A Visit by Young Global Leaders
Saturday, 25th November 2006 heralded a brighter and sunnier morning for the children at Khushi Cares. It was in celebration of the World Dignity Day that a delegation of 15 global achievers gave the children at Khushii Cares a day to remember. The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL) is a newly formed, unique, multi-stakeholder community of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping the global future. The Forum brings together young leaders who are currently internationally prominent. As stated in the YGL website, “The challenges currently facing the world are not only increasing in complexity, but they are interrelated and require a global vision. Current approaches to address them fall short of what would be required to ensure a better world by 2020. There is a clear need for an innovative and integrated perspective provided by a group of committed young leaders from different regions and stakeholder groups.”
The Forum of (YGL) jointly engage in defining a vision for a better future. They develop innovative global strategies that can be translated into decisions and actions essential to the world today.
As part of the initiative the YGL visited Khushii Cares. The Khushii team briefed the delegates on Khushii Cares giving them an insight to the pleasures and challenges faced while working with children on the street. The leaders actively interacted with the children asking them extensive questions about their background. During the course of the interaction the YGL learnt a lot about the street children and how they get on the streets. The children in turn learnt that there was a lot more to life then just the quest for survival. The question answer session turned into an animated interaction with both set of groups sharing their experiences and stories. As the discussion progressed it became more interactive and informal with the children trying to get closer to the people who symbolized a life they wanted to live. Though very resilient and fiercely independent owing to the circumstances they have to survive in, the children were very receptive to the experiences the YGL shared with them. The YGL Group members advised the children not to loose faith in themselves. In fact some of them related how they had required a little push and shove to reach the status they enjoyed in the society today. Therefore, if the same was done with these children they should realize that it was for their own betterment and growth, the focus being on positive thinking. The children in turn shared their stories with members of the YGL group and told them how they wanted the society to treat them with respect. Eg: Not abuse them verbally OR physically, especially when it is the protectors of law that perpetrate the crime, help them when they asked for it, not exploit them and rehabilitate them so they are a part of the mainstream society. The children’s joy at meeting the leaders was barely contained. Through their visit leaders were able to generate a desire in the children to become a part of the mainstream society. They spent a large amount of time understanding how Khushii helps in reshaping their present leading to a brighter and more productive future for these children. |
