AFVOA Newletters of Year 2008

Page 33 of 56 project which has been nurtured over the last few years in AFVOA and would continue to be constantly updated as may be warranted from time to time. In the same breath I must mention that the Directory “Hello Veterans” would go into its third printed Version early 2009 Geographical Core Groups of “Friends in Need” The Core Groups, identified in our News Letter of 30 December 2007 have been functioning since early this year and have facilitated faster response to needs of affected members by virtue of nearness of reach. It is intended to take advantage of geographical nearness to promote other initiatives amongst like minded groups of individuals for activities as envisaged below:- Medical Counselling It is proposed to bring together Veterans in the Medical fraternity to be Volunteers in providing counseling, to members in need, on matters relating to their health problems, home care and psychological factors affecting their wellness. Motivation and Capsule Guidance On this aspect please refer to the Editorial in our News Letter of 2 April 2008. This is an activity in which Members have in the past participated in events for encouraging young minds to appreciate the merits of choosing a career in the Armed Forces. This would involve identifying Schools, Colleges. Rotary and Lions clubs and other fora in the various geographical localities and organise labs, debat es etc., on various related topics. It is intended to revitalise this initiative. Special Study Groups There is considerable expertise and hidden talents amongst our members and it is intended that some areas of relevance to a large cross section of our members may be harnessed for the benefit of the fraternity. Some proposed areas are as under:- Home and locality Security Many of our officers are active in this area heading Service agencies, and acting in advisory capacities. The need for bringing in improved training, better technological support to improve quality of vigil and Security in the homes, and in alert systems in localities etc are very much the concern of Veterans in todays security environment. Defence Studies The Department of Defence Studies in Madras University would welcome participation of our Members in the Academic and Research oriented Seminars and events at the University. The modes of such interaction could be evolved through liaison. Cultural Cultural, Literary, Fine Arts, Science and Technology related events, meetings should be held. Maintenance Engineering and Technology Services Support in homes, electrical, plumbing, electronics, communications and automobile maintenance through ESM enterprises.