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Young men seek a say in policy-making
Young people from across the length and breadth of the country have now come together to take charge of their lives and to demand youth-friendly policies that can help realise their full potential. And the alliance called "Young People: Towards a Healthy Future'' has emerged out of a democratic process of consultations involving nearly 10,000 children from 13 States.
Announcing the formation of the youth alliance in the Capital on Thursday, Savita, a member of the Bal Panchayat, said: "We want to have a say on the programmes and policies that are being made for us. The alliance will help prioritise the issues that concern us.''
Indeed, Savita is not the only one who feels that the alliance spearheaded by young people can help prioritise concerns that are often adversely affecting their lives. Hundreds of children from across the country have converged in the Capital for a two-day national level consultation to thrash out the issues involved. And these range from denial of education to right of health care and being free from tobacco.
As Sudhir, another member of the Bal Panchayat, points out: "Nobody knows better than us what it means to grow up in an environment where different forms of substance abuse from tobacco to inhaling toxic substances is so easily available for the young people''.
Even more challenging is the aspiration to go to school. Recounting their experience, children from Uttar Pradesh said: "Going to school is often a scary experience. For many of us, the discrimination is unbearable. It has to do with our social identity. We are constantly insulted but try not to get discouraged by these incidents. So, on many occasions we crawl and sneak into the classroom to prevent any kind of undue attention.''
The national youth alliance to address adolescent concerns has been facilitated by leading national and State level organisations such as Bal Panchayat, Centre for Health, Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA), Centre for Population and Development Activity (CEDPA), Mamta, NFI, PFI, Plan International and the Population Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Recognising the challenges, Bruno Oudmayer, Country Director Plan India, says the formation of a new alliance of young people was a "timely initiative'' and "will promote youth-centric policies and programmes''.
By K. Kannan
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