Raipur, July 05, 2024: Over 150 youth champions of Chhattisgarh presented a roadmap to fight climate change and handed over their suggestions to Dr. Raman Singh, Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.An innovative platform, the “Youth Assembly,” the first of its kind in India, was organized as a joint initiative by UNICEF and NYKS, Chhattisgarh.The assembly aimed to engage youth champions and volunteers from Chhattisgarh around climate resilience, Mission LiFE, and key behavioral change.
The event was organized in the Vidhan Sabha, where the youth had constructive discussions on grassroots issues and possible localized solutions to this global crisis.The volunteers who came from different corners of Chhattisgarh shared their experiences and provided insights on actions needed to mitigate the challenges in the presence of chief guest Dr. Raman Singh, Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly. Dr. Singh said, “The new generation is well equipped with technology and the attitude to bring change. I am confident that the youth of Chhattisgarh will guide us in co-designing strategies to mitigate the climate crisis.” He stressed the need to leverage the power of technology and emerging AI to ease people’s lives.William Hanlon Jr., Chief of UNICEF, Chhattisgarh & Odisha, said, “Children and adolescents are at the greatest risk due to climate change.
At the same time, they are also the prime catalysts for change. Chhattisgarh’s youth engagement initiatives like ‘Yuva Goth’ are excellent examples of youth-led behavior change in the community.”Shri. Kedar Kashyap, Minister of Forest & Climate Change, Water Resources, and Co-operatives, Government of Chhattisgarh, while addressing the participants, urged everyone to start with small steps like plantation and its protection. Drawing inspiration from Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,’ he requested all to protect the tree like a mother.At the event, a training film on ‘Yuva Goth’ was launched. The Yuva Goth, a joint initiative of NYKS and UNICEF, is connecting 40,000 volunteers from 1,000 villages to nudge community and family behaviors in ten selected areas.The day was filled with high-quality interactive discussions among youth and exchange of ideas in a setting similar to an assembly and question hour. The youth assembly then presented a 10-point memorandum to the Speaker, Dr. Raman Singh.
