Instead of waiting for help from others, the best way to tackle a problem is to do it yourself. This goes for the same with issues that crop up in communities. And to help do this efficiently, the UPSHIFT training was conducted in Gelephu for the youth volunteers of the YDF. The five-day training ends tomorrow.
The training aims to equip the participants with skills and mindset of the 21st century. About 40 youths from all 20 districts are taking part in the programme.
The participants, who are all Young Volunteers In Action (Y-VIA) coordinators, are taught how to identify all kinds of issues in their community, carry out research and needs assessments and come up with solutions.
The Young Volunteers In Action is a network of youth empowered and involved in community service under the Bhutan Youth Development Fund.
“This workshop is all about equipping our young people with 21st-century skills like transferable skills, digital skills, and social entrepreneur skills and this is very much apt for our country because one of the challenges we face is unemployment,” said one of the participants, Josica Gurung. “This UPSHIFT programme nicely caters to address the concern of unemployment concern in our country.”
“Once we get back, firstly there are people working with YDF as Y-VIA members, we have to roll out the UPSHIFT workshop to them and make them understand properly, how to carry out the work and its process,” said Yeshey Wangchuk.
One of the Programme Coordinators, Roma Pradhan, said all this is expected to help make a difference in the community.
“The trainers after the training will actually be rolling out the training for Young Volunteers in Action in their respective dzongkhag,” she said. “They will also have skills in getting young people towards participation, engagement and empowering young people making difference in the community and empowering young people to become agents of change.”
There are more than 20,000 Young Volunteers in Action members across the country. The workshop was organized jointly by UNICEF Bhutan and YDF.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
