On each year, youth from all over the world celebrate 12th August as International Youth Day. On this day, young people voice their issues to be fulfilled by the concerned authorities.

The theme of this year International Youth Day was “Be seen, be heard: youth participation in development”. This year youth day is a reminder to youth that their contribution to the development dialogue is valuable, and that their participation matters. The Day also presents a great opportunity to create awareness of the importance of youth participation and inclusion in the societies in which they live. In Nepal, youth empowerment for self-development and engagement in social, political and economic activities has not been stressed enough, although it is vital to advancement of youth and their communities. Youth are regarded as future leader but they should be regarded as current partner of the nation.

To voice and play an active role in development by contributing their skills and energy to the improvement of their communities different youth led youth organization of Pokhara, celebrated this year International Youth Day for 10th, 11th and 12th, August, 2007 with their own effort.

In their organizational level, they organized their own activity such as interaction program, eye donation program, sanitation program, poem recitation, and many more on 10th and 11th August, 2007. On 12th August, 2007, they jointly participated on Large Rally which was organized by Main Celebration Committee, IYD-2007, Pokhara.

Ist day Program:
On 10th August, three day program on International Youth Day-2007 was jointly inaugurated by Ananda Raj Mulmi, Former President, FNCCI, and different Young Entrepreneur of Nepal by opening the Program Calendar Banner of three days activities.

The first program, which was an interaction, conducted by Alternatives with the coordination of Main Celebration Committee on Janapriya Multiple Campus. The topic of interaction program was "Youth Participation on Entrepreneurship Development". On the program, Annada Raj Mulmi, Former President, FNCCI, Sunil Goshali, President, Young Enterpreneur Society (YES), Ravi Shrestha, Founder, Pokharacity.com, Devenson Praju, President , Young Enterprenuer Allaince (YEA), Ramkrishna Gyawali, Journalist, Amit Rijal, Youth Media Person, Prakash Dev Palikhe, Young Enterprenuer, Bir Bahadur Karki, Deputy Campus Chief, Janapriya Multiple Campus and Jivan Baral, President, Alternatives shared their opinion on need of youth participation on entrepreneurship development. The program was facilitated by Samundra Paudel, Secretary, Main Celebration Committee and Coordinator, Youth Initiative, Pokhara

The Second Program of 1st day was Essay Competition on "Youth participation on development" which was organized by Voice of Student, Pokhara College of Management. On this competition, 11 participants from different college participated.

The third program which was appreciated by most of the people was eye donation program. The program was initiated by Roman Magsaysay prize winner Mahabir Pun, and Former President of FNCCI, Ananda Raj Mulmi announced they would donate their eyes. This empowered more than 100 youth to donate their eyes.

IInd Day Program:
On the second day, 11th August, 2007, Yuwa Forum organized sanitation program on which more than 100 young people participated. Energetic young people cleaned the Chipledhunga, Mahendrapool area of Pokhara. On the same day, Voice of Student of Pokhara College of Management, with the coordination of Main Celebration Committee, adjusted more than 100 tin boxes of amount fifty thousand at different street poles for the purpose of sanitation. In this sanitation box, they have written International Youth Day-2007 and its slogan.

On another program, Creative Youth Forum organized Poem Recitation on which more than 35 poets recite their poem next to the statue of Martyr Bhimsen Dahal. On same day, Suryodaya Youth Club and Youth for Change organized two interaction programs with the coordination of Main Celebration Commmittee. The issue on interaction program of Suryodaya Youth Club was "Good Governance, Constitutional Assembly and Role of Youth" and of Youth for change was "Youth Participation in Development".

IIIrd Day Program:
On third day, about 1000 Pokhreli non-partisan youth jointly participated on the major youth rally and voice for positive supports for uniting all young people to show their capacity and positive efforts in building the Nation. On the Speech different free youth leaders advocated that the youth must be permitted the freedom of sharing their ideas and opportunities to express their concerns on local and national policy and decision making. To become the agents of social, political and economic reforms and as an active and meaningful participant in charting our nation's future, they shared that youths should play an active role in Constitution Assembly Election.

To ensure that the voice of the youths is heard, a major youth movement should be lunched to make youth as current partner of nation, to the development future leaders for the nation and to the propagation of democracy, justice, and human rights. On that program, Jivan Baral, Persident , Alternmatives, Safal Ghimire, President, Pragya Youth Forum, Thakur Prasad Bastakoti, President , Creative youth Forum, Rabindra Raj Paudel, Prsident , Suryodaya Youth Club, Nabin Bahadur Adhikari, President, Youth for Change and other focused to be heard youth participation on the development.  The program was facilitated by Samundra Paudel, Secretary, Main Celebration Committee and Coordinator, Youth Initiative, Pokhara.

On the same program, new book named "Yuwa Aawan", of the HRERLIC Kaski was lunched from street by 10 local youth leaders jointly. The street play named "Jitnai Parne Yuddha" was also played on the program by Pragya Youth Forum which is related with HIV/AIDS after the finishing of the rally.

Pokhara became "YUWAMAYA" in these three days; different media i.e. FM, Local and National Newspaper, and Cable TV highlighted this celebration for all three days through news, by their own interaction program and other activities to aware youth issues. Not only that, Pokhereli Youth created one history on celebrating International Youth Day jointly for three days in the history of Nepal, which got appreciation from all over the world i.e. from Magsaysay Prize winner Mahabir Pun  to United Nation/ Youth.

Samundra Paudel
paudelsamu@gmail.com 
12 August, 2007

CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO VIEW THE GALLERY OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2007, NEPAL