Engaging Youth in Peace Building

To increase peaceful and constructive participation of youth of Kathmandu valley in the political process of the nation, it is important that they become aware of the issues of other places outside the valley. To this end, this activity will train 70 youth volunteers on human rights, as well as the current peace process of Nepal, and mobilize them throughout the country, including urban and rural areas in all five development regions. The volunteers will interact with the local youth, journalists, and government employees, among others. Their experiences during the field trip will be shared with other youth of the valley through various platforms including forums, dialogues in schools around the valley, publication in youth magazines, and online media. It is assumed that by visiting places outside the valley to learn of the conditions of other places and views of the people there, youth in Kathmandu will be more positively engaged in the political process after their return.

Primary Aim

To introduce our younger members to the fundamental principles of human rights and its significance in terms of the evolving socio political scenario in the country.
Form teams from among those who have received human rights training and send them out to various districts to observe and interact with high school and college level students, various youth groups, NGO?s and political parties.
Become aware of the situation in the visited areas and raise awareness among locals about human rights
Prepare a report based on the observations and publish it as an independent voice on the situation through GAA

The centralization of power in Nepal is often identified as one of the main causes behind different problems that the country is facing today, such as social exclusion, the armed conflict, and poor governance. It is accused that Kathmandu is a power center and decentralization of power and resources are not effective. Another complaint is that those in living in Kathmandu do not understand or care about the conditions of citizens in the districts. The gulf between the center and the periphery is blamed for internal dissension and strife in Nepal.

Youth of Kathmandu have more opportunities than rural youth. The new generation of Kathmandu is perceived to be less active or interested in the social and political arena. They are more focused on music, education and technology. There is a gap between rural and urban youth in understanding the present political and social situation. This difference has led to friction between Kathmandu Valley youth and those from other areas. Thus, with limited Kathmandu youth interested in politics, it is the youth from the periphery of the valley and outside who join student unions and youth wings of political parties. Many youth have joined the Youth Communist League (YCL) and they are increasing their activities in the valley.

Providing a platform for urban youth of Kathmandu to be exposed to the conditions outside the valley will not only make them more aware about their roles and responsibilities, but may also encourage them to be more engaged in the political process of the country. They will also be better able to understand rural youth better. It could also make student wings of political parties in Kathmandu more representatives of youth from Kathmandu.

Godavari Alumni Association (GAA) has conducted this activity with the above mentioned goals in mind. The members of the organization will coordinate with different organizations to develop the seven day training package on human rights focusing on the roles and responsibilities of youth. Seventy youth volunteers (18-25 year old students who have completed high school) will be trained on human rights. The youth will then be sent to urban and rural areas in all the five development regions of Nepal. During their field trips, they will hold dialogues with different school/colleges, students, journalists and different government employees. The program will be conducted in close coordination with the local office of Forum for Protection of People?s Rights (PPR) and Institute of Governance and Development (IGD). The volunteers will also write reports on their learning and the experience of the field visit. On the basis of issues raised in the reports, two separate youth forums will be organized. Each forum will have more than 50 youth participants from the valley. The findings will also be published in the GAA quarterly publication named ?Voice of GAA? and on GAA?s website www.gaa.org.np. GAA will publish the report in ?WAVE? magazine, which is youth focused and widely read by youth of the valley. A talk program in 20 schools in Kathmandu will be organized to further disseminate the information.

It is assumed that by visiting places outside the valley to learn of the conditions of other places and views of the people there, youth in Kathmandu will be more engaged in the political process after their return. It is also assumed that politically engaged youth will not only be perceived more positively by other people, but also that the political process will benefit by the participation of educated and energetic youth.

Volunteer Name List

Acharya Prasish
Bajracharya Sahana
Chimariya Ranju
Chimariya Seema
Dhital Reecha
Gurung Pratima
Joshi Prativa
Kansakar Mahima
Manandhar Sujata
Maskey Manisha
Mathema Sana
Pradhan Sabina
Rajbhandari Ujala
Shakya Reetu
Shrestha Pratistha
Shrestha Prinsa
Shrestha Regina
Shrestha Shrijana
Tuladhar Sumati
Basnet Amar
Bhattrai Siddhant
Bhuju Jyovan
Chapagain Avwan
Chaudhary Bibek
Chettri Prashant
Devkota Kamal
Devkota Romit
Gaire Durga
Gaire Netra lal
Gurung Sanyokta
Gyawali Subhas
Pradhan Rajil
Kansakar Rosan
] KC Kewal
KC Sushant
Khadga Jay Ram
Khadka Kiran
Khanal Ashish
Lama Abishesh
Maharjan Yaman
Malla Nimesh
Malla Nishad
]Malla Siddhant
Pradhan Rakesh
Pradhan Viplab
Rai Ujwal
Rayamajhi Prayush
Rijal Surya Pd
Roka Prameshwor
Satyal Basanta
Shakya James
Shakya Nimitta
Shakya Samir
Shakya Sishir
Shakya Surendra
Shrestha Anil
Shrestha Avash
Shrestha Diwash
Shrestha Mandeep
Shrestha Robin
Shrestha Sujan Das
Silwal Anjan
Silwal Bikash
Silwal Shreedhar
Silwal Sushil
Sujan Kayastha
Thapa Suresh
Thapa Yugdeep