YOUTH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIALLY ACCOUNTABLE SERVICES(YES)

Project Status: Call for action

TEAM MEMBERS: PARAS, VIKRAM, SHASHANK, SAURAV, JEETUL AND SHUBHAM.

Targeted group: underprivileged youth involved in the informal sectors

What is the problem ? India, like many other developing countries of the world is facing numerous ups and downs. On the global scale, it is the second fastest growing nation in the world, and its successful growth story

is spoken world over for instance, multi-billion dollar foreign acquisitions, space explorations and decreasing poverty rate (65%to 32% in the last four decades [1]).

On the local scale, it is rife with problems like farmer suicides, persistent poverty and hunger, malnutrition, unemployment and the ever-growing plague of corruption. A survey conducted by United Nations showed that in India, far more people have access to mobile connections than to a proper sanitation [2]. This raises an apt question: Does this growth and development exist at all or is it merely a mirage? How can a country with such set of ongoing problems aim to achieve economically sustainable development?

Hunger and poverty still prevail in India with more than 250 million people going hungry every night. India is ranked 67th on the IFPRIS Global hunger index and its close competitor China is ranked mere 9th.

According to Oxfam, India’s economy size doubled in the last two decades after the government reformed its economic policies, but the number of hungry in the country had risen by 65 million during this period. While the government is still eyeing the economic growth rate, the poor still cannot afford basic services like food, clothing, shelter and education. The question that arises now is: Why can India not nourish its people if it has achieved so much growth and development in the recent past? Is it the lack of infrastructure? If so, then the billion dollar funds from international development agencies were all bestowed in vain. Or is it the lack of building, managing and monitoring the economy efficiently. In any case, clearly there occurred a serious error.

Being a responsible youth of my country, i want to bring together an environmental and developmental project to organize certain key unorganized sectors where the underprivileged youth from categories like illiterate, homeless, refugees and migrants suffers the most. These are the key difficulties in the vision of sustainable development for India. The project aims to improve the living conditions of the youth associated within these sectors. As the, environment of the people brings unprecedented opportunities to enhance their quality of life. The tangible impacts will be seen in there life's with a planned shifting in their modes of subsistence through socio and environmentally accountable opportunities.

Key areas involved:A1 Some essential fundamental changes are required in the basic infrastructure models of policy making, governance, private sector and the public outlook whom they serve because in the presence of public services offered by the government (food ,clothing ,shelter and education), employment by public & private Sectors, entrepreneurship lead opportunities and NGO initiatives; large number of youth are still deprived of at hand opportunities.

A2 Systemization of different unorganized sectors is an utmost requirement for instance, waste management, education , healthcare and information tools which still lacks proper organizational inputs to be readily accessible before the common public. Due to non existence of proper information about there rights, government facilities and proper skills, destituteness is created among them and it curtails their likelihoods of enhancing their quality of life with better opportunities in life.

A3 A channelized foundation of education, training and employment facilities for the underprivileged and needy groups of the society through creation of socio and environmentally accountable services.

A4 The creation of skilled work force offering environmentally accountable services before the society for the common benefits of all by social and environmental entrepreneurs with participation of youth from schools and universities through volunteering and internships in “YES”.

Why YES?In the present time of uncertainty, any action for the needy won't bring the definite changes in their life's .Because of multiplicity of problems accelerating in the society today ranging from climate change, global financial and energy crisis, food insecurity and the irrepressible concern on sustainable livelihoods.

Therefore, the concept of “YES” can be a potential solution to create a parallel path for achieving a balance between sustainable economic growth and development while providing essential basic amenities to the disadvantaged people.

The process of bringing “YES” to the underprivileged will involve action from all spheres of society.

Due to the vast array of works at hand, the project would be distributed to different groups of skilled personnel for appropriate time periods to deliver impactful results with a accurately designed social and resource mapping by :

Scientific and Technical assistance.Professional expertise to arrange financial assistance.Community based action for achieving accountable services in the planned geographical areas.A comprehensive planned group of activities to offer awareness, information and action for delivering “YES”.

Action Plans A more all-inclusive participatory channel of communication is needed to let the government play a meaningful role in the life’s of the underprivileged through engaging youth in the decision making processes.

With a wide-ranging knowledge of environmental issues the youth can undertake enterprise initiatives in the informal sectors like:Waste management(paper recycling, plastic reusability, water reusable methods and practicing efficient energy use at a widespread scale)Arranging educational and healthcare groups functioning at the local and national levels for delivering the environmental and social services all around the country in partnerships of government and NGOs to offer their services equally and efficiently to all the needy.A planned base of providing sustainable livelihood opportunities to the skilled personnel can be undertaken by:Scientific knowledge centers for resource and social mapping to deliver “green jobs”.Database management for establishing wide number of Eco-employments in the various trade and service sectors and agricultural and sustainable farm belts for maintaining a balance between resource consumption and regeneration of natural affluence.The underprivileged youth who lacks opportunities can be potentially supported only when the society adapts to sustainable resource consumption as a Way Of life!

Many Intertwined ills of the society?

“We have guided missiles and misguided men.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hawkers in Delhi, India (Mostly are unskilled migrants from poor states in India and environmental refugees coming to thecities for immediate source of livelihoods) The age group of migration is commonly 15-25 years.There population is enormous and leads to a influx of migrants in the cities which puts a severe pressure on natural resources.All this leads to creation of a widespread disparities among the rich and the poor(rural and urban) establishing “numerous “Informal sectors”.

With a initiative of one of my friends in the state of Uttrakhand in India, a town called Munsyari [3]. He started an association of students that helps underprivileged minority students in far of rural area that was his hometown through book donation [4].Books from anyplace, mostly cities reach through individuals assigned to collect. These books generally vary from reading, texts and training books that are old editions. They also organized other activities to encourage meritorious students through competitions, cultural programs and cash prizes to come forward and significantly improve their abilities. His community belongs to a tribe and many of them are now qualified young professional in the major cities of our country.

School students with their teachers

Annual sports tournament for youngsters

Minorities echoing change

This describes an image of “Unconnected Infrastructure” present in our society in many parts of the developing world where communities often lacks numerous facilities. But despite lacking government assistance the youth are taking responsibility to come forward themselves to help their community especially underprivileged youths still lacking financial assistance and right direction who often break away from studies and join as taxi drivers, herb collectors, civil contractors, shopkeepers that totally changes their lives in an opposite direction away from progress.

Even though being a community in the country, with constant support of the skilled youth these small contributions as socially accountable services can significantly improve life's of many youths and other underprivileged groups. The work started by my friend is still going on through a social networking site. He has made significant contribution in the welfare of youths who often lacks financial support. The students welfare association started by him still has a long way to go.

My concept of YES is of utmost need to sustain many of these initiatives because with the skilled youth force migrating to the cities there is only one way to make sure the youth can get skilled job opportunities in their local environments or to maintain a balance between the flow of rural and urban skilled youths for instance, as the youth is interested in migrating to urban hubs. The ecological wealth of the rural areas is left out. Hence , agricultural production is at a decline and food insecurity is at all time high leading to pressure on natural resources . In absence of new farming techniques like organic farming, use of machinery and other yield enhancing techniques. The local ecosystem and its interrelationships with the human suffers the most!

A“YES” can do it!

Innovation and Scalability

As the project is centered on the principle of Environmental and development, its innovation can be measured with the core concept of interlinking the environmental and socially services.

Many numerous projects are carried out with good intentions of supporting the less privileged people, but the concern of environment which now is of irrepressible nature hasn’t been considered as of significance too with practically showcasing the fruition of environment and development as the achieved goals.

“YES” being a simple and sustainable concept of creating concrete impacts in the life’s of many is a scalable project which can be undertaken at school, colleges, community and at any level by a thoughtful group of youths.

References:1. Source: World Bank: key development indicators (2011).2. “Deccan herald”. 15th April, 2010.3. http://www.facebook.com/groups/swamunsyari/4. http://www.facebook.com/groups/Swamunsyari/181621451904029

Readings:1. McMichael, P. (2007). Development and Social change. Pine Forge Press.2. Chang, H.J. (ed.) Rethinking Development Economics London: Anthem Press.3. Todaro, M.P and Smith, S.C. Economic Development (8th Edition). New Delhi, PearsonEducation.4. Krueger, A.O. (1990). Government Failures in Development. Journal of EconomicPerspectives. 4(3), pp. 9-23.5. Petryna, A. (20007. Clinical Trials offshored: On Private Sector Science and PublicHealth. Biosocieties. 2 pp. 21-40.6. Vandemoortele, Jan 2010. The MDG Story: Intention Denied. Development and Change,no, doi:10.1111/j.1467-7660.2010.01678.x7. Paul, S. (2008). New thinking on Poverty: Implications for Globalization and PovertyReduction Strategies. DESA Working Paper No. 65. New York United NationsDepartment of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers.