Dr. D. Y. Patil Pratishthan’s DR. D. Y. PATIL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING, MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH Approved by A.I.C.T.E, New Delhi , Maharashtra State Government, Affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University Sector No. 29, PCNTDA , Nigidi Pradhikaran, Akurdi, Pune 411044. Phone: 020–27654470, Fax: 020-27656566 Website : www.dypiemr.ac.in Email : [email protected] REPORT YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME Speakers: Dr. Prakash Baba Amte & Dr. Mandakini Amte Venue: Shantai Auditorium, Dr. D. Y. Patil Educational Complex, Akurdi, Pune - 44 Date : 11th December, 2018 1 Foreword Youth is the fountainhead of exuberance, energy and dynamism and is the lifeline of our country. It is the youth who is going to take forward the legacy of our country and will help it gain new heights of growth and achievements. Therefore, it is very important to tap the unbridled vigor of our youth and give it a right direction. By effectively channelizing this energy, any nation can attain limitless heights and bring accolades to its country. If empowered, they have the potential to excel and do wonders. The youth just like flowers is an intricate part of any society and they have an important role to play. Any society is incomplete without the participation of young blood. In order to make a society progressive and dynamic, young people should be made an essential part of it. It is rightly said that ―today‘s youth is the force, hope and leaders of tomorrow‖ as they are the face of our community, society and country at large. Young people are a harbinger of change in society and can push our government or the system to discharge its role effectively. But our youth too has got important responsibilities to discharge. It is important for them to draw a lesson from the past, remain vigilant in the present and live with a hope of seeing a better future – a future which will be brighter and more promising for the coming generation. Our youth has a duty to fulfill, i.e. to remain genuine, honest and uphold good moral values. He/she should work unceasingly for the growth of our society and country. The youth should apply their brain, creativity, strength and skills to bring a meaningful change in our society and enable it to function in the best manner possible. It is our youth and only youth who can sow the seeds of growth and progress and become the backbone of the nation so that the foundation for a bright future based on principles and morals could be laid down. For all this to take shape, it is important that our youth concentrate on their studies first and educate themselves well because it is only education that will empower them and help them build the future of our country. Besides intellectual studies, physical education is also must because without a sound health they cannot have a sound mind. So if our youth will remain healthy, then they can put their best efforts in working for their country. In view of the above, a motivational talk by Dr. Prakash Amte was conducted for the enlightenment of the students of Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Engineering Management & Research level on Youth Empowerment and Social Initiative. This session could mark the beginning of the success of our students with lots of positivity, learning, social empowerment and social guidance. Dr. Mrs. A.V. Patil, Principal Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Engineering Management & Research 2 1. PROGRAMME Youth Empowerment is crucial for the qualitative growth and survival of any educational institution in today‘s globalized era. In accordance with this, it was decided by Shri. Satej D. Patil, Campus Chairman, Dr. D.Y. Patil Educational Complex, Akurdi and Col. S K Joshi, Campus Director, to organize a one day Youth Empowerment Programme for the students. Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes. Youth empowerment aims to improve quality of life. Youth empowerment is achieved through participation in youth empowerment programs. However scholars argue that children‘s rights implementation should go beyond learning about formal rights and procedures to give birth to a concrete experience of rights. There are numerous models that youth empowerment programs use that help youth achieve empowerment. A variety of youth empowerment initiatives are underway around the world. These programs can be through non-profit organizations, government organizations, schools or private organizations. Empowerment can be defined in general as the capacity of individuals, groups and/or communities gain control of their circumstances and achieve their own goals, thereby being able to work towards helping themselves and others to maximize the quality of their lives. In health and social care empowerment means patients, careers and service users exercising choice and taking control of their lives. Youth empowerment is different than youth development because development is centered on developing individuals, while empowerment is focused on creating greater community change relies on the development of individual capacity. Prakash Baba Amte is a social worker from Maharashtra, India. He and his wife, Dr. Mandakini Amte, were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership' in 2008 for their philanthropic work in the form of the Lok Biradari Prakalp amongst the Madia Gonds in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and the neighbouring states of Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. Prakashvata (Pathways to Light) is an autobiography of Amte. It was originally written in Marathi and is now translated into English, Gujarati and Kannada. Amte has penned down his experiences with his "wild friends" in a book titled Raanmitra (Jungle Friends). Dr. Prakash Amte has also been awarded the Padma Shri the fourth highest civilian award in the republic of India. The social work domain shares a close relationship with human rights because it adheres to values such as respect, dignity, and self-determination - values that are strongly embedded in the code of ethics for all practitioners. The profession is highly regarded for challenging the inhumane 3 treatment of vulnerable people, its commitment to challenge anti-oppressive practice, and most importantly, ensuring that vulnerable people are given a voice. The programme, hence, extensively dealt with youth empowerment through diversity, language, culture and traditions through social work and humanitarian deeds. OBJECTIVES 1. To imbibe innovative approaches to existing social and educational structures for better impact on the welfare and development of the youth 2. To encourage and support youth initiatives those foster the culture of volunteerism, social responsibility, creativity and self-actualization 3. To help them understand their aims in life 4. To enable them to prepare short term and long term goals for their personal and professional development 5. To boost their self-confidence 6. To help them in becoming a good human being 7. To make them understand the importance and need for youth empowerment 4 2. RESOURCE PERSONS 1. Dr. Prakash Amte & Dr. Mandakini Amte Dr. Prakash Baba Amte is the son of the legendary social worker Baba Amte whose work for the upliftment of leprosy afflicted has won him many accolades. On the completion of his doctor‘s degree,Dr. Amte began studying for his MS. But destiny had something else in store for him. While on a picnic to Hemalkasa with his father, he was aghast at seeing the state of the tribal people living in that region. Dropping his studies for the MS degree, Dr. Prakash decided to change their lives and moved to Hemalaksa along with his wife, Dr. Mandakini Amte. Hemalkasa was a small community of tribal people, with no power and transport facilities and totally cut out from the rest of the world. Notwithstanding the mountain of hardships that came their way, this doctor couple uplifted the lives of the Madia-Gond tribal community to an unthought-of level. The tribal community had no access to basic necessities. They were unaware of clothing their bodies, never knew what medical care was and followed hunting as the sole means of sustenance. They lived almost like savages. The selfless work of this couple brought them into the mainstream and in the process, several engineers, doctors, and teachers were nurtured by the duo. In the initial days, the doctor duo began treating the tribes people in a makeshift hospital, taught the kids beneath a tree and helped to reduce the day-to-day problems of the tribal people in the area. Their efforts for development of the region has borne rich fruits today with the 5 establishment of a hospital fitted with modern facilities, a residential school reaching out to hundreds of tribal children and the development of the ‗Animal Ark‘. Dr. Prakash Amte and his wife devoted their entire life for the betterment of the tribal people and local wildlife of the Gadchiroli region. They worked hard to bring awareness among the tribal people of the region, teaching them agricultural techniques and considerably reducing their dependence on hunting for survival. The absence of power did not deter them from performing several emergency surgical procedures and eventually, they got a hospital fitted with modern facilities. Though the couple was not trained to be veterinarians; they went beyond the ordinary and created the ‗Animal Ark‘ within their courtyard, providing a safe haven to deserted and injured animals. Dr. Prakash Amte‘s name easily ranks topmost among the popular persons of India. His social work reached out to the masses through the biopic titled ‗Dr. Prakash Baba Amte– The Real Hero‘ which was released in Marathi, Hindi, and English.