GAHN Summit Declaration

AIM

This Summit proposes the concept and implementation plan for the formation of the Gold Award Holders’ Network (GAHN), in India.

BACKGROUND
Under the auspices of the NAA, the Award has experienced significant growth. More young people are now participating than ever before and an increasing number of Award Holders now have the desire to form Award Holders’ Associations (AHAs). A Gold Award Holders’ Network (GAHN) can help to link, network and synergise active Award holders all around the world so as to provide them with a platform to serve the global community and create long-lasting links amongst young people. It will also encourage existing AHAs to work more closely with their respective Zones.

AIMS OF THE GOLD AWARD HOLDERS NETWORK
The Gold Award Holders’ Network is being established with the following aims:

a. Supporting the NAA. The GAHN will be able to support the development of successful AHAs, by having good working relationships with their own Zones. The support and recognition of the GAHN by IAYP India is crucial. In return, the recognised AHAs could support their Zones in a number of ways, as successfully demonstrated by some existing Gold Holders at the NAA office.

b. Sharing of best practices with NAA and AHAs. The GAHN presents opportunities to share best practices amongst the NAA and the AHAs. While noting the influences of culture on the various modus operandi, lessons learned from the different approaches can be beneficial. This open sharing will enhance the knowledge management payoff and synergistic gains of the network.

c. Development of links between AHAs. The immediate payoff of the GAHN would be its linkages to facilitate and build bilateral and multilateral links among AHA members. An example could be the bilateral cooperation between the respective AHAs and NAA around the country. Many collaborative projects can transpire from these linkages at the bilateral, regional and international levels and funding may be raised via NAA or other appropriate platforms.

d. Platform for representation at international events. The GAHN may give its representatives opportunities to fly the NAA flag at various regional and national platforms, such as events initiated by the IAA, the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

e. Feedback Forum to NAA. With the GAHN, NAA will be able to reach out formally to recognised AHAs and be informed of any feedback or proposals from the youth. This will form an additional means of communication for Award-related matters.

THE GOLD AWARD HOLDERS NETWORK (GAHN)

The Gold Award Holders' Society of India will assist the NAA and the IAYP India Team in the growth and development of the Award in India. Will comprise of GOLD HOLDERS only, and there will be one national body.

The seven members needed to form a Society and complete the paper work will be Ishita Khanna, Tripti Bansal, Pranay Kapoor, Saachi Sarin, Sandeep Dutt, Rohit Saxena and Juzher Shaikhally.

The founding team will sign the Memorandum and Articles for the Society and the registered office of the Society will be the same as the working address of IAYP India (596 Asian Games Village, New Delhi 110049).

A CALL OF ACTION

We the Gold Award Holders in India affirm to support the NAA and take ahead the programme which highlights practical experience and exceptional efforts as drivers along life’s journey and where through our programme we give young people the opportunities and confidence to keep learning, do more, and go further. This encapsulates the original vision of our founder, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
We affirm to support the work of the AWARD PROGRAMME FOUNDATION, Administering Trust of The International Award for Young People, India (The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award) a Public Charitable Trust Reg. No. TR/27951, registered in India.

__________________________
Signature of Gold Award Holder
Date:
Venue:

GAHN India raising day 13th Dec 2009

Nominee for President GAHN India - Ishita Khanna

This is our GAHN President.
Ishita is a young dynamic development professional and an Ashoka Fellow. Her experience of working at the grassroots and passion for the environment and mountains has been the driving force for both Muse and Ecosphere. She was also recently chosen as MTV Youth Icon for 2008. She is striving to improve life in remote Himalayan villages by building a green economy. In response to the region’s growing environmental degradation and threatened cultural preservation, Ishita has developed a collection of new income-generating and ecotourism opportunities designed to improve environmental management and promote the pursuit of more sustainable livelihoods. Her quest for striking a balance between human capitalistic progress & the sustainability of all life on earth has merged the region’s most marginalized communities with the market-based economy and created an incentive to conserve the region’s dwindling resources. She is, thus, paving the way for the region’s most isolated communities to retake control of their resources and retain primary ownership over them, proving that better environmental management can be a profound source of economic growth. For Ishita, the peace and quiet of Spiti is the life she likes and chooses to live.

MESSAGE FROM ISHITA...

Hi everyone,
It is with great pleasure that I would like to inform you that Ecosphere has been nominated for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award in the Public Service category. We are truly humbled this year by this nomination and would like to take this opportunity to request you to vote for us. Please vote by following these simple steps:

1. follow this link http://www.indianoftheyear.com/index.php

2. register

3. go to the public service section and find ecosphere

4. click on the round tab below ecosphere and then click on submit at the bottom of the page.
The voting is open till Dec 11.
You can also vote through your mobiles by sending the SMS – IPUB4 to 51818
Thank you for all your support over the years that has brought us to this point.
Many Thanks and Warm Regards,

Ishita

To all Member schools / Award units and Operators

Dear Award Friends and Supporters;

This is an open letter to all our Award Units and Volunteers, first to thank them for the continued support for the Award Programme, and to apprise all that IAYP India is now all set to grow from strength to strength.

India is youth and youth is India!
A young nation, with the largest youth force in the world, poised to make this century ours. Brand India today is the flavour of the season, the meteoric rise of the services sector and the need for knowledge capital has made India shine on the world map, and this is the opportunity for the Award Programme to build on.

Not many are perhaps aware that the Award Programme in India commenced in the year 1962, and am certain near 2,00,000 lac or maybe more, have either participated or volunteered to build the programme over the years. Some say the Award Programme is perhaps the best kept secret!

A conscious effort is being made by the full Award team to roll out the Development Plan 2010 – 2013, and build up to 5,00,000 participants in the near future. A big capacity building and training initiative is in the offing; the focus now is not only on the 14 -18 year olds at schools, but also on the 18 – 25 in the colleges, corporate and social organizations. We need to work with a mission to bridge the social divide and help young Indians live their dreams.

The national office is now functional and the first Open Award Centre, for the college going and other youth was inaugurated at Sri Aurobindo Society in New Delhi, on the 5th of September 2009, to commemorate Teachers Day and keep the spirit of the ‘guru’ vibrant.

For more and other exciting opportunities, please follow us on http://www.iayp.in/ .
We are also on FACEBOOK, www.facebook.com/iayp.in
To keep you updated with news and plans there is a blog http://www.brewingknowledge.com/

We are there to win hearts and partner for the spirit that keeps everyone youthful. Please share the information with volunteers and the youth. You are most welcome to drop by at our office or email Sandeep.dutt@iayp.in .

Let us join hands and challenge young people everywhere!

Yours truly,

Sandeep Dutt
National Director
International Award for Young People, India