Gujarat Young People’s Action Team (YPAT) Packs a Punch at Maiden Meet
By Jyoti Jha, Kumar Manish & Moira Dawa
The fabulous fourteen from across Gujarat explore possibilities to strengthen education, skills, empowerment and economic opportunities for the youngsters
India has the world’s largest youth population with 356 million1 aged between 10 – 24 years, i.e. 28 per cent of total population. Investing in young people and unleashing their power and potential may not just advance India’s growth and development story but it carries an enormous potential to transform the global development indicators, including for social, economic and political development. The success of India’s young people largely translates into success for the world.
Based on this important premise and to help support the unique needs of young people, in 2019, UNICEF initiated the Generation Unlimited (GenU) or YuWaah partnership in India, mobilizing a wide variety of public and private sector actors, UN agencies, and civil society around the overall goal of ensuring every young person (aged 10-24 years) is in some form of school, learning, training or age-appropriate employment by 2030. Since then the YuWaah programme is being operationalized in three States including Gujarat.
To ensure a systematic and meaningful engagement of young people in the decision-making process for YuWaah, the Young People’s Action Team (YPAT) has been established in the State.
When the potential in unlimited, the possibilities abound
An orientation meeting was organized for the fabulous fourteen of the Gujarat Young People Action Team (YPAT) with the Chief of UNICEF in Gujarat, Dr Laxmi Bhawani and the State UNICEF - YuWaah team on 12 February 2021.
Addressing the YPAT members, Dr Laxmi Bhawani, said, “Any country’s greatest asset is the energy, ideas and vision of its young people. Investing in them is the best investment India can make. The insights from the young people represented by the YPAT will strengthen the work of UNICEF and YuWaah in developing, nurturing and strengthening catalytic partnerships for effectively unleashing the power and potential of young people in Gujarat.”
The Gujarat YPAT members are Aabhas Senapati, Faiqah Vahora, Kaushal K Gohil, Twisha Bhatt, Pragya Sharma and Krishna Sodha from Ahmedabad, Aditya Yuvraj Hore, Saksham Jain, and Srividhya Suyoj from Surat, Dipen Gadhiya from Junagadh. Juhi Parikh from Narmada, Karan Bharat Jain from Navsari Surat, Harsh Bhatariya from Dahod, Dhwani Rathwa from Chotta Udepur, Maitreya Shah from Vadodara.
They are a diverse vibrant group of 14 young people (6 girls and 8 boys) representing eight districts of the State and made up of a poet, an entrepreneur, an innovator, a disability rights activist, a mental health advocate, a gender equality champion, a tribal youth champion, a singer, among others.The youngest member of the YPAT is 14 years and the oldest is 23. They have been selected through an open call based on specific criteria.
The YPAT members would be an integral part of YuWaah partnership in the state and help co-create programme strategies, initiatives, campaigns and solutions on issues that impact the lives of young people.