Seniors Event

At Joyya, we know that we cannot transform any person or any neighbourhood, only the people themselves can truly do this. That is why our mission is not to ‘transform neighbourhoods’ but to ‘spark a movement of transformative neighbourhoods’. Great neighbourhoods are not created by other people, they are formed by neighbours coming together and agreeing on who they want to be, and how they want to get there. This is where Joyya joins in, to help spark these ideas and dreams. 

Here’s a recent example of how this came to life in one of our communities:

A team of people who work in Joyya’s fairtrade manufacturing business wanted to “spark good” in their home neighbourhoods of Ram Bagan and Seth Bagan

Joyya doesn’t choose what programs happen in each neighbourhood, the neighbourhoods choose what programs best fit them – and ideally help to deliver them.  We call this contribution. The greater the community contribution into initiatives, the greater the chance of real and lasting transformation will be. 

So this team started dreaming up what transformation could look like in their neighborhood. Every neighborhood has a specific flavour, and their intimate knowledge of the area gave them unique insights into its needs. One of the key areas they chose to focus on first was the senior members of the neighbourhood, (in Kolkata, that means anyone over 58 years of age!)

We helped to walk them through a framework that enabled them to Dream, Design, Deliver and Discover.  These are the pillars we use to increase and measure community contribution.  

After dreaming and deciding they wanted to help the elderly in their community, they moved to the design phase. They brainstormed various ideas, considering their capacity to help and prioritizing support for the seniors. They planned an event to introduce Joyya to the community's seniors, designing everything from invitations to games and feedback mechanisms.

Then they delivered.  Over 70 seniors came along, some brought in on scooters and others helped to their seats. They all enjoyed a day filled with activities. The atmosphere was festive - with a few songs, cha and biscuits, a welcome speech, and an engaging game. Joyya staff gathered feedback in small group discussions, creating a relaxed and interactive environment, then lunch was provided.

After the event, the team sat with a well-earned soda for the 20+ local people from these neighbourhoods that gave up their weekend to put on the event. They de-briefed what went well and what they would like to do in the future. The event helped us to identify that access to healthcare was a key problem for seniors in this area and that this kind of social gathering was really appreciated.

The event allowed guests to not only discover Joyya, but also one another’s dreams and aspirations. They shared stories, hopes and dreams together.  They knew and trusted the people who ran the event because they were locals, from their community, and they got to envision what future support could look like. This is how you ‘Spark good’.

This is Joyya in action, it is what we dream of, sparking good in communities and helping them transform themselves.  It wasn't just for the community; it was by the community, with residents volunteering their time and talents to drive transformation.

At Joyya, we’re committed to local ownership and engagement, turning dreams into reality through thoughtful design, effective delivery, and reflective discovery.