopt this initiative within their communities, too.”
The culture of sharing in our school has strengthed. One of the main aims of the Year of Giving was to enhance social solidarity and cohesion and positively affect individuals, families and the community. Winshares, which is now an intrinsic part of our school, has helped form a link between the school’s families.
Last but not the least, it is economically viable, too. It is a prudent way to save a few dirhams. If an item is in good condition, then there is no harm in reusing it.
I hope to inspire more individuals to initiate similar practices. It would be so fabulous if there could be sharing cupboards everywhere and they could store just about anything, including clothes, books, toys and even household items. You never know what you think you don’t have any use for could be just what someone else was hoping to get.
Remember, great satisfaction comes from sharing. Martin Luther King once said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”
— The reader is a pupil based in Dubai.
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