A consultation on Youth Rights, Chandigarh

Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) offers academic programs at the postgraduate level in youth development, engages in research in youth development, and coordinates training programs for state agencies and the officials of youth organisations. It is involved in extension and outreach initiatives across the country. (https://www.rgniyd.gov.in/)

Samvada has been sensitising, supporting, empowering and mobilising young people in Karnataka for almost three decades towards building a just, inclusive and sustainable society. Its focus has been on young people from disadvantaged communities, a significant segment of India’s population.

(https://samvadabaduku.org/) Background

In our contemporary society where the social, economic, and political environment is ever-changing, young people’s experiences, dilemmas, and vulnerabilities are complex and diverse. Despite constituting a large portion of India’s population, they struggle to get access to affordable education, quality jobs, well-being support, and express their citizenship and political participation. As they try to make sense of the world and navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood, young people are being challenged at multiple levels. With these unique needs and circumstances, it becomes necessary to look at youth as a special, vulnerable category whose rights need to be deliberated and recognised. By recognising the young people’s diversity and vulnerability, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also articulate that to achieve a sustainable and inclusive society, efforts towards youth development need to be amplified, which includes interventions rooted in various rights frameworks.

Therefore, it becomes critical for current as well as potential youth workers to engage in dialogue about understanding and recognising youth rights, and imagine their work from this lens so that we create spaces where young people can fulfil their potential, form different opinions, and take risks.

Keeping this context in mind, Samvada and the Department of Development Studies, RGNIYD have decided to collaborate to organise a regional consultation on Youth Rights. The consultation aims to:

1. Build an understanding of youth rights amongst students and youth workers
2. Enable youth workers to perceive their interventions from a youth rights perspective

The consultation will be held over one and a half days and will include developing an understanding of youth and youthhood today, conceptualising youth rights, and exploring various interventions from a youth rights framework.

Expected participants

This consultation invites youth workers and professionals who are engaging with young people in different thematic areas in Chandigarh and nearby regions.

Guidelines for participation

Registration in advance is mandatory. Venue details will be shared after registration. Accommodation and food will be provided to the participants.
Please arrive at the venue by 9:30 am
Participants are requested to plan their travel accordingly.

There is a limited provision for travel support; we request those requiring travel support to contact us at the earliest.