| PRELUDE
The Youth are the most potential, creative and
productive workforce in a society. Young people
are good dreamers of today and of tomorrow. They
dream of worth-living lives in the periphery of
family, society, state and the world as a whole.
With all the differences of language, color or
religion all the young people have a common desire
of peace, love and poverty free life. This common
desire of the youth is required to be given a
practical shape and this is the demand of the
day.
Like rough diamonds, youths have unfailing potentiality. What is needed most is to give them a sense of direction so as to exploit their potentiality for productive purpose. If they are guided, mobilized and motivated properly and channelised in right direction, they can contribute a lot to national and international upliftment. Admittedly, without active participation of the youth force in national and global development processes the total development efforts can not make much headway. |
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Keeping this in view, Youth Action for Social
Advancement was established in December 16, 1990.
VASA
VIEWS
Youth Action for Social Advancement views that
young people represent an essential part of global
human resources, and that their creativity and
dynamism have a potential that should be harnessed
for the benefit of local, national and global
development. Only if young people can be encouraged
and involved in social development efforts, a
more just and equitable world may usher in the
days to come.
WHAT
IS VASA
Youth Action for Social Advancement abbreviated
as YASA. It is a non-profitable, non-governmental
and non-political voluntary social development
organization based in Bangladesh. It is approved
by the Government of Bangladesh. In recognition
of its remarkable socio-economic services to the
society YASA has been accredited by the United
Nations to the World Summit in March 1995. It
has got affiliation with many national and international
organizations.
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CULTURAL
ACTIVITIES
While cultural activities are meant to provide
a forum for all members who are interested and
have the necessary potential to give public performance,
the cultural workshops aim at improving the quality
of performance and giving a sense of direction
of cultural programs.
The overall objective of the
program and activity is to develop cultural skills
amongst youth club members. The programs include,
Street Plays, Skits, Folk Songs, Puppetry and
the main themes taken up for the festivals are
aimed at creating awareness regarding social evils,
illiteracy, exploitation, disharmony, etc.
WORK
CAMPS
Work Camps are organized in such a manner that
they motivate the youth for self-employment generating
activities, the objectives being to promote the
spirit of self-help and, to create and sustain
community assets through cooperation and service.
The dignity of labor and the importance of planned
action are thus promoted amongst the youth clubs.
To complement the self-employment generating ventures,
work camps help create assets for such activities,
such as a fish farming pond has been constructed
in an area where training in fisheries is imparted.
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BUILDING NATION
YASA is the largest grass-root organization in
the country set up with the aims
::> to involve the rural youth in nation building
activities;
::> to develop their values and skills so that
they become productive, responsible citizens of
a modern, technological nation;
::> to work towards promoting atmosphere where
all, irrespective of caste, color, sex or religion,
find equal opportunity to serve the
nation;
::> to pursue resource self-sufficiency;
::> to form village level voluntary action
groups of youths for rendering YASA service program;
::> to utilize YASA network for carrying on
development and promotion programs in the priority
sectors of employment generation, literacy and
family welfare especially for women.
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YASA MOVEMENT
The strategy of YASA has been
to generate social awareness, to organize and
mobilize rural youth for development work in the
village with emphasis on value, vision and voluntary
action. The overall idea is to generate, through
various programs, a spirit of cooperation and
service, with a sense of national identity and
integration, eschewing fear and violence.
The foundation, upon which the YASA is built,
includes leadership and character development,
community service, self-reliance, democracy and
patriotism.
YASA PROGRAMS
YOUTH
LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM (YLTP)
One of the most important programs
is to train youth leaders and to equip them with
necessary qualities to assume responsibilities
for the village situation and to act as catalytic
agents for socio-economic, cultural, political
and environmental development of the villages.
With these objectives, YLTPs focus on relevant
national themes and are meant to be action oriented
program.
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INTERNATIONAL
YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM (IYEP)
Youth exchange is one of the most effective means
whereby young people can experience and encounter
the diverse social, cultural, linguistic and religious
traditions of the globe. Young people at this
juncture of their lives are searching for their
own personal and cultural identity. Intercultural
exchange helps to promote friendship and networking
among youth and their organizations. YASA encourages
young people to know their neighbors, far and
near. Learning through travel the diversity of
our planet and the uniqueness of each nation young
people will build bridges of friendship. This
creates opportunities for personal growth and
responsible citizenship. We believe that this
process will help make our world a happier and
safer place.
VOCATIONAL
TRAINING
With a view to updating skills and promoting self-reliance
at the village level as well as supplementing
income-generating potentials of the rural youth,
vocational training, both technical and non technical
is undertaken, such as TV/Radio repairing, tailoring,
handicrafts, food preservation methods, basic
computer training, agricultural training for rural
youth.
The objective is -to improve vocational skills
of the rural youth so that they
::> can supplement their incomes from existing
occupations;
::> improve productivity of existing skills;
::> learn a new skill for which there is increasing
demand in their local area.
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NATIONAL
YOUTH DAYIWEEK
The 1st day of November is observed as Youth day
every year in a befitting manner with various
programs. The Youth Week symbolizes the Nation's
pride in its Youth, a potential resource. During
this week District Youth Awards are conferred
on youth who have excelled in youth work in different
fields of development activities and social service.
Four Youth and one Youth Club who have excelled
in their performance are selected every year in
each district for this award. The awards are given
to the outstanding Youth Clubs at District, Division
and National levels.
CAMPAIGN
& DRIVES ON SOCIAL AWARENESS
Each district level YASA takes up one Social Campaign
per Block each year. The theme of the campaign
is selected according to the need of the district.
Campaigns are taken up against Child Marriage
Alcoholism, Drug Addiction and AIDS, Environmental
Pollutions and Social Discrimination.
ASSISTANCE
TO YOUTH CLUBS
YASA is a Coordinating Center for all rural youth
clubs in the country. Youth Clubs are the foundation
of the YASA Movement. To make this foundation
strong, the YASA has stressed the need for the
Youth Clubs to become self-reliant and self-sufficient
in that they should raise resources from within
the villages to fund their activities. The members
of the Youth Clubs will take charge of the village
development activities. Most of the resources
of the YASA will go in assisting youth clubs to
stand on their own feet and helping them plan
and implement their Annual Action Plan.
LINKAGES WITH OTHER
DEPARTMENTS & AGENCIES
YASA believes in and emphasizes effective and
functional coordination with the different departments
of the Government so that maximum benefit flows
to needy, rural youth. Thus, healthy linkages
are developed with departments and agencies in
fields of Development, Self-Employment, Rural
Development, Environment, Health and Family Welfare,
Female and Adult Literacy, Science and Technology,
Non-Conventional Energy Development etc. It is
registered in Bangladesh as a non- profit voluntary
social welfare NGO# Dha 03361
YASA Shall-
# Expand its present network of Village Youth
Clubs to cover the entire rural youth population
in the' country;
# Utilize this network to take the Government's
masses, particularly in the priority sector generation"
literacy and family welfare;
# Seek to improve the quality of human resources
by bringing about attitudinal changes towards
self reliance, self confidence, healthy
competition and communal harmony;
# Endeavour to ensure due share to women and weaker
sections in development.
The day we achieve the above goals it will be
a rare occasion of an IDEAL being achieved. And
we are determined to achieve that IDEAL.
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