ITANAGAR, Oct 18: Enthusiastic displays of their newly-acquired fire in the belly to make a difference to the lives of people around them marked the culmination of the Youth Leadership Training Programme (YLTP) hosted by the Art of Living.
In all, 25 youth from different parts of Arunachal Pradesh participated in the innovative programme that focussed on creating a brigade of motivated and committed youth who are ready to bring about transformation in the society.
The weeklong training concluded on Sunday at the Art of Living’s Ashram in Pagatara Village.
The participants included youth from various districts of Arunachal Pradesh, from all backgrounds and all sections of the society.
“We learnt discipline and teamwork in this workshop. The yoga and other techniques for self development that we learnt will definitely keep us in good stead in our future. We took responsibility for our surroundings which we don’t do at home,” said Pordung from Seppa sharing his story of transformation.
“I have a history of troubled breathing (asthma), but the yoga and breathing exercises have helped me immensely and I feel much better,” said Choni, another participant from Seppa.
Designed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the YLTP comprised of breathing techniques and meditation with leadership skills and human values training. The youth were also trained in physical and mental fitness, personality development, leadership and communication skills, and public speaking.
“What the programme does is to create physically strong, mentally alert and morally responsible individuals who are ready to cross all their comfort zones and become role models for others,” says Samir Jolly, a senior faculty of the Art of Living who conducted the YLTP workshop.
The group went to organize a yoga camp to raise awareness about health in the Pachin Colony area on Saturday.
Listening to the experiences of the participants, one can easily conclude that the seed has been sown.
Over the years, the Art of Living has been channelising the determination and commitment of YLTP participants to create an army of dedicated volunteers.
So far, over 60,000 youth from all over the country have been trained under YLTP and they are now engaged in uplifting their communities,” said P Ramachandran, co-ordinator of YLTP in Arunachal Pradesh.
Of these, about 4,500 youth have become Yuvacharyas, or youth volunteers, and have reached out to over 30,000 villages across India.
“We want to empower the youth of Arunachal Pradesh through this training programme and replicate the success story,” added Pai Dawe, an Executive Engineer, who volunteers with the Art of Living.
