My village Yangthang was connected by road half
a century years ago but it didn't change us much, other than the occasional bus
services people walked most of time. There was road but people didn’t have cars
to use it. Twenty years ago electricity illuminated our village. The last two
decades with road and electricity both couldn't quite transform my stubborn
village. We remained backward in our ways of life and in our outlook to life.
The small generation of educated lot had to
leave the village, and some of them who had strong influence over the village
couldn't quite reconnect to the village realities, therefore fancied the idea
of maintaining our village like a living museum- after all how much can they do
during their week long annual visits?
Over the years my generation of educated lot
thrived and we were bigger in number but we too had to leave the village. Our
village still remained a museum and we were mere annual tourists who only
dreamt of bigger changes and better lives. We were disappointed but to our
credit our tradition and our values were well preserved, we were harmless as
much as we were helpless.
Then the television made a grand entry. Few
households that had TV became the popular hub of social gathering, our sleep
pattern changed, our conversation lessened and overnight change became evident.
It was at least serving a good purpose of giving people a common place and
common subject to dwell on after their hard day's works until every house hold
got their own TV sets. Then it isolated families. People stopped coming out,
they talking about issues in Indian serial homes rather than issues at home and
in the village. Younger generation showed lesser interest in the village
affairs thereby risking the natural course of transition of tradition from one
generation to another.
Just when we thought the worst have happened the
smartphones revolution began and this time it didn’t take long before the urban
wind blew into the villages. With huge literate population living in the
village the social lives became virtual just like in towns. That’s a dangerous
trend invading the most potential generation in our village at the moment.
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| During the Launch |
While it is tempting to force some solutions out
of books, we must remember the classic egg breaking analogy which goes- if an
egg is broken by outside force, life ends. If broken by inside force, life
begins. Great things always begin from inside. We are more or less mere
outsiders in our village and in their generation. If meaningful change has to
happen it has to come from among themselves. We can only facilitate.
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| The youngest group |
One of the significant facilitation was construction
of the READ center in my village. It’s the first step toward an enlightened
community. The facility is serving its purpose and beyond, and it’s continuously
developed to suit the need of the community. It’s interesting to see how our
people’s expectation from the READ center is changing and growing. At times they
push the librarians to their wits end and thus we lost one librarian.
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| Electoral Education |
To ensure effective use of the facility and to
address our growing issues, including taking responsibility of the center and
other common spaces I have thought of a village youth club, which finally
became a reality on the first day of Lomba. I named it Yangthang Village Youth
Club. On the day of its launch we had 58 students, living and going to school
from the village every day, registered as members. I am hoping this youth body,
given the right conditions and opportunities, would identify and address our
own local issues. I am also hoping that their unity will inspire and build harmony
in the community and ensure better rural lives. Lopen Chimi Rinzin, a senior
teacher and very steadfast member of the village agreed to lead the pack as the
club master.
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| Youth goes to Poll |
So far we received support from the following
organization and individuals
1. Rotary Club of Thimphu: A computer set for club works
2. Deki Om: 45 pieces of club T Shirts
3. Karma Yangzom: 45 pieces of club caps
4. Dzongkhag Election office: In electing club captains.
The two individual donors are from our own
village living away. Like them there are many successful folks living away from
home that I hope will support the village through the club. I have received
commitments from some friends for certain initiatives and I’m also looking forward
to capacity building and life skills training for the members from READ Bhutan,
VAST, BCMD, and YDF.
Some of the strategies outlined for the club
are;
1. Volunteerism in the Village
Yangthang Village Youth Club intends to serve
the village community to address local issues and needs in the areas of health,
environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, and socioeconomic
development.
These activities include but are not limited to:
· Conduct
advocacy programs to promote health and hygiene in the village
· Provide
helping hands during cultivation and harvest
· Take
initiatives to manage village waste (behavioral change, waste segregation,
decomposing, recycling)
· Take
ownership of common spaces in the village and initiate maintenance works to
ensure the sustainability of the common spaces: Lhakhang, Archery ground, Electric
fencing, Bridges, Chortens, Flood retention wall, Drainage, Road, Drinking
water source, etc.
· Volunteer
and provide support during village events
· Plan
and undertake the building of small social infrastructures: Dustbins, Pit, Menchhu,
Fencing, Wall, Rest House, Footpath, Water supply, etc.
· Reforestation
of barren land along the river
2. Educational Enrichment
In addition to civic engagement, the Yangthang
Village Youth Club also provides educational platforms that enrich the learning
experiences of the youth members. These activities include:
· Initiate
a comprehensive village reading program
· First
Friday For Folk Tales: Invite a village elder to tell folk tales
to children. Children will also attempt to rewrite the folk tales.
· Sunday
Reading Hour: One Sunday in a month, Children gather at
the READ center to read for one hour together.
· Sunday
Book Talk: Another Sunday in a month, few selected children will talk
about the books they read. Their reviews will be display on the wall for a
month.
· Initiate
a youth mentorship program
Older
youth members can provide mentorship to younger members in terms of academics
and other areas of youth development
· Initiate
a Spiritual Life speakers program
Invite
a local monk or nun to come speak to the youth once every month to explain some
religious concept or lead a short prayer/meditation
3. Youth Leadership
Lastly, the Yangthang Village Youth Club
provides the youth members with the opportunity to learn key leadership skills
through the club’s management and development. Club captains will be elected
annually through standard electoral process. This not only enables the club
members to practice the principles of democratic citizenship, but also enables
the elected youth captains to step up and provide guidance and voice for the
club members. All club members will also learn to raise and generate funds to
support the club’s programs and sustainability.
Lastly, many of the club meetings and activities
will be held in the READ Center in the Yangthang READ Center. The club members
will be responsible for ensuring that the Yangthang READ Center facilities that
they use are well-maintained, tidy, and well-utilized.
