A year of being a Gold Award Holder!

‘’ I thought the Himachal Pradesh could be a cold place,’’ I remarked as the sun was beating down hard on my face. The driver was taking his own sweet time to drive me down from Bodhisattva to Chandigarh, a full 300 km by road. I was to take the 5:45pm flight from Chandigarh to come to New Delhi. The excitement in me was as strong as the sun’s rays in May. I was dying to reach Delhi. And everything seemed to be stopping me. On reaching the airport, I heard that my flight has been reschedules by two full hours. I mean ‘’comeon, seriously?’’. There couldn’t be a worst day. Oh ! you might be wondering why I was going crazy to come to Delhi. It could be 12^th May, 2011 in just a few hours and in just a few hours from now; I could officially be a Gold Award Holder.

So, here’s how things went. I was to attend a camp with Birla High School, Kolkata. We were to leave from Kolkata on 7^thMay, 2011 and on the same day we had the zonal training workshop. Quickly wrapping up my session on physical recreation, I rushed home to change into my camping gear, picked up my rucksack and left for the station. We went camping to this beautiful place called Bodhisattva. You should go visit the place if you get a chance. The mesmerizing forest, the beautifully preserved ecology, the rushing rivers and tent stay made it an ideal camping ground. Two full days of early morning trek and then an early morning drive to Chandigarh to attend the Award ceremony.

The Gold Award ceremony was this perfectly arranged event. We first had the giving away of the Award by Mr.Vikram Chandra and then the GAHS AGM. All of the 51 people who received their Awards that day, were full of joy and excitement. Things couldn’t get better. The pride and honor can’t be expressed in words. You can feel it only on the day you receive your Gold Award !! Then the pride of being a Gold Holder followed.

In the month of June, I signed up as a volunteer with the Award.  I was happy that I could give back to the Award and NAA could trust me with such a responsibility.

During the coming months, activities followed one another in regular sequence. First a camp to Mandarmani with La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata, then a camp to Sandakphu. In between were training workshops, helping and guiding other Awardees, answering questions of the parents regarding the Award.

Then came the next big opportunity. A chance to attend the International Youth Conference in Israel. This conference was being hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Education in collaboration with UNESCO to celebrate the International Year of the Youth. IAYP, India was to send a delegation of four young people to represent India. And I was one of them. I was one of the 150 young people who got an opportunity to have their opinions heard in front of the world.  So, November 20-23, 2011, I was in Israel talking and hearing about leadership and team work. It was a life time opportunity to learn.

Back in India, I have started executing every bit of the knowledge gained in the conference. As it’s said, it’s all about the experience. After all what is life if you stop learning?

Reading about the Award or hearing from seniors, you must have come across that the Award teaches you ‘’time management.’’ I wondered if that was really possibly. Can any self development program teach you all that the Award claims to teach?

The answer is Yes. The Award really does teach you everything in life. Even after all the work throughout the year, I managed to get a first class and stood 5^th in my first year graduation exams. Now I realize that it’s all about setting priorities and wanting to learn.

I always had the urge to learn and evolve as a person. The Award gave me the opportunity and I am glad that I gave the opportunity to the Award to create such an amazing change in my life!

GAHN Workshop, Singapore

GAHN Singapore Workshop Overview

Dates: 16-20th August 2012 (Thurs-Mon)
Venue: National Community Leadership Institute
Requirements: Gold Award holders, 20-34 years, English language proficiency
What is Provided: in-country accommodation, meals, airport transfers
Responsibility of Delegates: arrange/fund flights/travel to Singapore, travel visas

Applications: to be submitted to NAAs by 1st June 2012, contact Programme Manager India Mr. Bivujit Mukhoty by email Bivujit@dofe.in

Applications are requested to be received and reviewed by NAA India and to then submit two nominees to the Asia Pacific Regional Office by 8th June 2012. Final selection acceptance will be determined by the International Secretariat, Programme Team, Regional Office and organisers. This will be confirmed/notified by mid June 2012.

The workshop is open to a total of 38 Gold Award holder representatives. Two places each from Asia Pacific NAAs (and additional three for Asia Pacific IC Youth Reps and Mentor) are offered, along with three places each for the Africa, Americas and Europe Mediterranean & Arab States Regions (including 1 IC Youth Representative each). Any places not able to be taken up by NAAs will be offered to emerging NAAs and/or regional interns.

The GAHN will provide a platform for Gold Award Holders to make a difference through their leadership and contributions in their communities, equip them to become a future resource and role model and foster international engagement. A communique and recommendations from the event will be presented to the Malta Forum 2012.

The support of the NYAA Singapore to host the GAHN workshop is acknowledged with special appreciation.

We look forward to promoting and supporting this important youth engagement initiative.

Football First "Kickoff to a healthy lifestyle"- Introducing new Award Partners

Today's young people face a challenge of staying physically fit in an era where technology has taken over with Wiis, PlayStations and other virtual games. With the mission to build character and develop skills, by getting young people to be outside, getting dirty (literally) through football training, a team of four leaders comprising of seasoned professionals and footballers conceived FootballFirst.

Their individual, school and league coaching programmes provide young footballers a fun environment to learn important life-skills, improve their skills through intensive coaching and match plays. FootballFirst strongly believes that team sports like football allow young people to learn social skills, deal with challenges, encourages them to take leadership roles within society, are a fun way for them to learn values and lessons of life, and most importantly helo young people to be well-rounded, confident and active individuals. Studies have even shown that participating in team sports improve the learning capabilities and performance of young people in schools in addition to instilling a drive to succeed at all times.

Using the latest international techniques customised to fit Indian needs, their programmes span over 9 months of the year, providing 60 or 90-minute lessons 2-3 times a week. The groups are small to provide individual training and guidance and through a league system, they ensure that every young person gets playtime regardless of their skill-level. FootballFirst are committed to implementing a quality, healthy and pleasurable football programme for all young people through partnerships with schools and other organisation.

The FootballFirst team

• Chetan Mishra- an Economics/Engineering from Georgia Tech (USA), a footballer since a pre-teen and now pursuing International Coaching Course from Liverpool Football Club, England
• Jeyadev Parthasarthy- An entrepreneurial and senior corporate management specialist with over 20 years of experience in design, building and leading complex public and private organizations. Has played football for the Delhi Soccer League, Durand and DCM Cups.
  
• Bikram Singh Thockchom- With over 20 years of experience in Advertising and Sports
  Management, has managed Bhaichung Bhutia (current captain of the Indian football team) while
  working for IMG. As a qualified Youth Football Coach by AIFF (for youth up to 16 years) and India Advisor-Coerver Coaching India, he has has coached over 10,000 school level footballers in India and overseas.
  

- Information has been taken from the FootballFirst Booklet

Purkal Youth Development Society - Creating change agents in Rural India

The Purkal Youth Development Society (PYDS) is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing the lives of disadvantaged rural youth through education and empowering women through skill development.

The PYDS program dates back to 1998, when GK Swamy first started tutoring four young students in English and Mathematics in his home. Mr. Swamy with his friends found several sponsors who were willing to fund their formal education and these four children were enrolled into a local English Medium Secondary School. The number of children seeking help swelled and in 2001, 29 students were participating in the sponsorship scheme and coming to Mr. Swamy’s house after school.

Formally launched in 2003, PYDS has grown rapidly and today has over 215 children under its care. Accommodation has moved from the Swamy’s house to a custom-built school campus in 2005.

PYDS provides young people in the rural community around to quality education, mentoring and learning, thus providing hope and control to become of transformational change in their society. This simple effort to provide at least these few underprivileged young people a healthy learning environment, no different from that available at many good schools in India. Young people get a sense of self – esteem and confidence to learn and excel, realize that poverty is nothing to be ashamed of and that they should respect and honor the culture and parentage that they come from. By helping them develop their inner talents and build confidence in their self, PYDS allows young people to overcome such barriers and reach their potential.

PYDS and Young adults: PYDS are committed to helping young adults discover talents and in providing for college education and work experience. Through vocational training and english speaking classes, PYDS successfully provides young adults to acquire knowledge and professional skill to leading professionals in the global market place.

PYDS believes that by strengthening capacities of young peoplethe youth in the community, generations of educated and healthy families can be created in the rural Uttaranchal region.

Most of the parents in this community are barely literate. None of them, even the wealthy few in the village, have had the advantage of a good education. They have therefore little idea of what education means and what it can do to change lives. Sadly, few parents are involved with the lives of their children. In this scenario, we are attempting to provide the example and mentorship that educated parents of successful children provide their children.

We believe that the capability of the families and the community also has an influence on the shaping of the individual. Highly educated and well-placed family and community members can raise the aspirations of future generations. They also act as mentors and role models, and can provide the influence that is often required to help their community access services and a good standard of living. The absence of these influences has made a significant difference in career achievements in this poor community.

Click know what young people at PYDS have to say.

The Award Asia Pacific Region forms a strategic alliance with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Social Development in Asia Pacific

Alliance for Social Development in Asia Pacific
A strategic alliance has been formed with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The alliance will bring new opportunities for young people to connect and contribute to society – to become catalysts for positive change. ESCAP acts as the regional focal point for the World Programme of Action for Youth and as chair of the Asia-Pacific Interagency Group on Youth. Stakeholders have been invited to a consultation on the proposed project: The Network of Emerging Leaders in Asia and the Pacific to be held in Bangkok on 4^th April 2011 on the lines of the Regional Board Meeting 2011 scheduled in New Delhi from 6th-9th April 2011.
- The January 2011 Asia Pacific e-newsletter