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NGO Youth Development Program, India
| The youth development programme was initiated in 1986 by IGSSS through the SMILE Programme. The aim of the programme was to mobilize the youth, particularly college and university students, to inculcate the sense of social issues. The programme gradually changed its approach as the opportunities were only getting limited to urban youth. As part of a new approach, less privileged youth, rural youth as well as non educated youth were taken under the SMILE programme. Young people from remote areas who could also be the major force of nation building are actually deprived of all development. Youth are vulnerable in the hands of many underground and political groups. Youth are more vulnerable in any conflict situation. Identity crisis among youth is seen as high among youth. Youth are yet to be mainstreamed in local governance. Unemployment in all sections in India is increasing. There is dearth of skill training among rural youth. Youth unemployment thus leads to exclusion, frustration, low self-esteem and sometimes disruptive behaviour that becomes a burden to society. Hence, SMILE took another step to increase the employment opportunity of the target youth.  Presently, two kinds of projects are implemented under the Youth Development Programme. The first one aims at increasing livelihood opportunities for youth through entrepreneurship skill development and access to credit. It is operational in Kashmir, Kolkata and Assam. The second project which is functional in Assam and Manipur, Northeast, is in its second phase with the focus of (1) Livelihood Development, (2) Sustained Growth through Rights based Approach. The 'Youth centric development' is our new approach refers to building leadership potential. It recognizes the need to engage with youth as individual with unique identities and a desire to learn, explore, and understand their own potential as active citizens. The focus is on the young person and his or her development. Youth development does not see the young person as a "problem" to be addressed or as a passive constituency receiving services. In Youth Centric Development approach, the youth are seen as a co-equal partner capable of working out viable solutions to the problems of local communities. To this effect, the youth are proposed to be groomed as agents of societal change. This approach involves providing development inputs to youth so that they realise their own entitlements as citizens so that they will be able to assess their own needs, aspirations, relation to society and leadership potential etc.  |
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Promoting Sustainable Livelihood - Youth
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Urban Poverty
- Gender
- Medical Sponsorship
- Consultancy Studies
- Past Projects
Key Areas of Intervention
