Vol. 58 No. 47 • June 20, 2017

I have had an opportunity to work with a lot of young people. Young minds are full of ideas. When they come together, they bring strong opinions to the table and are ready to face even the most difficult of all challenges. With the massive reach of social media, our youth have the power to speak their mind fearlessly. They are impatient and critical. They want to see a quick transformation in society and in their lives. The restlessness of youth brings to the fore a rebellious streak against the establishment. We therefore need to engage our youth at every level.

India has more than 50 per cent of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65 per cent below the age of 35. However, a majority of the young population in India has inadequate access to quality education and healthcare.

Only 10 per cent of students have access to higher education in India and just 2 per cent of the rural population is educated beyond higher secondary level. The Rotary Club of Bombay through its initiatives like Bhavishya Yaan and night study centers is providing an opportunity to many underprivileged students to get quality education.

Around 50 per cent people in India travel at least 5 kilometers to access a healthcare center. Therefore, projects of the Rotary Club of Bombay like Rotary Cotton Green diagnostic center, IWA clinic, Ajit Deshpande Medical Center and Hasanali Tobaccowala Eye Center play an important role in making healthcare accessible to the young and underprivileged.

Unemployment is another serious issue crippling the development of this country. There are around 1.78 crore unemployed people in India. Providing students vocational skill training can be an effective tool in reducing unemployment. Emphasis on skilled based education may provide a skillful workforce not only for many existing jobs but for new jobs as well. RCB in association with YMCA is providing such vocational skill based training to around 40,000 students, thereby preparing them for the future.