Youth

Young people are the future leaders of our world. The world is experiencing a rising youth population. United Nations defines youth between the age of 15-24 years. A latest UN Report stated that with 356 million 10-24 year- olds, India has the world’s largest youth population despite having a smaller population than China. According to the Census 2011, the youth population of India was 232 million nearly equal to the population of 18 western countries. There has been a corresponding increase in the youth population i.e. 73 million in 1961 to 232 million in 2011. It comprises 19.2% out of the total population share. Out of these, 40 and 20 million youth belong to SC and ST respectively, comprising 25.7% of the total youth population.

Being at the lowest of the socio-economic bar, these excluded youths have to face numerous issues. Poverty remains one of the gravest threats to young people’s life chances and acts as a major hindrance in their growth and development. Due to economic disparity, they are likely to have positive experiences at schools and colleges leading to dropouts. Their choices are limited by economic insecurity, conflict and violence. Unequal distribution of resources further aggravated the situations. The urban centres nearly always provide a greater quantity and diversity of goods, services, and opportunities in comparison to the rural areas.

Moreover, a good deal of vulnerability emerges from the way in which groups of people are treated by the rest of society. Socially excluded communities are more likely to endure unequal access to resources and opportunities because of who they are/or are perceived to be. The interconnection of social exclusion, inequality, and poverty tend to reinforce one another questioning their livelihood and existence, especially the girls. Due to gender disparity in the general community and within their own family, they remain more prone to risk factors.

Population of Youth Total SC and ST
Population of Youth (Total, SC and ST)

Our Initiatives

Improving access of Dalit Children to primary education in Bundelkhand i.e. Bundelkhand Shiksha Abhiyan. Computer Aided Learning (CAL) and Digital Literacy Model along with Computer-Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) to address illiteracy and problems related to education.