Mission Youth empowers youth as important stakeholder in participatory good governance

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 12: Taking forward its agenda to positively engage youth for their overall well being making them important stakeholder in development of Jammu and Kashmir, Mission Youth has accomplished constitution of youth clubs across the Union Territory.

The volunteers program of Youth clubs  will give youth an opportunity to work through real challenges and make meaningful change in the society. Young people who volunteer regularly develop a civic identity as leaders and change-makers, therefore become socially and politically strong active adults.

They also learn new social skills like collaboration and problem solving that are vital to succeed in academics, the workplace and their personal lives. Thus, youth volunteerism can play a pivotal role in creating lifelong change among youth and result in their overall personality development, which happens to be the core agenda of Mission Youth. The youth clubs have been constituted to realise this vision.

Pertinently, the initiative was approved by the Governing Body of Mission Youth,  headed by Lieutenant Governor, in its first meeting held on 17 th June. Working on mission mode, the youth clubs stand constituted in  a time bound manner within two months.

As per the district wise data on youth clubs, Anantnag has 335 youth clubs,  Jammu 305,Bandipora 151, Doda 237, Baramulla 402, Kathua 257, Budgam 296, Kishtiwar 111, Ganderbal 126, Poonch 229, Kulgam 178,Rajouri 315, Kupwara 355,Ramban 143, Pulwama 190, Reasi 153, Shopian 98, Samba 101, Srinagar 21 and Udhampur has 236 making a total of 4239 youth clubs in J&K.

These groups have been constituted with strenuous efforts of all Deputy Commissioners under the supervision of Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer, Mission Youth. Also, constitution of these youth clubs was regularly monitored and guided by Chief Secretary, Dr AK Mehta, to ensure the volunteer program is made fully operational on the eve of International Youth Day 2021.

 The youth volunteers of these youth clubs will be given training  on all aspects of government schemes and will be part of emergency and crisis plans and be involved in the planning and decision making regarding volunteer-led activities to be done in Panchayats. The members of these youth clubs are also intended to act as peer modulators and motivators, besides creating awareness and mobilization for various Mission Youth schemes.

The youth clubs will also be provided special incentives in the form of grant in aid to support their activities. Sports kits and other equipments will also be provided for constructive engagement of youth volunteers.

Pertinently, Mission Youth has also sanctioned funds to all districts for refurbishment of government buildings to be allotted to these youth clubs and all Deputy Commissioners have been asked to conduct special Independence Day ceremonial functions where the members of these youth clubs shall participate and commence their journey of being the driving force in good governance initiatives of the government.

Mission Youth envisions that Young people should be involved as active participants in their own development and in that of the wider society and volunteering is a viable mechanism for achieving this vision of participatory governance.

The programme is conceived with an objective to engage, groom and empower young people as a valuable resource pool. The programme shall remain focused to encourage, engage and mobilize young volunteers of J&K to support the government efforts for socio-economic transformation of Jammu & Kashmir by organizing them in volunteer groups for community service.