History of Yuwa Forum: Bridging the generation gap

Yuwa Forum Nepal and Pragati Education Foundation Pokhara organised a musical program Subharambha on 11 March to start Youth Information Centre in Pokhara. With the slogan 'Revival in music' the event aimed at strengthening the relationship between the old and new generation. Even the audience were of varied ages. Artistes such as Satyaraj and Swaroop Acharya, Sailesh Singh, and Jagadish Samal sang oldies like Maya Meri Saajh Bani, Galti Hajar Hunchhan, Lau Suna Ma Bhanchhu originally sung by Bhakta Raj Acharya and Narayan Gopal. (DURGA HUMAGAIN, POKHARA)

History of Yuwa Forum: Interaction Program on Youth on Media:

Badri Binod Pratik, the vice president of Federation of Nepalese Journalist reads WAVE 106

Keeping in view the growing participation and need of the youth in the media, Yuwa Forum, Pokhara, organised an interaction program on 2 Oct. The president of Yuwa Forum, Jiban Baral, presided over the event, which had invited WAVE editor Kashish Das Shrestha as the chief guest. Badri Binod Pratik, the vice president of Federation of Nepalese Journalist and Gangadhar Parajuli, the vice chairman of the Nepal Press Union were amongst several other veteran journalists invited as speakers. After a welcome note by forum member Kanti Shrestha, Yuwa Forum's website www.yuwaforum.org.np was officially inaugurated by Kashish.


The Yuva Forum team with Kashish and Durga ji
The senior journalists who were invited to speak at the event, talked about the role of media in society and reminisced about their start up days. Kashish, the final speakert, noted the growing active role the youth have been playing in both print and electronic media in Nepal over the last five years. He also stressed on the fact that the media should help today's youth become responsible citizens at home and aware global citizens. He went on to say the freshly inaugurated website itself could now connect a youth group from Pokhara to youth the world over. About 45 people had attended the program.

Yuwa Forum has been organizing various socio- political programs in Pokhara, including a peace rally last month.

Our Year Our Voice

2010 is our year for our voice. August 12, 2010 – August 12, 2011 is International Youth Year. UN declared 2010 as international youth year. The slogan of international youth year is Our Year Our Voice. The youth year was commenced in 12 August, 2010 as the international youth year: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding with different program around the world. The year was coincided with the anniversary of first International Youth Year in 1985.

In Pokhara, Nepal 10 youth organization directly involved and about 30 youth organization indirectly involved jointly celebrated the international youth day. They jointly alerted the constitutional member for their right in new constitution of Nepal. They organized different cultural program to create awareness about youth issues to mass public. Many organizations declared yearly program in 12 August, 2010 in Pokhara, Nepal.

In my views the voices of the youth should be overt throughout the year as well as there should be maximum of youth participation and engagement towards social services. There are many organizations having different program targeting youth issues in Nepal. Most of the programs in Nepal are centered to limited circle of youth. So the organization who works for youth should go beyond this circle of youth from this youth year.

To be more specific the program of youth should be mass orientated rather than for limited people. It should target to the mass people towards empowerment. The next is that the program and the opportunities of youth are mostly city oriented with limited circle of youth groups. So the program should tend towards the rural areas of Nepal. For example Alternatives has its program in Taparang for the development of rural youth and their entrepreneurship development. If we consider two conditions that is mass orientated program and rural orientated program for youth in Nepal then we can see some change in our community.

For celebrating a year means the time has been change to address the youth and its issues. The time has been changed a lot so that the culture of youth have been also changed. A decade ago information center is very essential for youth but now every youth have laptop in their hands with internet. Teenage pregnancy has been increased now a day which is one of the major issues in world which clearly indicate the culture of youth. Now the traditional issues of youth that different organizations have been taking should leave and the emerging issues according to the time should be taken on for the development of youth.

The most important part for the development of youth is donors or sponsors who fund to other organization. They should center to those organization that are more committed to rural areas and action oriented.

The present youth want to work more than to hear and watch. It means they are neglecting talk program such as seminars, workshop, interaction, debates etc whereas they are showing more interest in program like plantation, volunteer teaching in school etc. So every sector should concentrate towards youth interest for the development of youth in Nepal. So like Alternative is the best example which worked on entrepreneurship development for the development of youth, community and the country (www.alternativesnepal.org.np). So youth year would be better if all the youth are sustain in term of their requirement.