President’s Note
Founder – President Note
As a child I always wanted to give back something to the society. Like most of us I felt empathetic towards the underprivileged but only eventually did I realize that this grim reality needs to be changed and the entire onus cannot be put on the government. I have to acknowledge my supportive parents and three of my like minded friends who motivate me to pursue my dream of starting an NGO.
The burning desire to get started and contributing towards the development of the youth came in from our inspiration Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who said, “India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand.”
Response of my peers when I started the NGO.
Several people encouraged me but most of them refused to get involved actively. The stereotypically idea that NGO‘s tend to misuse funds was bothering them. Some even said that we lacked the skills and information that were necessary to start an NGO. However, there was no dearth of support from the teachers and the management of the Deena Seva Sangha which acted as a moral booster for us at Yuva Bengaluru.
Initially we had set certain goals in our minds. Starting a new NGO seemed like an uphill task. It called for a lot of commitment and effort. I have to admit that the past fifteen months have been extremely challenging but our enthusiasm has remained the same at every point in time and hence I cannot call anything a big hassle.
Our Activities.
We started working in and around Bengaluru. In the recent pasts, we have organized various campaigns such as “News paper Drive” campaign which was a big hit. Then we also have been taking up causes of the poor in areas of Bengaluru and adjoining villages. It’s been 2 years, and in spite of having a tight schedule, I can say that we have done considerable work, especially around our area. People come to us whenever they have any kind of problem, and it’s always a pleasure to help them. We also organize workshops at regular intervals for poor people and give them information regarding their rights. It brings in a sense of satisfaction. I hope in the future that more and more people join us and that we are able to do much more work than what we have been doing since 2008.
Message to Youth
“I have a very simple and clear cut message for the youth. I believe that it is the youth which has to bring change to India. It is us, who have to replace the negatives from our society and adopt changes which are really positive. We also have to make sure that we protect our environment or we too will cease to exist. All the power for change lies with the youth. Sop start right now and do something good! Don’t be afraid of the hurdles ahead, they are just there to strike fear into you. Think of them as the challenges and you’ll bring a positive change for all of us.”
