Youth Alliance: For the cause of India

Youngsters are always standing at the crossroads of life, constantly taking decisions and shaping their careers. It is very rare for modern day youth to think beyond the nitty-gritties of their own lives and take up the service of their nation as their primary goal and endeavour. And hence, when I met Prakhar Bhartiya, who seemed like any other youngster at first, I was surprised to see the kind of initiatives he was leading – all in the interest of our great polity. On our sixty fourth independence anniversary, I can’t help but take note of this young man – a consultant by profession – who has been the inspiration and fountainhead of a youth organisation called Youth Alliance.

The aim of his organisation is to connect youth with a cause. It acts like an information portal for youngsters to work in the social sector, keep them updated about issues of national importance and help them become the future torchbearers of our nation. Recently, in order to support social activist Anna Hazare in his campaign against prevailing corruption in the country, Youth Alliance led motorcycle processions at Shaheed Stambh in Motijheel, Kanpur. The procession was flagged off by freedom fighter Manwati Arya.

Apart from their ongoing offline drives, the Youth Alliance group is highly active on Facebook and can be seen posting updates several times every day. It is an encouraging platform for youngsters who want to make their voice heard.

Every now and then, when I get updates from this Facebook group, it serves as a constant reminder of the need to reclaim India’s lost glory, and not let greed and corruption overpower our patriotic fervour. In many silent ways, Prakhar has been able to connect to millions of youth across India. He has also previously worked as a Teach for India Fellow in Pune, apart from being involved with the Jaago Re! movement.

Recently, as part of Youth Alliance, he has also started an initiative called Samarpan under which youth can volunteer with an NGO and try to be a solution to India’s ever growing problems.

“Youth Alliance has come up with this initiative (Samarpan) with a dual objective of providing human resources (volunteers at the beginning stage) to NGOs and at the same time raising the emotional quotient of the youth who are still under the shackles of ignorance which eventually will enable them to be a change maker in the long run. The idea behind the initiative is to make each youth contribute to the social development of the country. As it has been seen that today’s youth is aware and has a will to give back to society in a corner of their heart. BUT there is a section of youth who is still unaware of the gravity of all social issues from poverty to illiteracy to corruption and some who are aware do not get the right platform to contribute to nation building. We believe that the ground level exposure at an NGO will help them in understanding the magnitude of the social issues/concerns our country is facing today and thus will in due course make them realize the need of the hour,” says Prakhar.

Youth Alliance believes that by coming in contact with the under-served people and by being there in the moments of pain or joy, we can look forward to augment their lifestyles. This initiative provides the young people of our country with the opportunities to have their careers inclined past the welfare of the society and to have a look towards their life in a much more sensible way. Once they are out of their college, it provides them with the responsibility of being ‘Agents of Change’. As these volunteers have been a part of the community, they can empathize with them and help them in a significant way.

In its own big and small ways, Youth Alliance is playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the needs of our nation and the capabilities of the youth. So if you are a young Indian, looking to make a difference, you know where to start now.

Visit http://youthallianceofindia.org/

And Join http://www.facebook.com/groups/youthalliance/