Report by Santanu Ganguly: The panel discussion of the book 'The Ocean in a Drop: Inside-Out Youth Leadership' from Sage Publications will be held on April 26, 2013 at Casuarina Hall, India habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
The book talks about how traditionally our society has legitimized four spaces for young people: the family, friends, education/careers and leisure.
This book introduces the concept of the 5th Space—a space that goes beyond the commonly used terms of volunteerism and Active Citizenship and focuses on three critical aspects of youth development: understanding the Self, building meaningful relationships, and impacting Society. Also how young people have contributed significantly to society in the past, and suggest ways in which they can take center stage again, creating a buzz among those working with young people.
Commutiny the Youth Collective (CYC) and Pravah brings together an eminent panel consisting of Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan - Member of Parliament from the Congress Party; Ms. Belinda Bennet - Head of the South Asia Region at Christian Aid; Mr. Venkatesh Srinivasan – Assistant Representative, UNFPA; and Ms. Ashraf Patel - Co-Founder, Pravah and CYC (and one of the authors of the book) for a joint discussion at Casuarina Hall.
Rashmi Bansal, Best Selling Author and Entrepreneur says " We need 5th spaces ‘to bring fresh ideas and energy into the idea of India, to create a band of hungry and foolish leaders … who are willing to commit themselves to “make things happen”’.
Please find below the synopsis of the Book, a profile of Commutiny-The Youth Collective group, also find a brief on all the authors.
The Ocean in the Drop: Inside-out Youth Leadership - By Ashraf Patel, Meenu Venkateswaran, Kamini Prakash, and Arjun Shekhar
Why is only 6.3% of the current LokSabha between the ages of 25 – 40 years, even though 50% of the population lies in that range? Why is India the youngest nation, ruled by the oldest cabinet?
It wasn’t always so. Young people constituted as much as 26% and 32% of the first and second Lok Sabhas respectively. So, what happened? Have young people become so self-absorbed that they do not want to contribute to society any longer?
The book suggests that the answer may lie in the fact that we have lost the link that connects the Self to society. As the Buddha said, “the foot feels the foot when it hits the ground.” The authors believe that this vital link can be re-established in a learning experience called the 5th space that takes young people on a journey from the Self to society.
India is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations in the world and to realize their potential, there is a definite need to work with young people.This book has the potential to change the way we view and work with young people. While the government and corporate India are focusing on vocational skill development so that the nation can ride the wave of the demographic dividend, this book argues that along with vocational skills, there is an urgent need to build youth leadership, if we want to bring about sustainable change and create a generation of active, committed and empathetic individuals deeply connected to society and with the skills to intervene effectively. It is in this connection that the 5th space and this book assume such importance.
About the Authors:
Ashraf Patel is a co-founder for Pravah and Commutiny – The Youth Collective. Her early professional years were in the corporate sector in Human Resources with SRF Ltd and Escorts Financial Services. She was the CEO of Pravah since its inception in 1994 to 2001 and is currently the Convener of Commutiny.
Meenu Venkateswaran is a founder member and board member of Pravah and Commutiny – The Youth Collective. At Pravah, she has worked in several capacities – including Head of Teacher Training and as the CEO. Presently she is Director – Resource Mobilization and Partnerships at Pravah.
Kamini Prakash is presently a board member and Director – Research at Pravah. She also looks after Change Looms: A Learning and Leadership Journey – a program for young social entrepreneurs. She has worked as Executive Director, The Hope Project, Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi and as a Program Associate, Urban Programs, Care India.
Arjun Shekhar is a founder member and board member of both Pravah and Commutiny – The Youth Collective. He is currently the President of the Pravah Board and Director, Vyaktitva, a performance enhancement organization.
Commutiny–the Youth Collective (CYC) is a group of individuals and organizations that promotes youth development in India through a fellowship program, media and research.
They believe that the demographic dividend can only become a real advantage if the huge cohort of youth becomes a vibrant force that shapes a more just, equitable and non-violent world. They understand that to bring the youth in the center of development processes, we need to build an enabling environment, a positive image of young people and their contribution, and facilitate a big leap in mainstreaming youth centric processes in the country.
While working directly with youth and youth organizations they also work actively with the Media which needs to resurrect itself as a genuine dipstick of the youth pulse and become a responsible platform for getting authentic youth voices into the mainstream. Their overall goal is to promote youth leadership for greater participation in decision making.
Commutiny is a collective of like-minded professionals from diverse organizations who believe passionately in the power of young people to envision the future and to act in the present. So, they, as a collective are committed to work with young people and work to strengthen the ecosystem for youth development and participation in India.
As a space, they allow for young Change Leaders and youth workers alike to bring and utilize their experiences in the field in order to advocate for creating an empowering space for youth in society.
In the coming years, they would like to see the Youth Development space grow and expand. To see it gaining greater legitimacy in the minds of the young, the old, the policy makers, the educationists, the corporate, social activists, society at large.
5th Space is a space where young people develop a psycho-social worldview, which answers the question “Who are we?”(We as in humans - a social species) as opposed to “Who am I?” This view allows young people to understand and define their connection to the world as it is.
The 5th space makes the relationships in the other four spaces (At home with family, hanging out with friends, in leisure or at college / workplace.) count by nourishing and enriching the capacities of young people to take effective and responsible action.
The 5th space believes that self-transformation is the first step towards creating change in our relationships and in society.
The book talks about how traditionally our society has legitimized four spaces for young people: the family, friends, education/careers and leisure.
This book introduces the concept of the 5th Space—a space that goes beyond the commonly used terms of volunteerism and Active Citizenship and focuses on three critical aspects of youth development: understanding the Self, building meaningful relationships, and impacting Society. Also how young people have contributed significantly to society in the past, and suggest ways in which they can take center stage again, creating a buzz among those working with young people.
 |
| The Ocean in a Drop: Inside-Out Youth Leadership |
Rashmi Bansal, Best Selling Author and Entrepreneur says " We need 5th spaces ‘to bring fresh ideas and energy into the idea of India, to create a band of hungry and foolish leaders … who are willing to commit themselves to “make things happen”’.
Please find below the synopsis of the Book, a profile of Commutiny-The Youth Collective group, also find a brief on all the authors.
The Ocean in the Drop: Inside-out Youth Leadership - By Ashraf Patel, Meenu Venkateswaran, Kamini Prakash, and Arjun Shekhar
Why is only 6.3% of the current LokSabha between the ages of 25 – 40 years, even though 50% of the population lies in that range? Why is India the youngest nation, ruled by the oldest cabinet?
It wasn’t always so. Young people constituted as much as 26% and 32% of the first and second Lok Sabhas respectively. So, what happened? Have young people become so self-absorbed that they do not want to contribute to society any longer?
The book suggests that the answer may lie in the fact that we have lost the link that connects the Self to society. As the Buddha said, “the foot feels the foot when it hits the ground.” The authors believe that this vital link can be re-established in a learning experience called the 5th space that takes young people on a journey from the Self to society.
India is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations in the world and to realize their potential, there is a definite need to work with young people.This book has the potential to change the way we view and work with young people. While the government and corporate India are focusing on vocational skill development so that the nation can ride the wave of the demographic dividend, this book argues that along with vocational skills, there is an urgent need to build youth leadership, if we want to bring about sustainable change and create a generation of active, committed and empathetic individuals deeply connected to society and with the skills to intervene effectively. It is in this connection that the 5th space and this book assume such importance.
About the Authors:
Ashraf Patel is a co-founder for Pravah and Commutiny – The Youth Collective. Her early professional years were in the corporate sector in Human Resources with SRF Ltd and Escorts Financial Services. She was the CEO of Pravah since its inception in 1994 to 2001 and is currently the Convener of Commutiny.
Meenu Venkateswaran is a founder member and board member of Pravah and Commutiny – The Youth Collective. At Pravah, she has worked in several capacities – including Head of Teacher Training and as the CEO. Presently she is Director – Resource Mobilization and Partnerships at Pravah.
Kamini Prakash is presently a board member and Director – Research at Pravah. She also looks after Change Looms: A Learning and Leadership Journey – a program for young social entrepreneurs. She has worked as Executive Director, The Hope Project, Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi and as a Program Associate, Urban Programs, Care India.
Arjun Shekhar is a founder member and board member of both Pravah and Commutiny – The Youth Collective. He is currently the President of the Pravah Board and Director, Vyaktitva, a performance enhancement organization.
Commutiny–the Youth Collective (CYC) is a group of individuals and organizations that promotes youth development in India through a fellowship program, media and research.
They believe that the demographic dividend can only become a real advantage if the huge cohort of youth becomes a vibrant force that shapes a more just, equitable and non-violent world. They understand that to bring the youth in the center of development processes, we need to build an enabling environment, a positive image of young people and their contribution, and facilitate a big leap in mainstreaming youth centric processes in the country.
While working directly with youth and youth organizations they also work actively with the Media which needs to resurrect itself as a genuine dipstick of the youth pulse and become a responsible platform for getting authentic youth voices into the mainstream. Their overall goal is to promote youth leadership for greater participation in decision making.
Commutiny is a collective of like-minded professionals from diverse organizations who believe passionately in the power of young people to envision the future and to act in the present. So, they, as a collective are committed to work with young people and work to strengthen the ecosystem for youth development and participation in India.
As a space, they allow for young Change Leaders and youth workers alike to bring and utilize their experiences in the field in order to advocate for creating an empowering space for youth in society.
In the coming years, they would like to see the Youth Development space grow and expand. To see it gaining greater legitimacy in the minds of the young, the old, the policy makers, the educationists, the corporate, social activists, society at large.
5th Space is a space where young people develop a psycho-social worldview, which answers the question “Who are we?”(We as in humans - a social species) as opposed to “Who am I?” This view allows young people to understand and define their connection to the world as it is.
The 5th space makes the relationships in the other four spaces (At home with family, hanging out with friends, in leisure or at college / workplace.) count by nourishing and enriching the capacities of young people to take effective and responsible action.
The 5th space believes that self-transformation is the first step towards creating change in our relationships and in society.
0 comments:
Post a Comment