I Am YUVA-2

We thank everyone for warmly accepting our first shot at the

newsletter. As YUVA matures, so does 'I Am YUVA'. Here comes our

second issue, with a bigger editorial, better columns and improved

articles. 'Special Feature – CSR' (Corporate Social Responsibility ) talks

about the conscientiousness of the corporate world towards building a

better society, drawing examples from the biggies like CISCO and

Infosys. 'What is YUVA?' attempts to explain the basic idea behind our

organization and the initiatives taken. The articles on Drishti, Pragati

and Pratibha throw light on the projects undertaken by YUVA in the past

6-8 months. 'Making it Matter' brings to you the stories of the

organizations or individuals who have dared to leave the security of the

beaten path and have striven to be the change they want to see. Lastly,

through the 'News and Events' section, we have made an effort to bring

to notice some of the incidents or happenings, which had a positive

impact on the people and the social order.

The newsletter is still not the complete picture of what we wish to

present before you. We hope to keep improving the recipe using better

ingredients so that every time reading tastes better than before….

Any ideas and/or constructive criticism regarding the newsletter is

welcome to ' '. [email protected]

TEAM SPEAKS

The Team

I Am YUVA VOL.1 Issue 2 |

Statistics say that India has the largest youth population in the

world. Youth, filled with infinite potential, infinite ambition and

infinite energy. They are a country's powerhouse for any

development, for any change, for any revolution.

We, an independent, non-political group of students in various

colleges across India are a part of this youth. We use our

strengths and our energy to create any positive social impact in

the society around us. We undertake projects at various levels

of the society and through our efforts, try to work towards

developing a better society.

We are an ever growing number of youngsters, who, through

our actions, and our projects try to generate a sense of social

responsibility in all the people around us, especially the youth.

Our projects constantly create a difference wherever they are

targeted- schools, orphanages, old age homes and even entire

villages. We are ambitious, we are hungry for experience,

hungry to learn, hungry to create a difference in the world.

We are YUVA, Youth Under Visionary Action.

WHAT IS YUVA?


CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

SPECIAL FEATURE

...”The most successful people in life owe an obligation to give back”..

-CEO, CISCO

Every corporate has goals, wants, wishes and CISCOThe CEO of Cisco says, “The most successful ambitions. But when a corporate thinks people in life owe an obligation to give back”. beyond this and comes forward to help the According to him, it's not only the right thing to society, it implements something called as a do, but is also good for business!corporate social responsibility policy (CSR).The central idea which drives CISCO's CSR is the

The practice what a corporation generally fact that responsible business practices and follows is, it first selects a social cause, like social investments shall bring long term value helping flood victims, on which it wants to and sustainability to the company. Their vision focus and actively invests on that cause. The also incorporates attraction, development and cause is generally related to the company or its retention of their best employees, along with environment. Then it either approaches a minimizing environmental impact so as to social agency which is working on the same create a healthier more productive

community. What's unique about CISCO's CSR is the fact that it's activities are spread across the world from Palestine to the United States, and the work force consists of people from diverse backgrounds who collaborate to work together

f o r a lines and coordinates with them, or it directly better works on that cause. But the way one really c o m mgoes about with CSR is different for different u n i t y, companies.t o

Though CSR is meant to be something a improv

corporation does out of realisation, many e t h e

companies these days incorporate it as a standa

business strategy. They try to influence their rds of

stakeholders using CSR. Some companies also l i v i n g

do CSR upon increasing social, economic and and to

environmental pressures. But one must not sustain

forget that though it might mean business for education.CISCO has two aims which it wishes to achieve some, its means life for many others. CSR today in the near future, it wishes to become the has a great impact on poorer sections of our BEST IN THE WORLD and also the BEST FOR THE society. Hence, wrong or right, it is very much WORLD. Let's hope it continues to be this needed.responsible socially so as to ensure the

Following are two companies where CSR is existence of a better world for us all to live in!being successfully implemented.


SPECIAL FEATURE

...“We are at a juncture where we have the strength of knowledge, power of globalization and the convenience of technology to accomplish seemingly

impossible goals – elimination of poverty, hunger and disease from this

world”-Mr. Narayana Murthy

INFOSYS One may remember the words of William “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Penn, “I expect to pass through life but once. If Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a therefore, there be any kindness that I can lifetime.” show, or any good thing that I can do to any Above quote by the twelfth century Jewish fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or philosopher, Maimonides, is the first principle neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again''.'Infosys Technologies Limited' always follows. Remembering their social responsibility, the 'Infosys Technologies Limited' started “Infosys Foundation” in 1996. The group's main areas of focus are healthcare, rural development and social rehabilitation, learning and education, art and culture. In addition, 'Spark' is an initiative taken by the company which provides the youth hands on experience in Information technology. The 'Spark – rural reach program' initiates students of Government schools into the IT profession. Around 73,000 students already have benefited from this programme. The company also plays a prominent role in flood relief camps. 2,100 new houses have been constructed for flood victims in Karnataka. The other big initiative taken by Infosys Group is 'Akshaya Patra', a mid-day meal program, from which there are around 1.2 million beneficiaries. In a lecture delivered at the Global Brand Forum, Singapore on 1st December, 2003, Mr. Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys Technologies Limited, said “We are at a juncture where we have the strength of knowledge, power of globalization and the convenience of technology to accomplish seemingly impossible goals – elimination of poverty, hunger and disease from this world”. The Infosys Group is surely working towards reaching these goals. Employees also organize and contribute to w e l f a r e p r o g r a m s , e s p e c i a l l y f o r underprivileged children. The group also supports the activities of institutes and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).


“...can help every child realize that ‘education is truly

invaluable’ and that it opens up a whole new world of

opportunities.”...

DRISHTI

-Fortifying Rural Youth

YUVA INITIATIVE

On 17th September 2011, the Drishti students and bring them to light. In the Team went for its first outing to a next stage we expose them to various government school in Bolaram. The aim opportunities in that particular field we had was simple: enlightening children (career options). Further, we give them about the importance of quality personal guidance to help them realise education. On interacting with the their dreams and guide them about the students of class 10, we came to know courses to be taken, the institutions that that most of them were planning to drop offer them, the gateway to such institutes out of school owing to their weak and the various financial aids available.

Apart from this, we plan to take them on field trips to corporates and colleges to invoke their enthusiasm; by showing them the work and c u l t u r a l environm

economic status. Living up to the project's ent there.

objective, we tried to counsel the A l s o ,

students about how they could continue t h r o u g h

their education by applying for presentat

scholarships. The outcome of our visit ions and

was quite satisfactory as we were able to o n e - t o -

initiate a bonding with the kids. one interaction sessions we wish to drive home the fact that education matters a

We believe that intelligence without lot in every arena of life, be it research, knowledge is like silver in a mine. To employment or simply respect in the extract the silver of talents hidden due to society.lack of resources and awareness, YUVA volunteers took up the project 'Drishti'.

By spreading the light of education in The objective of this project is to motivate

rural India, we also hope to tackle high school students, residing in the

problems like unemployment and villages of India, towards higher

corruption through this project.education focusing on value based education. Through 'Drishti' we aim at

The trips we organize are amidst the first imbibing the importance of education at steps towards realizing the dream of

the grass root level in the young and fortifying rural youth. We firmly believe dynamic India. that we still have a long way to go before

we can help every child realize that “education is truly invaluable” and that it

The project operates in the following opens up a whole new world of manner: IDENTIFY->EXPOSE->GUIDE. We opportunities.identify the strengths and interests of the


With tremendous positive attitude, of such talents. The only difference was

productive vis ions and strong that this time, with the immense

ambitions, YUVA entered the second support of our sponsors ITC, Pidilite,

innings of its calendar event – Rizwan and Disney, we did it with

PRATIBHA. Around two-hundred almost three times the intensity of last

volunteers endeavored to give 2000 Pratibha.

children, spread in over 15 orphanages Our team organized a painting and government schools, a day full of competition for the kids with the laughter, joy and freedom of

expression.

Pratibha'11 aimed at bridging the gap

between kids and objective of giving them the freedom e d u c a t i o n b y to express their world, their joys and prov id ing them sorrows, their goals and ambitions. s o m e s c h o o l Also, we played many games with supplies - books to them, apart from singing, dancing and s e e t h e w o r l d chatting with those energetic children. beyond their own,

pencils to sketch Pratibha gave the volunteers an

t h e i r d r e a m s , opportunity to see the world through

e r a s e r s a n d the eyes of the innocent children, to

sharpeners to chalk out the finer live their emotions and ambitions with

details of life, and crayons & paints to them. As we returned

fill their dreams with the colors of a home that day, we

rainbow.carried the vibrant

imprints of the kids It's an old saying that everyone who not just on a white sets foot on this earth is equally sheet of paper, but on talented. But in the bid of acquiring the our hearts…..basic requirements of food, clothing and shelter, many talents never come

to the fore. Living up to its basic

motive, once again Pratibha attempted

to provide a platform for the showcase

...attempted to provide a platform for the showcase of such talents...

PRATIBHA-Celebrating talent

YUVA INITIATIVE


...elevating the awareness levels among rural population...

PRAGATI

YUVA INITIATIVE

India is a nation, well-known for its rich trips to the village, the following culture. And, true Indian culture lies in d e v e l o p m e n t s t o o k p l a c e - its many villages, which accounts for roughly 70% of the Indian population. To provide specific skills to the women But, almost the whole of the rural of the village and as an initial attempt to population lie in isolation of sorts, empower them; a Vocational Training engulfed in their plethora of problems Centre (VTC) will be started in the and in complete contrast to a fast advancing urban world.

In most cases, the reason for this difference

vi l lage. An orientation session is the low conducted for the same, had a highly awareness satisfying response.l e v e l s

a m o n g The team went for another survey v i l l a g e r s , regarding the lack of proper sanitation. w h i c h i s After further enquiries about the a l s o , t o appl icat ion procedure, Pragat i some extent, the reason for the neglect volunteers helped those in need of they face. This forms the base idea for

'Pragati', a village adoption project by YUVA in collaboration with Nirmaan, aimed at elevating the awareness levels among rural population, on the various schemes, plans and benefits that they can avail and the many opportunities that they can embrace in order to have an improved way of living.

Under the project Pragati, a village 'Pothayapalli', with a population of 2000 was taken up for adoption. After washrooms, with applications.an initial survey on the population, income levels, and their l iving The project was taken up for a single conditions in general, and after learning semester, and achieved satisfactory about the various problems the results in that time span.villagers faced, further course of action was decided. In the course of various


“…because before convincing anyone

else, it is necessary to convince yourself.

I have worked with underprivileged

children, victims of sex trafficking,

kashmiri refugees, street children etc

and I think that I do it for a completely

selfish reason - because it makes me

happy.”--Tanvi Girotra, President/Founder

BECOMING I-THE FOUNDATION

MAKING IT MATTER

"We are the music makers, and we are 'Celebrate through Heart Songs', they

the dreamers of the dream. began to develop a youth-run, youth-Wandering by lone sea breakers, and led organization that would strive to sitting by desolate streams. hone the leadership potential of young World losers and world for sakers, for

whom the pale moon gleams.Yet we are movers and the shakers of

the world forever it seems.”-Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy.

At a time, when most of the young

people are either struggling to earn a

meal or are too busy with their

luxurious lives to spare a thought for

the society, there emerges another

breed of youngsters, who choose the

less trodden path. This species works to people. help the disabled, teach the illiterate Their first project, 'Fiza', aims at dealing and empower the suppressed. They with the issue of Commercial Sex Trade direct their efforts towards improving in remote parts of Delhi, with special society; they are the change they want focus on Najafgarh. Perplexed by the to see. We bring to you the story of one irony of women forced to resort to such internationally recognized group undignified means to purchase basic of students from Delhi, who call amenities, forced to lose their dignity t h e m s e l v e s t h e ' B e c o m i n g I

Foundation'.

This organization started as a theatre

company aimed at tapping the power

of music, dance and drama to create a

positive impact on the society. But as

people started coming together, so did

ideas and the rivulet began to grow. to attain an identity, these energetic Inspired by The Three Dot Dash® - Just young people stepped out to transform Peace Summit and taking the idea of 'I

am' from Mattie J.T. Stepanek's book -


MAKING IT MATTER

the lives of these women, through short, they have advanced from a tiny

theatre workshops, art and craft brook to a handsome stream happily

p r o g r a m s , s i m p l e d a n c e flowing past mountains and valleys.

performances and community And men may come and men may go,

building sessions. They wish to but their foundation, their cause and

provide them with not just life skills their voice is here to stay…

development, but an alternate source -(with excerpts from Tanvi Girotra, of employment.

From then on, there has been no the founding president of looking back. In the past two and a half ‘Becoming I’)years, they have represented their

cause in various summits and

conferences. They have conducted

clothing drives for the kids of the

women involved in sex trafficking.

They have produced and performed

successful events l ike 'B itter

Chocolate', a blend of music and

dance performances and 'Yuvarang', a

drama showcasing the birth of a

revolution. They are now starting

work on another project called 'Leap',

an effort towards faci l i tat ing

innovative classroom teaching. In


We run for the good of the Protsahan – Supporting kidssociety

Sonal Kapoor, whose plans to start an The Assam Foundation of North N G O w i t h o u t a ny f u n d i n g o r America (AFNA) and the Friends of g o v e r n m e n t s u p p o r t s e e m e d Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS) unrealistic few years ago, now runs two organized a run, The Guwahati Run and schools which lay down a creative Walk, that sought to the message of the platform, to express themselves, to 120 need for helping underprivileged kids. They take up commercial sex children and the marginalized section of workers, rag pickers, child laborers, etc.

stthe society, on the 1 of January. and organize workshops of different Famous NGOs like the National Service s o r t s - p h o t o g r a p h y, p a i n t i n g , Scheme (NSS) storytelling, puppeteering and music. and hundreds Their idea is to groom the creativity of of students chifrom colleges l d rand schools e n took part in the run.

and help them get admission into government schools. Using a self

Accor India and Nireeskhana sustainable model that would generate support HIV/AIDS affected income for both Protsahan and the kids' families families, via a self-employment

initiative for the kids' mothers, the organization was able to sustain the families and itself to run the schools.

Accor India supports Nireekshana, a HIV/AIDS focused NGO, for the Mallika Sewing Project, where women affected by HIV/AIDs are provided with an income-generating skill in traditional crafts. Accor lends its extensive business network to help promote and sell the products made through the Mallika Sewing Project, thereby contributing to the sustainability of the program, where profits generated from the sale of products, partly fund the project.

NEWS AND EVENTS


YUVA CONNECT

Swagat Yadav- [email protected] Jahnavi Meher- [email protected](Co-Founder & Chief Advisor) (Co-Founder & President)

Siddharth Yerram- [email protected] Sri Harsha- [email protected](Vice-President, Project Manager Drishti) (General Secretary, Volunteer Management)

Charul Bansal- [email protected](Project Manager Pratibha, Editor-in-chief)

Or read more about what we are up to, by following the links given below….http://www.facebook.com/Yuva.Indiahttps://twitter.com/#!/YUVA_change

YUVA is growing exponentially, both in terms of the volunteer count and the project impacts. We are now a registered not-for-profit youth organization. Recognizing our efforts, we have been made an ambassador project of ‘One Young World’, the premier global forum for young people of leadership caliber. Also two of our projects, 'Drishti' and 'Pratibha', have been acknowledged by ‘Mahindra Rise’. This year, we further broaden our horizons by adding two more projects, in the fields of women empowerment and health, to our kitty. We aspire to keep growing and keep marching ahead with an aim much beyond the sky….So if you also share our vision, have similar ambitions and wish to join us on our mission, do contact us by mailing us to any of the given email ids:


UNDER THE INK RIBBON

Charul Bansal - Editor-in-chief

Anusha Singh - Executive Editor

Tadepalli Ramya - Associate Editor

Taufeeq Rahmani - Technical Head

EDITORIAL

D. Siddharth Ruthvik Majety

Sri Harsha Vavilala Vishnu Priya

Aakhila Shaheen Bhanu Srivatsav

M. Shruti Jatin Agarwal

Amit Gantasala

TECHNICAL/CREATIVE TEAM

Taufeeq Rahmani

Anusha Singh


I Am YUVA-2

Documents

Transcript of I Am YUVA-2