Monthly Archives: January 2020

~ Swati Das

The “HSBC- Skill for Life” Programme of CYSD aimed at offering employment opportunities to the unemployment youth was succeeded in giving placement to 70% of the trainees out of 223 in Retail Sectors like Shopping Malls, Boutiques, Warehouses, etc. as per the envisaged target. During 2016, the programme was  launched with the support of  Swadesh Foundation.

The most challenging part of the project was to pick the candidates from different slums of Bhubaneswar city; and the role of CRPs (Community Resource Persons) during this phase was critical, who helped us find the potential candidates and organize meetings at slums. The Skill for Life Training was conducted for 6 batches at CYSD-DRTC, having a duration of 2 months for each batch, with the value-added module like IT, Spoken English along with Life Skill in order to make the trainees as assets for the retail sector. After successful completion of the training, they were placed in different retail sectors.

In meanwhile, the idea of organizing an Alumni Meet was evolved from both the ends of professional and social with the aim to build a bridge between the experience and its utilization as a lesson for the future in general and to bring out developmental ideas from the past experiences in particular.

On 16 Oct, 2019, the idea took a complete shape and organization of the Alumni Meet turned into reality with a Panel Conversation titling “Employment Opportunities and Scope for Skill Development”. The distinguished panelists present in the discussion were Shri Jagadananda, Mentor, CYSD; Dr. Hara Prasanna Das, MAK Group of Institutions; Ms. Sanjogita Mishra, TATA Strive; and Mr. Ajit Kumar Mallik, MAX. The panel discussion was facilitated by Mr. Santosh Mishra, Human Context.

Appreciating the Alumni on their success towards getting fair employment, Shri Jagadananda inspired the new trainees emphasizing on the idea of learning from the experiences of Alumni to further succeed in their career path. Dr. Hara Prasanna Das focused mainly on the idea of ABC – Anger, Blaming and Complaint, and expected that the trainees would control these three things to excel in life.

Ms. Sanjogita Mishra warmed the environment with her innovative idea of recognizing the talents and skills within self and to further develop it.  She also emphasized to acquire adequate knowledge on Schemes of Skill India and to opt for those. Mr. Ajit Kumar Mallik made the gathering understand the scope and importance of Retail Sector in cities like Bhubaneswar & Cuttack and encouraged the freshers to participate in the schemes and programme of Skill India.

The Panel Conversation was followed by sharing of the Journey by the Alumni. Undoubtedly, sharing of life

journey experience is a powerful social strategy required to create an environment of learning for the upcoming generation. The alumni shared their experience and journey of life before receiving ‘Skill for Life’ training and life now.

Alumni Speak

“Skills for Life Training gave me courage and support to come out of the traditional thinking of society. Now, I am working in BSNL Call Centre with a monthly salary of Rs.  10,000/- and living a comfortable life with my family which I had never imagined. Not only I am supporting my family but also standing as an example for other women who never give up against bad conditions, said Roji Nayak, a 20 years old girl from Salia Sahi Slum of Bhubaneswar.

“I am enjoying a happy life by working in a Boutique and earning Rs. 12,000/-per month. No more I am shy of observing any festival without new clothes and sweets. I have gained respect in the eyes of my community people”, said Sabitri, a 21 years old girl, in smiling face. Moreover, I have proved that where there’s a will there’s a way. The training could give me a hope of earning and living with dignity, she shared.

“Now, I am one of the pillars of my family. I can fulfill my brother’s dream of having new shoes, and can see my father with new clothes in festivals. I have proved myself independent being in the retail sector”, said Mamata Panda, a 24 years young girl from Bhubaneswar slum. “My family was having poor financial condition once upon a time, now I am earning a salary Rs.17,000/- per month by working at Brand Factory (a Shopping Mall in Bhubaneswar)”, she added.

Congratulating the Alumni on their achievements, Ms. Swati Tomar, Sr. Representative of Swadesh Foundation present on the dais, threw some light on the initiatives of HSBC Skill and Swadesh Foundation towards creating employment opportunities for the poor and unemployed section

of the society. She also extended her heartfelt appreciation to CYSD for achieving the target and involving maximum women in the training.

The community leaders, community resource persons, and the Alumni were felicitated for their contribution towards the success of the project and achievements.

Giving the valedictory address, the Chairman of CYSD, Shri P. K. Sahoo motivated the youth assembled citing a few examples of ancient disciples who had worked hard and continued their efforts for getting a success.

~ Jagat Parida

The “Second National Naturopathy Day” was observed across the country on 18th November 2019 which coincided with the “150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi”, the Father of the Nation.

To mark the day, a panel discussion on “Healthy Life Management: Mahatma Gandhi and Nature Cure” was organized jointly by the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune and CYSD on 18th Nov at the Development Resource & Training Centre (DRTC) of CYSD in Bhubaneswar.

The esteemed panelists present on the dais were Justice Manoranjan Mohanty, the eminent Gandhian Philosopher; Ms. Jayanti Manjari Rath, former Director of Doordarshan and Member of Odisha Gandhi Smarak Nidhi; Dr. Milind Parashar, Director, JK Yoga, and Naturopathy Hospital, Cuttack; Shri Bijoy Kumar Pusti, Naturopathy Expert & Programme Coordinator, Naturopathy Hospital and Research Centre. The panel discussion was facilitated by Shri Jagadananda, former State Information Commissioner, Odisha. and Mentor, CYSD.

The event was attended by as many as 110 representatives from social organizations, youth associations, NSS volunteers and media representatives. Among other dignitaries Shri P K Sahoo, Chairman, CYSD and Dr.  Biswajit, Gandhian Scholar were present. Initiating the discussion, Shri Jagadananda briefly highlighted the importance of the “National Naturopathy Day” and the purpose of organizing the programme.

Giving the keynote address Justice Manoranjan Mohanty said, Gandhiji was adapting naturopathy treatment for his health issues which become an integral part of his healthy life management. The Gandhian philosophy is deeply connected with Naturopathy too. In order to maintain a healthy life, our body and mind require natural treatment/therapy, which is the only alternative solution. Practices of Yoga, fasting, meditation, prayer, etc. will help human beings towards building a healthy society. We need to practice naturopathy and get rid of allopathy mediation in order to avoid toxic side effects, he advised.

Dr. Milind Parashar made a detailed presentation on various techniques and advantages of adapting naturopathy treatment for a healthy life.   He advised the audience, especially the new generation/youth group to be away from junk food and fast-food. Consuming junk food creates side- effects / bad repercussions on heath, like increased obesity and ill effects on human organs. Obesity can cause many medical issues like diabetes, joint pain, and heart diseases, etc.

Former Director, Doordarshan – Smt. Jayanti Manjari Rath said, Gandhiji was accustomed to naturopathy treatment and making its application in his family too. Even, Gandhiji adopted various methods during the pre and post-delivery of his wife Kasturaba. He also treated leprosy patients using naturopathy. Smt. Rath advised we should familiarize with naturopathy treatment, take natural food, dry fruits, enough vegetables and practice fasting & Ashan/Pranaym for a healthy life.

Various naturopathy therapies, like fasting periodically, water bath, sunbath, mud coating in body, regular walk on barefoot, etc. need to be adopted for treatment, said Shri Bijoy Pusti, an expert on naturopathy. Practices of these therapies will help increase the resistance power of the body against the attack of diseases, provide mental peace and enhance concentration power of the mind, he added a few key questions raised by the audience that were responded by the panelists appropriately. Shri P K Sahoo, sharing his personal views and putting much emphasis on Naturopathy treatment, appealed the youth delegates to remain healthy by doing regular yoga, pranayama, etc. and adhere to naturopathy.

A well-known personality and Gandhian Scholar Dr.  Biswajit, shared that Gandhiji lifelong practiced naturopathy and he was regarded as the “Brand Ambassador of Naturopathy”. The book “Key to Health” authored by Gandhiji has been very popular across the globe.

While concluding the session, Shri Jagadananda highlighted that Naturopathy does not use any kind of medicine. He shared his own life experience on treatment of his spinal cord injury and as to how naturopathy brought him back from the medical operation table 20 years back. Now, he is completely cured and maintaining a healthy life by practicing naturopathy. The event also witnessed an exhibition of naturopathy treatment knowledge products, aids/equipment.

~ Niladri Sahoo

“I remember, I was 5 or 6 years old when I heard the first comment from a relative, ironically that too a woman. She was lamenting that my mother had one daughter and that was even a huge burden. My poor mother was bending her head as if it was her fault,” says Rojalin, who was a happy girl in her childhood and was the only daughter of a very poor family engaged in palm leaves trading.

Rojalin, when she was 19 got married. After her marriage, she came to know that her husband was a drunkard and she became the victim of domestic violence. After 4 months of her marriage, she could not tolerate the torture of her in-laws and ran-away to her father’s house. The traditional constraints didn’t leave her to stay peacefully. The neighbours and relatives started talking about her very often, and she became a discussion point in every place. Rojalin went into a deep depression and stopped talking with anyone and lost her mental balance. Life went on as it did. With the passage of time, other issues cropped up. “Everybody scared my mother saying that married daughter not to be kept in a parental house, rather she would invite disgrace to the family”, shared Rojalin in weeping voice. However, her family members supported Rojalin and tried their best to bring back her life to normalcy. She started reconciling. Rojalin was in search of doing something to help her family. Meanwhile, her friend Sujata informed her about the launching of the Internet Saathi programme by CYSD and took her to a women group meeting. Life dramatically changed for Rojalin when she was selected for the Internet Saathi project and worked in her own village. “I was timid, to begin with. I barely raise my head, leave alone and look into the eyes of people I speak to. But Internet Saathi programme brought me out of my turmoil shell. Gradually, I opened up. I put my efforts and mind for the project activities because I knew this is a golden chance to build my life”, she shared with excitement. Speaking about her engagement as an Internet Saathi, Rojalin shares, “Attending a two-day training and subsequent meetings helped me to be open up with the people and connect digitally. Now, I am very confident to be an entrepreneur and the most important change I saw now is the acceptance of the people who kept me excluded from the community a few days before”.

Rojalin is now the ‘Internet DIDI’ for the villagers. She has transformed herself as the resource point of the village. Eventually, the village women are learning different designs, recipes from her and checking with their entitlements over Government Schemes, FANI Cyclone special packages, etc. Moreover, for the village young girls, she has become everyone’s teacher. She is helping children with drawing and mathematics.

“Internet Saathi has opened up new ways for my life and livelihoods”, says happy Rojalin.

– Jagat Parida

More than 800,000 people die by suicide a year, making it the principal cause of death among people fifteen to twenty-nine years old. Every 40 second minutes, one person commits suicide. And one in each three of victims is a youth below the age of 30 years, says World Health Organization (WHO). It is often believed that it is only adults who exhibit suicidal behaviors, but it should be made known that many children and young people engage in this kind of behavior as a result of violence, sexual abuse, bullying, and cyber-bullying. 

Suicide is a global public health problem that deserves the attention of all the actors in the field of mental health, including scientific and professional organizations, organizations for mental health users and their families, and universities. It deserves particular attention from national health authorities since it is their responsibility to craft policies and directives aimed at establishing strategies to prevent suicide and promote the public’s mental health. The role of both print and audiovisual communication media and social media is important. 

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. This year, the theme of World Mental Health Day was “Suicide Prevention”. The main Suicidal behavior has existed throughout human history, but due to several complex factors, it has increased gradually in all parts of the world and, in the past few decades, has reached alarming statistical levels. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. 

The World Mental Health Day was observed at CYSD-DRTC premises. In order to mark the day and create awareness, a Panel Conversation on “Emotional Wellbeing for Personal Effectiveness” – Dialogue Demystify Connect was jointly organized by CYSD and Human Context, Bangalore. The distinguished Panelists present in the dialogue were Shri Jagadananda, Former State Information Commissioner and Mentor & Co-founder of CYSD; Dr. Sarada Prasanna Swain, Director of Mental Health Institute, Cuttack; Dr. Suvendu Narayan Mishra, Dept of Psychiatry, SUM Hospital; Prof Sachidananda Mohanty, Former VC, Central University of Odisha; Ms. Anuradha Mohapatra, Founder, MANAM Foundation; Dr. Sister Durgesh of Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya and Ms. Sushree Mishra, Director, Human Context. The Panel Conversation was facilitated by Shri Santosh Mishra, Founder of Human Context. Putting emphasis on ‘Emotional Health’ Dr. S N Swain said we have to develop positive emotion by learning more on it and burst out the negative emotions.

Now the time has come to develop EQ than IQ, he added.Dr. Suvendu Mishra said suicide among children and youth can be prevented if parents become more open to their children.  Ms. Anuradha Mahapatra emphasized that proper counseling and empathetic actions to persons can prevent suicide.Dr. Sister Durgesh said, ‘Emotional Well-being’ is possible if one can identify the resource available within; gather knowledge about the self, and enhance the love for self, establish linkage of self with the supreme soul, open to the Almighty and do meditation for spiritual healing.

Summing up the panel discussion, Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty, emphasized on Liberal Education to children. Liberal education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings. On the occasion, a Counseling Centre for Mental Well-being was launched at CYSD-DRTC, Bhubaneswar.

Tips suggested by the Panelists for Maintaining Good Mental Health Wellness

• • Regular exercise and walk to prevent muscular tension and promote a healthy brain.
  • Healthy diet by taking enough vegetables and fruits.
  • Breaks to rest during the day.
  • Challenge to the brain by learning new skills and engaging in new activities.
  • Spend some quality time with family and friends.
  • Take care of sleep hygiene.
  • Practice meditation, which helps to relax the body and mind.
  • The practice of deep breathing exercise helps the body & mind supplying oxygen to the brain and muscles.
  • Maintain a healthy weight – that reduces anxiety, depression, and irritability and helps promote a sound and healthy mind.
  • Consult with a doctor or a mental health professional for mental health wellness tips.

-Niladri Sahoo

“My husband left me alone when I was in the pregnancy stage. Since then I was struggling to make a subsistence income, especially for a healthy life for my daughter”, says Chandrakanti with tearful eyes, a single mother aged 36, lives with her only girl child of 8 years – an Internet Saathi in Dadhibamanpur village of Cuttack Sadar.

“I would have sat dejected by myself, not sure what was the way forward. But all that changed when I was invited for a village meeting set up by CYSD Volunteers. I came to know that possibly, I would get trained on the internet and work as Internet Saathi and receive two Mobile Phones. Soon, I jumped at the idea and there has been no turning back since”, shared enthusiastic Chandrakanti.

After Chandrakanti gave birth to her daughter, she was gripped with poverty and social exclusion. However, she determined to do something new to survive. She had learnt the art of making nice home decor items out of waste materials adding a little bit of tailoring. With steely determination and without losing an iota of courage, she single-handedly started running a bag-making business. But, the income from the business was not even sufficient. During Saathi selection process, she was very enthusiastic to be a part of the programme and shown her potentiality to be a Saathi. Finally, she became an Internet Saathi. Despite her challenging life, Chandrakanti now says, “I have a hope of becoming an active informed citizen in the next few years and being able to improve my standard of living because of the Internet Saathi Programme”.  

With enhanced knowledge and upgraded skills, currently, Chandrakanti earns about Rs. 15000 per month and is aspiring to double her monthly income during the coming festive seasons. Most of her business comes from Internet Saathi beneficiaries, who also recommend her work to others, as well as a few customers from outside of her clusters who come to her workshop to place orders. A happy Chandrakanti now plans to send her daughter to a good school with ‘smart dress’. “I extend my thankfulness to the Internet Saathi Programme for giving scope for transforming my life”, says happy Chandrakanti with sparkling eyes.

– Dipti Ranjan Mohanty

11 October has been a global moment to celebrate the power of girls and highlight the discrimination they endure since the United Nations adopted it as International Day of the Girl in 2011.

The International Day of the Girl (IDG) 2019 was celebrated by CYSD in 10 Gram Panchayats of Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha. The key objective of this event was to bring changes in the norms and attitude of GPs to promote justice for girls and young women’s education, economic empowerment and gender equality. As many as 473 girls along with 150 community members including parents, PRI member and community leaders actively involved in this event.  PRIs are the local self-governance bodies responsible for preparing the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) which makes provision for the well-being of children, young people, and adults in the village. Thus, ten selected girl child leaders took over the position of PRI Leader (Sarpanch) at their respective Panchayats on this special occasion with the aim to raise awareness, begin a meaningful process with stakeholders and create lasting change. Girl Child leaders from different villages came forward to celebrate the event at their respective panchayats. The PRI members also felt very happy and helped the girls celebrate this event at each Panchayat meeting hall with the facilitation of CYSD program team members. The PRI members, parents, and girls put banners and standees depicting slogan `Girls Get Equal’ and encouraged girl child leaders to take over the responsibility of Gram Panchayat. After sharing the key objectives of the event, respective GP Sarpanch declared the girl child leader’s name (chosen by girls) to take over the chair of Sarapanch with a warm welcome (offering a cap and badge). The PRI leaders also urged the girl child leaders to start proceeding with their function as Sarpanch of the GP.  

The girl PRI leader of the day started the sessions with a warm welcome note to girls, parents and other community members. Then she shared the key objectives of the IDG celebration and steered the discussion on the key issues of that village, like women’s violation, girl’s rights/entitlements and gave some concrete suggestions. The assembled PRI members, girl representatives & their parents and community members were overwhelmed with the meeting process and got sensitized on different issues raised by the girls, women, and parents. While culminating the event, the girl participants painted equal signs on their cheeks to give a message `Girls Get Equal’. All the participants took an oath to create a safe and enabling environment for girls and women in their villages. In the process, the key issues highlighted by the girls and women members were noted and based on which Panchayat wise clear action points were drawn.