Training is defined as an activity that changes people’s behaviour. The importance of training has long been recognised and could very well be depicted from this

ancient quotation: “Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This profound and often repeated saying has been endorsed by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra in its true sense.

Training programmes on Right to Information, utilisation of government schemes, motivational programmes with school students, youth forum and last, but not the least, the Certificate Course in Youth Work were the activities in the last quarter of 2011.

Many NGOs, especially those working in rural areas, do not have the benefit of trained staff in developing areas. VYK, therefore,

Suresh Ambekar Director

Training Avenue

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The vYK Newsletter January 2012

aspires to create a cadre of young, trained, dedicated and honest professionals in the non-governmental sectors.

Depending on the arising needs of society and to achieve this objective, VYK provides the best of training for many sectors in a planned and systematic manner. As Dolan states, “To be able to grow and serve the community, non-profit executives must realign their thinking about the economies of service deliveries and who shall deliver those services. In combination, the increasing presence of the non-profit sector and the shedding of the direct provision of services by government have served to create a growing demand for professionally trained non-profit administrators.”

VYK received an excellent response for each of its training programmes, keeping the Certificate Course in Youth Work at its best. For the first time there were three international participants and one trainer-volunteer from Spain. The international presence in this three-week course has not only broadened the horizon but also helped in developing the future perspective of VYK.

VYK wishes a year full of joy, happiness, peace and prosperity to one and all and a holistic empowerment of the youth.

Aiding Traits

Showing the Way

2-3

Programme on Personality Development

Right to Information Programme

T he Right to Information is a path-breaking legislation where every citizen has a

right to question the government and the government is legally bound to provide information. The Parliament of India enacted the Right to Information Act, which empowers the citizens to question governments, inspect their files and take copies of government documents and also to inspect government works.

To create maximum awareness, sensitisation and education among the general public through NGO

Topics Covered

Personality development— various dimensions

Self image

Positive attitude and how to develop it

Setting and achieving goals

How to turn setbacks into successes

Time management techniques

Stress management

The Right to information is a path-breaking legislation where every citizen has a right to question the government and the government is legally bound to provide information

Games and exercises were used by Lalit Sharma, resource person, New Delhi, to make students understand the topics

covered in the Programme on Personality Development that was conducted for the students of Class X at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, on 14-15 October 2011. He also told relevant stories.

On the first day, 48 and, on the concluding day, 52 students actively participated in the programme. Students reciprocated with questions to clarify their doubts. The Principal stressed on the importance of the personality development programme for young students and thanked Vishwa Yuvak Kendra for taking this initiative.

3programme conspectus

workers on the fundamental concepts and nuances of such an important Act, the Vishwa Yuvak Kendra organised a three-day programme on Right to Information from 18-20 October 2011.

The programme commenced with the welcome address by Suresh Ambekar, Director, Vishwa Yuvak Kendra. Rajat Kumar Narain, Chairman, Indian Youth Centres Trust, Subhash Agarwal, RTI activist and Venkatesh Nayak of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative lit the lamp and formally inaugurated the event.

Rajat Kumar Narain noted in his address that India is a democratic country and this democracy can only be further strengthened if people are aware of their rights and duties. Therefore, being the agent of change, this is our duty as NGO workers to spread awareness. The Right to Information Act given to the people by the Parliament of India is indeed revolutionary in every sense.

Venkatesh Nayak, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Anjali Bhardwaj, Satark Nagrik Sangthan, M.S. Kasana, Former Joint Director, Institute of Secretariat Training and Management, Pankaj K.P. Shreyaskar, Deputy Secretary and Assistant Registrar, Central Information Commission and Rakesh Agrawal, Nyayabhoomi, spoke on the occasion.

In all 21 participants from different states participated. Ajit Rai, Programme Officer, VYK, coordinated the programme. A certificate of participation was given to all. It concluded with a vote of thanks.

Topics Covered

Right to Information Act:

background

scope and provisions

citizen’s right

machineries

application and implication

implementation

problems and challenges

Venkatesh Nayak said the Act empowers the common man of India. The better use of it is only possible if people are informed.

Subhash Agarwal in his address said that India became free in 1947; since then ample rights have been given to the Parliament but this is the only Act which gives power to the common man of India. An ordinary citizen can ask for any information from the politicians and bureaucrats. They are bound to give the information within 30 days. This is the most powerful Act given to the common man by the constitution after independence.

Subhash Agarwal in his address said that india

became free in 1947; since then ample rights have been given to the

Parliament but this is the only Act which gives

power to the common man of india

4-5

The programme on Utilisation of Government Schemes commenced

with the welcome address by Suresh Ambekar, Director, Vishwa Yuvak Kendra. He said that the Government of India at all levels announces welfare schemes for a cross section of society from time to time. These schemes are either central, state-specific or a joint collaboration between the centre and the states.

Under the schemes assistance is granted in the form of credit, training and employment to groups or individuals. But it has been observed that due to the lack of information most of the institutions and people do not take advantage of the programmes and schemes of the government.

To make the people aware of the programmes and schemes of the different ministries of the Government of India and to sensitise the people to utilise them

Making Use Utilisation of Government Schemes Programme

in a better manner the Vishwa Yuvak Kendra organised a two-day training programme on Utilisation of Government Schemes from 7-8 November 2011. Over 52 NGO activists from different parts of the country took part.

Suneel Kumar Arora, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Asit Gopal, Director, (NGO), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, G.K. Tuteja, Assistant Programme Advisor, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, facilitated the sessions during the programme. Raghu Mishra and Sunil Yadav of the NGO Help Line discussed the schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Culture. The programme was coordinated by Ajit Rai, Programme Officer, VYK. Certificate of participation was given to everyone.

The Government of india at all levels announces welfare schemes for a

cross section of society from time to time. These

schemes are either central, state-specific

or a joint collaboration between the centre

and the states

5programme conspectus

The second workshop to develop a curriculum for Panchayati Raj Institutes was

organised by Vishwa Yuvak Kendra from 11-12 November 2011. It was a joint venture between Konrad Adeneur Stiftung (KAS) and Joint Staff Development Programme (JSDP) partners. Directors from seven partner organisations attended the workshop.

After the first workshop, Suresh Ambekar, Head of the Project, Bani Bora, Project Administrator and eminent educationist from Gandhigram University, Prof. G. Palanithurai, the key resource person for academic inputs, had preparatory meetings on 31 October and 1 November on the draft curriculum prepared by VYK. This curriculum was circulated to all the partners and inputs were discussed in the second workshop.

A follow-up meeting was held at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra

Success CoursePanchayati Raj Institutes Workshop II

on 9 December with Prof. Palanithurai, Devidas Ghodeswar and the KAS-VYK team to further develop the curriculum.

The revised curriculum will be sent for field testing to Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in February. The KAS-VYK team is planning to launch the curriculum in April 2012.

it was a joint venture between Konrad Adeneur

Stiftung and Joint Staff Development

Programme partners. Directors from seven partner

organisations attended the workshop

6-7

Resources are always limited. Training objectives, focused especially on needs, help in

the best possible utilisation of these resources. Realising the important role of trained personnel, especially those working in rural areas, in accelerating the socio-economic and human resource development of society, Vishwa Yuvak Kendra conducted a Certificate Course in Youth Work from 1-23 December 2011. The objectives of the Certificate Course in Youth Work were designed keeping in mind the perspectives of the trainees.

There were 27 national participants from Assam, Bihar,

Youth StrengthCertificate Course in Youth Work

Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh and three international participants from Hungary and Poland.

The programme was inaugurated by Suresh Ambekar, Director, VYK and Sanjay Anand, Honorary Resource Person from the Art of Living, by lighting the lamp.

Sanjay Anand stated that youth is the prime time of life but to have a clear focus and maximum benefit of what one has, it is important to practice a coordination of body and mind. Such coordination could only be developed by yoga and meditation.

The Director welcomed the participants and introduced them to the VYK Programme team as well as to Raj Mohan Sharma, Manager Administration and HR, B.S. Rathore, Hostel Supervisor and Umesh Gupta, Accounts Officer. He advised the participants to abide by the rules and regulations of VYK during the programme period and to share and learn from each other’s experiences.

Objectives Providing training in various

skills on different aspects of youth work to strengthen youth organisations and youth service agencies to improve their capacity to work with youth.

Enabling youth workers to acquire the ability to understand the structure and identify the needs of the community, to plan appropriate programmes and to implement them.

Inculcating sense of dedication to work, social awareness and democratic values.

Increasing the capacity to understand and explain policies to the young people and to articulate the feelings, sentiments and needs of young people to the Government, to the NGOs and to the public in general.

Youth is the prime time of life but to have a clear focus and maximum benefit of what one has, it is important to practice a coordination of body and

mind. Such coordination could only be developed by yoga and meditation

7programme conspectus

Topic Resource Persons

Module 1: Youth and Youth Work Suresh Ambekar, Director, VYK, Ramon Martinez, Trainer, Spain

Module 2: Leadership and Communication Dr. Aravind, Deputy Director, Ministry of Defence, Suneel Keswani, Motivational Trainer

Module 3: Working with People Dr. Rajesh, University of Delhi

Module 4: Formation and Management of an NGO Suresh Ambekar, Director, VYK, Tapan Chaudhury, Vikas Kumar, Ajit Rai—VYK and Ms Selvi, Director, Credibility Alliance

Module 5: Youth: Social and Health Issues Dr. Rajesh, SPYM, Prof. G. Palanithurai, Gandhigram University, Tamil Nadu, Ravi Kalra, Baleshwar Singh

Module 6: Enhancing Resources Bani Bora, VYK

Module 7: Entrepreneurship Development Dr. J.P. Sharma, Dr. Rashmi Singh, IARI-PUSA

Module 8: Field Work Exposure Bani Bora, VYK, Dr. Zeenat, Chairperson, Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM), New Delhi, Haribhai Mori, Head, CSR, Ajitbhai Jadav, Prog. Manager, Mahendra Phate, Prog. Coordinator, Amit Wagpe, Prog. Coordinator, Kamalnayan Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, Sewagram, Maharashtra

Module 9: English Speaking Kashish Sood, Trainer

Module 10: Yoga and Meditation Sanjay Anand, Art of Living

Course Modules and Resource Persons

It was a residential course, during which the participants were given library assignments, project proposals preparation and so on as after-class work along with activities such as participation in group discussion, public speaking and debating.

The participants had a variety of exposure during the academic as well as practical sessions. The visit to the drug de-addiction centre of SPYM was an eye-opener for many.

PrizewinnersBest proposal writing: Rajendra B. Petkar

Quiz First: Rohit RajurkarSecond: Mahendra Kumar ShuklaThird: Dorottya Deak, Ramesh Rathore and Nitish Singh

Best performance during field visit: Lallu Singh Hatila

Debate CompetitionFirst: Mahendra Kumar ShuklaSecond: Rajendra B. PetkarThird: Lal Bahadur Yadav

8-9

The visit to Kamalnayan Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation (KJBF) at Wardha was a fruitful one. KJBF is working mainly in the following areas:lPromotion of indigenous

cow programmelBio-gas programmelPromotion of Self Help

Group (Women)lSoil and water conservationlNallah revival and check damlWadi programme (NABARD)lNatural Resource

ManagementThe Sewagram Ashram

of Mahatma Gandhi is internationally renowned and one can visualise its mute testimony to Gandhiji’s simple lifestyle and habits. The visit to Pavnar Ashram of Acharya Vinoba Bhave, which was situated at the bank of River Dham, was an inspiring one. The ashram is known for its treatment of leprosy patients. Gautam Bajaj, a companion of Acharya Vinoba Bhave from the age of 12, gave a brief history of the ashram and about the life and philosophy of Vinoba Bhave. Gautam Bajaj is a multilingual, highly knowledgeable person with authority on the Bhagwad Gita.

The Sewagram Ashram of mahatma Gandhi

is internationally renowned and one

can visualise its mute testimony to Gandhiji’s

simple lifestyle and habits

9programme conspectus

Special prizes were awarded to

Dorottya Deak, Rajendra B. Petkar

and Katarzyna Frihauf for obtaining

first, second and third positions, respectively

Suresh Ambekar, Director, VYK, presented certificates, mark sheets and group photographs to all the participants. Special prizes were awarded to Dorottya Deak, Rajendra B. Petkar and Katarzyna Frihauf for obtaining first, second

helped in analysing things from a broader perspective.

From the evaluation session it was summarised that the course was successful in achieving its main objective as each one of the participants left with newly-found companions: self-confidence and a dare-to-dream attitude. Bani Bora, Programme Officer, VYK, was in charge of the course.

and third positions, respectively, in the overall performances. A memento was presented to each international participant as well as to the trainer from Spain, Ramon Martinez. The Director appreciated the team work of

the staff in making the programme successful and a token of appreciation was given to Chander Singh, Sunil and Manu.

The participants had varied exposure during the three-week course. International presence

10-11

Human Rights

Suresh Ambekar, Director, VYK, was invited as a Guest of Honour to the inaugural session of the three-day International Workshop on Human Rights, organised by the Department of

Adult, Continuing Education and Extension, University of Delhi, on 22-24 December 2011. The workshop was inaugurated by Professor Dinesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi. The workshop and a course on Human Rights were sanctioned to the Department by the University Grants Commission.

Visit VirtueOn 27 September 2011,

a group of 23 students along with two faculty

members from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, College of Arts, Tamil Nadu, visited Vishwa Yuvak Kendra.

Another group comprising 25 students and two staff members from Rural and Urban Development Society’s M.S.W. College, Raichur, Karnataka, paid a visit on 14 December.

Both the groups were briefed about the activities of Vishwa Yuvak Kendra by the Director and Programme Officers. Students asked various questions to get more information about Vishwa Yuvak Kendra. Later they also visited the library.

The Director emphasised the role of civil society in creating awareness on human rights and working towards ensuring human rights for all. The workshop was attended by 15 delegates from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Israel and Africa; 55 papers were presented related to the theme, such as Rule of Law, gender and human rights, child rights, environment and so on. Bani Bora, Programme Officer, VYK, also presented a paper on this occasion. Dr. Rajesh, In-charge of the Department and Dr. V.K. Dixit, Senior Faculty, coordinated the programme.

Youth Forum

An interaction among the VYK faculty and members of the Youth Forum was the highlight of the discussions held on 19 November and 30 December 2011.

Plans for the celebration of National Youth Day were also discussed with the group. It was observed that the majority of youth are self-motivated towards social service and desire to do something for the people. However, many of them have vague ideas about the road map ahead. They have to let go their love of sports, especially football and other extracurricular activities, due to a lack of parental support as parents stress on academic qualifications and jobs. Through the Youth Forum, VYK provides opportunities to develop and exhibit the potential of youth.

11

Youth Rising

The initiative ‘Young Indian Leaders’ by IBN18 felicitated eight remarkable

Indians who symbolise the optimism of the country, which has the largest youth population in the world. Today, we feel proud to honour these young heroes who will be the face of the nation in the years to come. The category included luminaries who have set a shining example in the art of governance and their commitment towards democracy as well as public welfare.

Ajay ChaturvediAn engineer from BITS Pilani and a graduate in Management of Technology from Wharton, Ajay

started Harva with a vision to assist rural India to access and harness the opportunities that urban India offers. A social entrepreneur with the ability to visualise and articulate a new approach to problems, his passion is to make a positive difference in rural India, a region that faces significant social, economic and ecological challenges.

Anshu JamsenpaShe created a niche in her field by becoming the first woman (mother) mountaineer in the world to reach

the summit of Mt. Everest twice in the same season. The 32-year-old, mother of two, from Arunachal

Young Indian Leaders

Pradesh’s Bomdila, successfully scaled the world’s highest peak to create a spectacular record with grit and stamina. Anshu, on reaching the summit, proved that women are no longer the weaker sex.

umesh KulkarniThe 35-year-old film-maker is a national award winner. His movie Valu was featured in the Berlin film

festival. Valu also became the first Marathi feature film to be selected in the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2008. His other film Vihir was premiered at South Korea’s Pusan festival and also at the London film festival. His efforts are helping to bring back the nation’s focus on Marathi cinema.

SarathbabuThe man who turned into an idli maker after graduating from BITS Pilani and IIM, made his

education the means to become a businessman. He launched the Foodking Catering Service and now, with the help of his younger brother and a team of 160 people, he is looking to expand operations to cover the campuses of all major companies across the country and abroad. His mission is to help the poor through job creation.

Dhruv lakraAn MBA graduate from Oxford, Dhruv started Mirakle Couriers, a courier company with a

difference which employs only deaf and dumb youth. A courier service requires the minimal use of speech and hearing, which is why Dhruv thought of starting this business for the specially disabled people. Barring the four management staff, all employees are hearing impaired. He has two branches in Mumbai and already plans to go pan-India in the long run.

Anil AkkaraThe man responsible for reforming Adat village with organic farming and sanitation has

become a role model for his village. Under his leadership during the last 10 years, Adat village has received many prestigious awards such as the Swaraj Award for best panchayat for eight years, the Central Government’s Nirmal Gram Puraskar for achieving full sanitation and the Central Water Resources Ministry’s prize for groundwater augmentation through rainwater harvesting.

voices

voices

bEST mEDICINE

Teacher: Tell me a sentence that starts with ‘I’.

Student: I is the... Teacher: Stop! Never put ‘is’ after

‘I’. Always put ‘am’ after ‘I’.

Student: OK. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.

Chief Editor: Suresh Ambekar, Director, VYK Editor: Bani Bora, Programme Officer, VYK Published by Director, Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, Circular Road, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110 021. Tel: 23013631-35. Email: vyk@vykonline.org. Website: www.vykonline.org. Created by Studio Orange-Write Media.

‘i’ is...

A budget tells

us what we can’t afford, but

it doesn’t keep us from

buying it

William Feather

Saima iqbalWith a degree from the United Kingdom, Saima Iqbal is helping conserve Kashmir’s rich

cultural heritage. She has aided the mapping of Srinagar’s cultural resources, worked on conservation of the 15th century Aali Masjid and pushed Kashmir’s Mughal Gardens for the world heritage proposal.

Prashant Kumar DubeyAn RTI crusader from Bhopal, Prashant, who used RTI and the media together to

make child malnutrition one of the most important social, political and electoral issues, fought for a change in order to bring transparency in our democratic system. Not only has he been phenomenal in engaging the media in highlighting the issue

of malnutrition among children, he has also been successful in persuading the main opposition party to make child malnutrition an issue and take a stand on how the problem should be addressed.

Yuvraj Singh (Special Award)Indian cricketer and a member of the World Cup winning team, Yuvraj Singh

was given the Special Award for Outstanding Achievement for his performance in the recently concluded World Cup. Over the last couple of years, he has seen the depths of despair and experienced the summit of triumph. However, the tide turned at the World Cup where Yuvraj experienced the greatest moment of his career. Not only did he perform superbly throughout the tournament but also played an instrumental role in

taking India to its second crown after nearly three decades.

Sampa Arya (Special Award)Twenty-nine-year-old Sampa Arya from Sonepat became the face of the

campaign to ‘save our sailors’. Her husband Ravinder Singh Gulia, third officer on Merchant Vessel Suez, along with five other Indian sailors, was taken captive in August 2010. Sampa led the campaign and knocked the doors of Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, even the Prime Minister. Her fearless and relentless campaign forced the government to debate the state response to the piracy menace. Pakistani human rights activist Ansar Burney, moved by the plight of the sailors, began negotiations for the release of the Suez crew that included Pakistani nationals.

Courtesy: http://ibnlive.in.com/youngindian2011/winners.php