progress report.... - Yuwa Shastra

PROGRESS REPORT

Youth Development & Futures Program

MARCH 2018

YuwaShastra Report, March 2018

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Report Contents

Introduction Page 3

Operations

Mobilization Page 4

Re-Imagining Futures Workshop Page 5

Career Options Workshop Page 5

Choice Making and Mentoring Page 6

Partnerships Page 7

Output and Impact Page 7

Program Impact Page 8

Graduate Profiles Page 9-11

Insights Page 12

Concerns & Opportunities Page 12

Plans for Next Year Page 13

Annexure I: List of Training Partners Page 14

Annexure II: List of Employers Page 16


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Youth Development and Futures Program (Yuwashastra)

Introduction

The question often asked by members of SHGs is ‘what would our children become and what

kind of life they would have’? It is evident that they do not see their children having same life

and they are concerned about their having a brighter and secure future with lesser vulnerabilities.

In this light, youth have been identified by as one segments to engage and explore with them

about their aspirations, insecurities and efforts and how they may have a secure future and also

help family, others and their village society. It is with the belief that youth hold the potential to

the future and growth for the rural households and a better quality of life for their next

generation. The current outreach is as under:

Youth Outreach Total Definition

Mobilized and Registered for

Program participation

1306 Those who have participated in any of the

concept seeding event and enrolled for

participation in the program

Participation in ‘Reimagining

Future Workshop’

889 Those candidates who have successfully

participated in the 3 day residential

workshop.

Participation in ‘Choice Oriented

Workshop’.

786 Total Youth who have participated in one

day choice oriented workshop.

The Program was initiated at erstwhile Mandla team and is current spread over four teams of

Mahaksuahal DC namely Narayanganj, Karanjia, Samnapur and Mohgaon.

Teams Mohgaon Narayanganj Karanjia Samnapur Total

Youth Participants 497 374 94 313 1306

Operation Model

Being demand driven, the objective of the program is to help youth articulate their aspirations

and in the process understand and make an assessment of their strengths, weaknesses, and

aptitude so that to they are able to make a choice for their future. Such an engagement takes

place over four phased process – a) Mobilization, b) Re–Imagining Future Workshop (c) Career

Options Workshop (d) Choice Making under the guidance of a designated Mentor. At the end of

this process, as the youth make a choice for their future, the program works along with its

partners for skill training, and helps with get placed and also providing post-placement support.


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Program Engagement Model

A. Mobilization and Registration

This is the first step for grounding and initiating discussion about the engagement and different

activities. As first of such concerns were raised in the SHG and VLC meetings, the collectives

play an important role in youth mobilization process. VLC leaders take responsibility to

communicate with SHG members informing them about program interventions and opportunity.

The issue is also discussed in the meetings of SHG Federation. To generate interest and sustain

it, youth clubs have been promoted at the village level. These are informal groups where any

youth can join-in and participate. In addition, occasional village level events are organized at

VLC level and with youth cub to involve youth in different group based events.

The mobilization process is able to,

- Develop a space to engage with youth, their futures and concerns

- Create awareness and generate interest about the program opportunities that comes with it

for the youth and their families

- Initiate movement of the youth to PRADAN office for enquiry and enrollment.

Towards the end of mobilization, interested youth reach their Federation office and initiate

contact with a designated community service provider and register themselves for the program.

At the time of registration, their profile, with basic details is recorded and youth are briefed about

the specific program offerings. Participation in the next Reimagining Workshop is finalized

during registration. A total of 1306 youth have been mobilized so far for participation under the

program.


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B. Re-Imagining Future Workshop

This is the first concrete offering of the program to the participant youth wherein they begin to

discuss and explore about their aspirations, current situation and problems and all subsequent

functions emanate from this engagement. The idea is also help youth share about any imagined

bottlenecks, stereotypes based on family or social constructs and expose them to world of

possibilities. It is a 3-day residential workshop where about 20-25 youth come together to work

together, share and learn from each other. Workshop is designed in a manner to initiate

conversation with youth on:

a) Idea of secure and growing future; Aspirations

b) Self Exploration – strengths and weaknesses

c) Difference between village and world outside

d) Social constructs and how it impact our life and future choices

e) Opportunities for youth in their existing situation

f) Life, Livelihoods and Career

After the workshop, youth continue to engage with a designated mentor and discuss with family

and peers to reflect on what futures excites them and what aims can they set for themselves. Till

now, 42 batches have been completed wherein 889 youth have participated in reimagining

workshop.

C. Career Options Workshop

The core focus of the Career Options Workshop is to expose youth to different future choices

available to them. This orientation helps youth explore pathways to future and how to pursue

these pathways. It provides them

specific information about different

vocations, eligibility, preparation

required before and after getting into

that vocation and demands it would put

on youth and their environment. It helps

youth establish a bridge between their

aspired life, meaningful life and

livelihood engagement and concrete

steps to reach up to them. So far, 786

youth have participated in career options

workshop.

During the workshop, youth are able to

articulate and exposed to:


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a) Idea of a desired life

b) Strengths and Weakness including family preparedness

c) Introduction to vocations - skill matching and assessing

d) Routes to different vocations and support available

e) Guide to prepare for outside world or alternate futures career

In the next phase, the participants go one to discuss their ideas, options, do-ability along with

their concerns with their designated mentor so that they are able to reach to a decision.

D. Choice Making and Mentorship

The Program structure was redesign in this year and each of the youth participant are now

assigned a designated mentor. These mentors play a critical role in choice making by rural youth.

The conversation between a mentor and guide (protégé) takes place over a period of 3-4 week

and usually includes three stages;

Exploration - Listening to the youth and understand and explore about initial knowledge,

early choices and dilemmas

Bring in New Possibilities - Expand boundaries, bring new ideas and possibilities and add

new knowledge and information along with providing help to remove confusions

Set Goals and Help in action - Support make a clear career goal and action plan and lend

a hand for implementing the action plans

Teams have selected mentors and provided training for such an engagement.

Mentors Mohgaon Narainganj Karanjia Samnapur Total

Selected 17 20 9 13 59

Trained 6 15 3 13 27

Guided Youth - 75 27 60 162

Mentors are one of the critical elements that help youth make choices and help them actualize it.

As I had mentioned, they are from local area so that youth can easily access them. Few of the

mentors that have been identified are teachers, farmers, Sarpanch, local entrepreneurs, govt

servants among others and they have been given trainings to be able to play this role. Trained

mentors have been guiding the assigned youth through group meetings and also have organized

one to one interaction sessions. Mentors give time to youth to reflect and help them make an

informed decision. They also remain connected on mobile and mentors interact with their family

members, as required.


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Partnerships

Program works with training and employment partners. Depending on future choices made by

youth, programs helps them link with training partners. Such trainings are organized by partners

and program’s role is limited to help youth link and create more opportunities.

Skill Training in their desired vocation

(including currently undergoing training)

312 Those who have completed or are

undergoing any vocational training

Successfully Placed in jobs 107 Past completion of skill-training

placed with formal jobs or engaged in

self-employment including farming

Few of the training partners have their own placements cells and youth who graduate from their

courses and placed without much effort. List of partners is attached in annexure-I and annexure-

II.

Program Outputs

Thus far, program has helped more 1300 youth undergo undergone re-imagining futures and

choices workshop and these youth have been given an opportunity to make a choice about their

future. Such futures are related to jobs outside as well as being gainfully employed in the local

area and at times within the village. Few of the youth have found motivation in improved

farming. Youth being able to discuss, explore and make a choice relatively free of current

constraints and this in itself is a significant contribution of the program and large proportion of

them have been able to realize their aspirations with the support provided by the program.

Key Program outputs are:

1. More than 1300 have been mobilized under the program

2. About 800 youth have undergone the choice making program and a select few (162) have

participated in recently initiated detailed mentorship program

Actualizing the plans

3. 300 youth have successfully completed skill training

4. 148 youth have been placed in jobs outside their villages

5. 50 plus have started self-employment set-up in local area using their enhanced skills


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Program Impact

The impact of the program has been manifold;

- Secure Future – Youth have been able to find employments (self and job) with enhanced

skills and confidence. Those youth, who are placed in formal jobs are also covered with

social security benefits.

- Increased income – Most youth have been earning at least 6000 per month adding more

than 72000 additional income to their household and turning these into lakhpati

households

- Contribution to home economy – Youth have helped their families invest in their homes –

construction and repair. These have been regular investments in terms of investing in

farm inputs, purchase land, and reconstruct/refurbish their homes, investing on education

of their siblings among others contributions.

- Youths are reflecting on their life choices, efforts and preparedness to pursue by quoting

successful examples from their known village settings. Parents have more tested avenues

especially for their girl child and accept their option to work in outside village settings.

- Program has helped create a few local role models who are leading an assured life and at

the same time contribute to improve village problems like education, improvements in

MGNREGS and work towards social issues like violence, early and forced marriages,

practices related to dowry, forest conservation. Association of Youth at village level and

their leadership at Block level is providing inputs to work on such agenda in their hamlets

and villages. In Karanjia and Mohgaon, based on the spark and orientation, youth are

playing more active role in Panchayat and Gram Sabha Functioning


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Graduate Profiles

1.

Shivkumari Baghel

Village: Sudgaon, Panchayat: Sudgaon,

Block: Mohgaon,

District: Mandla

Program Intervention: Orientation

Training and ANM Training at Helen Rose Nursing College, Umri

Present Status: Staff Nurse at District

Hospital, Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh

Present Salary: Rs.12000 pm

Impact: Supported her family in making a pucca house, purchased motor bike for younger brother. Also have some savings at bank

2.

Dumaru Pandro

Village: Jamaniya, Panchayat: Nakaul,

Block: Bichiya,

District: Mandla.

Program Intervention: Reimagining

Futures and Career Options Workshop;

Trained at Shaksham, Dehradun

Present Status: Police Officer at Madhya Pradesh Police Department


Impact: Supporting Father’s medical

treatment and only source of income for family.


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3. Ramoti Putta

Village: Bijegaon, Panchayat: Gujarsahni,

Block: Narayanganj, District: Mandla



Trained at Pratibha Syntex, Indore

Present Status: Operator Overlap

machine at Pratibha Syntex, Indore,

Madhya Pradesh

Present Salary: Rs.11000 pm Impact: Supporting her family and also have a good savings at bank and PF account.

4.

Shukhchain Marawi

Village: Pondi, Panchayat: Pondi, Block:

Mohgaon,

District: Mandla.



Trained at PACE, Dhamtari

Present Status: Head Trainer at PACE, Sukma, Chhattisgarh


Impact:

Made his own pucca house

Purchased land

Purchase a 2– wheeler

Children are studying in English medium school


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5.

Nilu Dhareshwar

Village: Siligitti, Panchayat: Siligitti,

Block: Mohgaon, District: Mandla.



Trained at Pratibha Syntex

Present Status: Machine operator at

Pratibha Syntex, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Present Salary: Rs. 7500 pm with food &

accommodation

Impact:

Purchased 2.5 acre of agricultural land at her village.

Supported her younger brother in buying an auto rickshaw.

Around I lakh savings in PF account and 50000 in savings account

6. Naveen Yadav

Village: Malpahri, Panchayat: Malpahri

Githar, Block: Mohgaon,

District: Mandla.



Trained at Don Bosco, Pune

Present Status: Motor mechanic at

Mohgaon, Mandla, MP

Present income: Rs. 5000 pm

Impact: Supporting his family being only source of income for family


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Insights

The program experience has generated significant insight to the aspirations and decision making

of youth – both boys and girls and it also as well throws up challenges that need to be dealt with

in the subsequent periods. The experience indicates that;

- Youth are keen to play a different role in their life than their parents so too are parents

looking forward to them having different future

- Most youth participants share that such an intensive engagement has never happened in

their lives and there are no such spaces and opportunities to discuss about future choices.

They are keen to know about options however, they are not yet ready and equipped to

make a future out of such options of their own..

- It is important to find suitable employment and jobs in local areas which may be low

paying but helps remain youth to remain connected with their families and villages. SHG

based mobilization and Federation playing a central role helps build connect.

- Such a process is playing an important contribution to youth as almost all share that they

have previously never had such an interaction and exploration about their futures. For

many having given up to their fate, there is an immediate shift from being in a state of

hopelessness to a hopeful bright future.

Concerns & Opportunities

Being a new initiative, there have been quite a few operational challenges. The key concerns that

also offer opportunities for the programmatic level are;

1. Strengthening concrete program offering to all future pathways – This is particularly

important for self-employment initiatives wherein it is required to prepare sound business

plans, help them raise capital and provide hand-holding support. This is required so that

program is able to meet the enhanced aspirations of youth participants.

2. Youth being able to provide services in the local area are a new vocation with full of

opportunities. These could be in their livelihoods activities like farming, veterinary,

enterprises and also other needs that emerge.

3. Having an MIS and Tracking systems – Program has a basic progress record keeping

system in place. Integrating it with PRDAN MIS would help track incomes and others

inputs like training.


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Plans for Next Year

While having worked with over 1300 youth, the program is in a position to increase the intensity

and work with higher number of youth. There are systems and linkages in place to support

traction of higher number of youth.

The program would develop concrete offerings for other stream of choices. Those youth who are

keen to go for intensive farming would be linked to departments and private agencies so that they

are able to apply new technologies along with trainings and hand-holding support. Similarly,

those who are keen on initiating their self-employment around a set of services or products

would be linked with banks and other financial institutions to raise finances and also helped and

trained for preparation of business plans. We would link those youth who are keen on higher

studies and creative field with appropriate guides and mentors so that they are able to pursue

their interested for a purposive future. The existing linkages with training partners and

employers would continue and new partners would be added to the portfolio so that wider

choices are available to youth.

Youth Mohgaon Narainganj Karanjia Samnapur Others Total

Mobilized and Prepare

plans

450 400 400 400 400 2050

Convert their plans to

action

250 200 200 150 200 1000

Program would continue to function in four teams of Mahakaushal DC. Few others teams

namely Bhoura have shown interest and it is expected that a few youth from that location would

participate. Altogether, it would mobilize about 2000 youth out of which, it aims to help over

1000 youth make an informed choice about their futures and subsequent help them to actualize it.


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Annexure-I: Training Partners

Sl. Training Partners Location Available Training Courses

1 PACE (Pratham

Arora Center For

Education)

House No-:90, Kaushal

Nagar,Nirmal Estate, Near

T.S.School,Misrod,Bhopal-

462047, Madhya Pradesh

Automotive

Automotive Service

Technician Level-3

(ASC/Q1401) (4 wheeler)

Automotive Service

Technician Level-4

(ASC/Q1411) (2 wheeler)

2 PACE (Pratham

Arora Center For

Education)

Village-Gehukheda, Post-

Nayapura, Near St. Joseph

School, Kolar Road,

Bhopal -462042, MP

PACE Dhamtari, CG

Hospitality

Housekeeping Service.

Food & Beverage.

3 Ambuja Cements

Foundation

Jail Road, Amarwara, Dist:

Chhindwara (M.P) –

480221

Transport Nagar,

P.O - Upparwahi, Tal.-

Korpana, Dist: Chandrapur

Maharashtra – 442 908.

P.O - Rawan, The : Baloda

Bazaar, Dist: Raipur,

Chhattisgarh – 493 331.

Hospitality

Driving

Security

Retail

Automobile

Electrical

Construction

Carpentry

Beauty Culture

Tailoring

Fitting & Welding

Computer Training

4 MIEC (Montfort

Integrated

Educational

Center)

Nagpur Sawner Road, Near

Toll Plaza, Patansawangi,

441113

Electrical & House Wiring

Refrigeration & AC Mechanic

Motor Mechanic

Welding & Fabrication

Hotel Management & Hospitality

Beauty Culture

5 Saksham Saksham The Noetic Hub

1, Nehru Enclave,

GMS Road, Dehradun

Uttarakhand- 248001

Academic & Physical preparation

for all kind of defense jobs.

6 Cent rural self-

employment

training center

Dindori, Jabalpur Tailoring

Electrician

Computer

Life - Skills


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7 CSTI (Larsen &

Toubro)

Plot No.144-146,

Chacharwadi,

Opp.Zydus Cadila Factory,

Sarkhej Bawla Road, On

Ahmedabad Rajkot

Highway (NH 8)

Ahmedabad - 382 210.

Formwork Carpentry

Bar Bending and Steel

Fixing

Masonry (Brick Work &

Block Work)

Plumbing and Sanitary

Electrical

Scaffolding

General Assistants

Welding (Pipe Welding) &

(Structural Welding)

Tiling

Concrete laboratory and

field testing

Pre-Stressing

Transmission Line Tower

Erection

Railway Electrification

Solar Electricians & Solar

Non - Technical

Site Enabling Service

Technician (Plant &

Machinery

8 Don Bosco Near St. Andrew’s High

School, Balaji Chowk,

Chinchwad, Pune,

Maharashtra 411019

Motor Mechanic

Electricians

Beauticians

Carpenters

Welders

Fitters

BPO

9 Black Pal

Enterprises

Jabalpur Deals in cheap disposable plates

and glass making commercial

machineries.

10 R-mitr Varanasi Deals in retail & wholesale

marketing and supply of FMCG

products in rural UP.

11 Helen Rose

Christian Hospital

Umri Nursing (ANM and GNM)


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Annexure-II: Placement Partners

Sl. Name of Organizations Location

1 Larsen & Toubro Limited (Designated Contractors) Mumbai, Hyderabad

2 Airtel Pune

3 Knorr Bermse Pune

4 Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces Mumbai

5 Mahindra & Mahindra Pune

6 Pratibha Syntex Limited Indore

7 IFMR Chennai

8 Tata Business Support Services Limited Pune

9 Aegis BPO Pune

10 RuralShores BPO Chhindwara

11 Sadanand Regency Pune

12 Spree Longer Pune

13 Tamanna Inn Pune

14 Highland Hotel Ooty

15 Ivy Studios Pune

16 JBR Grand Lucknow

17 Hotel Goradia's Shirdi

18 Sayaji Indore

19 Orchid Hotels Pune

20 Central Court Hyderabad

21 Park Prime Jaipur

22 Una Humble Amritsar

progress report.... - Yuwa Shastra

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