“Youth is the pollen that blows through the sky, and does not ask why. Youth is the hope of the future, the rays of the Sun which enlighten the Sky.”Youth Conclave hosted by CGS, Bangladesh was represented by Madhurima Rathore, Yaana Jain, Suhani Baheti, Manasvi Salecha, Palak Laddha, Niharika Pamnani, Niharika Singhvi, Sheetal Johri, Kirti Soni and Ditya Lohiya from RKK under the guidance of Ms Perminder Meena.
DAY – I : The event started with the Opening Ceremony, live on You Tube, where the hosting team and the organizers introduced themselves, briefed the participants about the event, guided and motivated them for a mind blowing 4 days ahead. This day offered an innovative way to learn with team work. There was an academic session which provided all a bounteous stage to express their knowledge. It was enthralling to have Ms. Arzoo Nepal, as a Keynote Speaker and listen to her talk about one of the most concerning issues of the twenty first century, Mental Health. All the teams were then given the task of making the Power Point Presentation, having coherence with the speech of the Keynote Speaker. All the presentations were judged on the basis of the following criteria:
Content – Teamwork, Critical Analysis, Audience Retention, Language and Delivery, Coherence and Creativity.
After witnessing exceptionally great presentation by all the teams, it was an off for the day.
DAY -II : With zealous and radiant spirit in our heart, we started our second day. Our Keynote Speaker – Mr. Rafsan M Chowdhary, a Law Graduate from UK, focused on the sense of generosity and kindness for the society, a person who aimed to cure the stammering issues faced by people and motivated all on how to be generous and confident enough. This day of fruitful gaining was continued with an Art Session by a renowned personality, Mr. Biswajit Goswami. He threw some light on the profound meaning of pure and spiritual artistry.
This session provoked us to find our inner aptitude. Alongside the art session, there was an Art Competition. Participants had to choose one of the following themes –
· Nature’s Message
· Prism of Possibilities during the Pandemic
· Youth’s Vision and strength during the Pandemic
· Fearless Future Forward
DAY – III : This day was marked with sanguine psyche. We got a chance to imbibe the ideologies of today’s Keynote Speaker, Mr.Ennio Patak, a member of Mensa, Internationally acclaimed Public Speaker, former Radio Presenter, former TA at Dale Carnegie, the youngest UN Ambassador (17 years of age), who conveyed his perception related to pandemic crisis as well as transparency of government. Thus, it was a great source of learning. After the didactic session, all participants in their respective teams came up with the presentations that led to the sharing of the ideas, teamwork and the growth of international connections.
COOKING SESSION : Next, we stepped forward to nurture our inner chef in the Masterclass Cooking Session, with today’s Chef, Mrs. Faiza Chowdhury. In the live online session, we all learnt to cook White Pasta. We wondered, that how we all could cook the delicious, finger licking Pasta, under the guidance of Mrs Faiza Chowdhary. Thus, it was an invigorating and exciting activity.
DAY – IV : It is important to voice our concerns, opinions and beliefs, but it is also very important to listen to what someone else has to say. Debating teaches us to do that. Hence this day was stamped with impetuous ardour and elan as we got to debate on some pressing world issues, which was in Turn- Coat format. One participant was nominated per team. The topic for the round one was-
‘SOCIAL MEDIA IS CAUSING DEPRESSION IN THE YOUTH’ : The best debater chosen passed into the second round where the topic was – ‘CENSORSHIP IS NECESSARY FOR THE MEDIA’. This session offered us a liberal platform to express ourselves and the best version of ourselves.
CULTURAL NIGHT : A night where we adapted the ideology of diversity, represented and shared our roots – culture and talents with each other. Participants from regions showcased their inner deft which provided us a fecund opportunity of showcasing culture by the means of dancing, singing, poetry etc.
CLOSING CEREMONY : After all the prolific and fruit bearing experiences, participants with exemplary and exuberant performance were bestowed with special mentions.
· Niharika Pamnani’s team –
‘Sanguine’ was awarded as the Champion.
· Madhurima Rathore’s team –
‘Intrepid’ was awarded as the First Runner Up.
· Kirti Singh’s and Ditya Lohiya’s team –
‘Perseverence’ was awarded as the Second Runner Up.
· Palak Laddha secured Second Position in Art Competition
OUR TAKEAWAYS
· We understood the importance of time, since within 15 or 30 minutes each team had to prepare a presentation or debate. Thus, taught us how to work under time pressure.
· Working in a team efficiently and productively.
· Learnt to convince people.
· We learned the meaning of ‘Communication’, ‘Collaboration’ and ‘Coordination’ in a team.
· Got to know about diverse culture and ideologies of different people.
· Thus, your experience is your best teacher. Furthermore, there is no wine if grapes are not pressured, no perfume if flowers are not crushed. So, don’t be afraid if there is pressure in your life, it will bring the best out of you…….!
