The Youth's Making a Difference...

“Youths are not only the leaders of tomorrow; they are the key actors of today.” – ActionAid

Last July 25, 2012, three buses carrying 150 students belonging to a Delhi Public School (DPS) branch were attacked in Katmandu. The culprits were student activists affiliated to the Mohan Vaiya-led radical breakaway faction of the Maoists. They set a DPS bus on fire and vandalised another in eastern Nepal as part of protests against high fees and foreign investment in schools. The attack has raised concerns from the UN on the increasing number of incidents of attacks on school buses that risk the lives and welfare of students.

But amidst all these acts of violence on the youth, NGOs like ActionAid's international youth training centre called the Global Platform in Katmandu have trained youths from all over the world in social activism through its own Activista Network and others involved in social activism. The aim of the Global Platform is “to establish a place that can be an important driver in changing the world into a more just and equal place for the whole humankind.” The training hopes to “deepen and widen social justice action by giving young activists from Nepal, Asia and the rest of the world, opportunities to develop their skills in planning actions for social change." according to Bimal Phnuyal, Country Director of ActionAid Nepal.

With their training, the youth learn to become global campaigners and change agents, be active global volunteers and develop volunteerism as a tool to promote social change in their local communities. They also develop the necessary leadership skills to lead members in their volunteering or social change activities. They learn to campaign and work on their advocacies to push for the enactment of laws or improve systems to help strengthen identified flaws in their communities. They are empowered through training to handle challenges so they can be social agents that would strengthen not only their capabilities in helping bring about change in society but also in instituting changes through civil society networks and coalitions outside their country.

Despite the attacks on schools by radical groups in Nepal, it is an undeniable fact that the youth are indeed not only the leaders of tomorrow but they are also the key actors of today that can bring about social change. The youth can make the difference...

Sources:

1)      ActionAid opens international youth training centre in Kathmandu - http://www.actionaid.org/stories/actionaid-opens-international-youth-training-centre-kathmandu

2)      UN concerned over attacks against schools in Nepal - http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/un-concerned-over-attacks-against-schools-in-nepal_789666.html

Contributed by:

Lylin Aguas
UNO Volunteer for Development Dialogue