On the 23rd of August, IRDS successfully organized a Youth Workshop at IRDS center. The program brought together 30 young participants, consisting of 24 girls and 6 boys. A few boys were unable to attend as they were engaged in a sports event held in Tirukoilur, organized by the District Administration, where some of our young leaders took part. Despite this, all the IRDS team members were present to facilitate and guide the sessions.
The workshop focused on two major issues identified by the youth: the protection of commons in their villages through proper implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) works and ensuring proper wages for workers. Since many of the youth had participated in the Gram Sabha meetings of their village Panchayats on the 15th of August, where they passed resolutions for the proper implementation of MNREGA works, the scheme has already been initiated in several villages. They also discussed the issue with their parents, neighbors, and members of the Village Action Committee to build wider awareness and support.
The second issue discussed was related to agriculture. With the onset of farming activities in some villages, the youth had been monitoring the use of traditional millet and gram seeds distributed in their areas. They expressed satisfaction with the results and noted the encouraging increase in the number of women practicing organic farming.
Another key highlight of the workshop was the discussion on forming small groups of young people across the target villages. These groups would initiate self-employment activities such as producing organic fertilizers and pesticides, collecting and distributing traditional seeds, and promoting the exchange of traditional food materials among consumers. The youth decided to begin these initiatives by the end of the year. Furthermore, they committed to preparing lists of interested young people to present in the next youth meeting, scheduled for the last week of September.
The workshop which began at 10:00 a.m., concluded at 5:00 p.m. It was highly encouraging and left a very positive impact on all participants.*
