Youth

In the second installment of Sudipto Pal's unique 5000km solo cycle ride for child rights, he meets an awe-inspiring teacher in Lahaul and Spiti who leaves him feeling optimistic the state of education in India. Read on to learn more.

Digital literacy and access to wireless Internet connectivity is helping youth in rural India become entrepreneurs.

What started as a small gesture, of feeding underprivileged children, by 31-year-old Darshan and his friends has turned into a full-blown movement.

Imagine the efforts of a volunteer force consisting of over 1,000 students and young professionals under the age of 30 benefiting over 10,000 children every year! Yes, that’s a big contribution of NGO Bhumi, one of India’s largest independent youth volunteer non-profit organisations.

In 2006 ETASHA Society was borne out of the belief that it is very important to help young people in developing new skills, by giving them access to relevant vocational training and connecting them with employers. The NGO has played a great role in enabling the youth to take control of their own careers and lives, and to help their families break out of the cycle of poverty.

RuralShores was started keeping in mind the problems associated with mass migration of rural youth to the cities in search of jobs, both to the individuals and to society as a whole. It focuses on enabling these youth to have access to jobs without leaving the villages. On the whole, this is positively impacting the development of rural parts of India as well as giving stable jobs and incomes to the people.

In March-April 2013, Maharashtra suffered from what was probably the worst drought in 40 years. The people were once again at the receiving end of the wrath of Nature, as it took a heavy toll on the lives of the people on the parched lands. It also led to the formation of a youth organization dedicated to helping the victims and finding long-term solutions. This is what began as the Maharashtra Drought Relief Project, and is now called Yuva Foundation.

Make a Difference is a youth-focused organization that is trying to bridge the gap in education and empowering young people to take on bold initiative. Its Chennai chapter has been making great strides with unique and far-reaching initiatives. Prama Neeraja takes a look, and a lot of photographs!