SHILLONG, April 24: Making a clarion call for youths to drive the social development sector at the grassroots in Meghalaya, a seminar was organised by St. Anthony’s College in collaboration with SBI Youth for India, in a bid to raise awareness on the social development sector in the country.
Parij Borgohain (YFI 2017-18 Batch), an alumnus of SBI Youth for India, delivered a talk on how youth from Shillong have the drive and zeal to drive social development and can facilitate rural development by collaborating with communities at the grassroots level. The seminar was attended by professors, students, and aspirants of the social sector.
Speaking at the seminar, the Youth for India alumnus, Borgohain highlighted the social work that the youth can explore in thematic areas such as Health, Rural Livelihood, Food Security, Environmental Protection, Education, Water, Technology, Women’s Empowerment, Self-Governance, Social Entrepreneurship, Traditional Craft and Alternate Energy.
It may be noted that some of these areas are aligned with India’s national priorities.
The seminar by SBI Youth for India exemplified that the urban-educated youth have the proper skill set and education to come up with unique solutions to challenging situations and foster sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth at the grassroots level of the country. These will result in building capacity and empowering local communities to take ownership of development initiatives.
The SBI YFI, through its various youth-led interventions, has impacted over 150,000 lives in more than 250 villages across 20 states in the country spanning a period of more than 13 years.
It is currently accepting online applications for the 12th batch of YFI in its pursuit to place informed women and men to facilitate development planning at the village level and enable the linking of plans with available resources.
Social development sector in India faces several challenges in reaching out to rural communities, while engaging youth in their development. Some of the rural challenges include limited Infrastructure, language, and cultural barriers, limited resources, lack of awareness, resistance to change, and gender inequality, to name a few.
It is pertinent to note here that the SBI Youth for India Fellowship is the SBI Foundation’s uniquely designed 13-month fellowship programme that was founded in 2011. The fellowship, which is inspired by US ‘PeaceCorps’, provides a framework for talented youth to join hands with rural communities, empathise with their struggles, and connect with their aspirations.
In over 13 years, 10 batches of over 580 fellows have paved the way for development with youth-led interventions, a statement issued here said.
