2-day National Rural Youth Meet kicks off at Art of Living
Bengaluru: A reformed convict holding a record for the most chain snatchings in Chikmagalur, is now leading a project to revive the Vedavathi river in 3 districts of Karnataka. An electrician in Chhattisgarh has mobilized his village to go completely open defecation free, the first of its kind in his state. A transformed alcoholic in Andhra Pradesh won an award from the Chief Minister of his state for his efforts towards a Swachh Bharat. Not only was he instrumental in driving de-addiction projects in his community, but also in bringing clean water to many villages.
An awe-inspiring demonstration of commitment to transform rural India was on full display as 2600 youth leaders (Yuvacharyas) from 26 states across India gathered for the 'National Rural Youth Meet,' which kicked off on Monday at the Art of Living International Center in Bengaluru.
Envisaged under the "Vyakti Vikas se Rashtra Vikas" campaign of the Youth Leadership Program (YLTP) of the Art of Living, the 2-day conference aims to create one Yuvacharya (youth leader) each for the 6.5 lakh villages in India who will lead projects to usher in deep-rooted social transformation in every village of the country.
“The sign of youth is enthusiasm, readiness to face challenges and a goal in life. If you have these three, you will be successful,” said Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressing the inaugural session, and stressed on the fact that India needs to take to entrepreneurship and skill development on a large scale.
Under YLTP, 222,568 leaders have played key roles in implementing developmental projects of The Art of Living and, train 22 lakh farmers in natural farming, skill 27,000 youth, plant over 1 million trees, lead communities towards going open defecation free (ODF) and help free thousands from addiction and rehabilitate 3,50,000 prisoners. These highly energized youth are also the backbone of Art of Living’s nation-wide campaign to rejuvenate 33 rivers and tributaries and revive thousands of water bodies.
With inspiring stories to share with each other; industry experts to train them in verticals such as natural farming, rural banking, river rejuvenation and creating model villages, it’s expected that the conference will mark a revolution by deploying over 2600 trained and inspired foot soldiers on the ground.
Graduates of YLTP, called Yuvacharyas, have focused on key village development issues such as de-addiction, model village, river rejuvenation, community development, environmental protection programs such as tree plantation, as well as preserving our heritage and culture.
“I want to bring education to children in the Naxal region of Bastar. I’ve already started a school with around 250 students. At this conference, I have the opportunity to upgrade my skills, thanks to the industry experts who we’ll get to interact with, and learn from the experiences of other Yuvacharyas,” said Rohit Verma, a Yuvacharya from Chhattisgarh.
The goal is to empower the rural youth into becoming physically strong, mentally alert and morally responsible individuals who can become role models for their communities.
