Yuva Spandana is a program to bridge the gap between youth, their families, and the ever-changing society in order to enable a smooth transition of youth from childhood to adulthood. This program plans to create safe spaces for youth within their families and societies to express themselves and to raise general awareness about youth, their dilemmas, needs, and other concerns.

Yuva Spandana focuses on youth aged between 15-30 years. This program is an effort to channelize youth energies into positive activities keeping in mind the rich culture, tradition, and value systems of our country. As the saying goes “Indina Makkale Naalina Prajegalu” – the youth of today are citizens of tomorrow. Having healthy mindsets among them will ensure that future youth will be adequately equipped with positive energy. Thus, this pioneering program of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Government of Karnataka, technically supported by Centre for Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, NIMHANS, involving youth themselves as change agents, ensure strategic investment in happy and safer societies of tomorrow. The Centre for Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, NIMHANS, and The Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Government of Karnataka have developed a comprehensive health promotion model integrated into the proposed district youth empowerment centers in Karnataka through the program “Yuva Spandana”.

Why Yuva Spandana program?

Youth is an important phase in an individual’s life in terms of being a transition to their adulthood. Being a transitional phase, it has special needs and poses unique challenges. These may be physical, social, psychological, behavioral, and spiritual challenges. All these would impact the overall development of youth for leading a happy and productive life. India has the largest youth population in the world with around 550 million (Census 2011) including adolescents. Nearly, 70% of India’s population is below the age of 35 years. This pool needs to be engaged in the mainstream development of India. It is indeed vital to utilize this demographic dividend and channelize the youth and their creative energies for nation-building. For this to happen we need youth to be healthy and happy.

  • Youth is a critical period of life.
  • Youth have physical, social, psychological, behavioral, and mental health needs.
  • Youth constitute 1/3rd of the population in Karnataka and the country.
  • 1/4th of youth is illiterate.
  • 2/3rd of illiterate youth are girls.
  • 1/5th of youth is from the marginalized sector.
  • 50% of youth do not continue education beyond SSLC.
  • The unemployment rate is 13.3 % among youth.

Today’s youth live in a world of multiple challenges, diverse sources of stress, heightened expectations, and pressure to achieve. They are influenced by a variety of internal and external factors at home, school, environment, media, etc., and face lots of challenges related to social, psychosocial, behavioral, and mental health issues. Social challenges range from interacting with family and relatives, peers, teachers, employers, etc. to difficult situations like combating body image perceptions, negotiating with social issues in the families, societies, and institutions in order to lead a respectful productive life. The psychosocial challenges include issues related to substance use, being protected from physical and sexual violence, coping with emotions and stress, etc. These social and psychosocial challenges, if not handled properly, could lead to several mental health and behavioral problems like anxiety, depression, relational problems, personality disorders, suicidal tendencies, etc. This would impact the overall development of youth, be it education, career, or lead a happy and productive life.

Yuva Spandana is one such program that caters to youth needs and empowers them for sustainable life.

Aim:

To develop district guidance centers and implement behavioral, mental, and psychosocial support services for youth utilizing an empowerment model in Karnataka.

Objectives:

  1. To develop and roll out a certified training module for Yuva Parivarthakas in behavioral, mental, physical, emotional, environmental, educational, personality development, family, and relationship issues of youth and their families throughout the state of Karnataka.
  2. To train 150 potential Yuva Parivarthakas and about 30 Yuva Samalochakas who serve as behavioral, mental, and psychosocial support service providers in Karnataka.
  3. To establish Yuva Spandana Kendras (Guidance centers) and provide guidance and support services related to youth behavioral, mental, and psychosocial issues in Karnataka.
  4. To reach out to all the youth of Karnataka with these services.

Focus on:

  • Education and career
  • Health and Lifestyle
  • Relationships
  • Personality development
  • Gender, sex, and sexuality
  • Safety

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