Nepali youth moving and shaking SDGs in local level

In December, I have an opportunity to work as a Rapporteur in MTOT (Master Training of Trainers) of Sustainable Development Goals. This training was conducted by Youth Initiative in collaboration with Restless Development & UNFPA-Nepal. The MTOT was conducted in Dhulikhel, Nepal in December 17-21, 2016. The main objective of this MTOT training was to produce youth trainers on SDGs to work in community level for the purpose to localized SDGs.

The MTOT program includes the major component of 5 social goals of SDGs (3, 4,5,8 & 16), facilitations skills, Evidence-based advocacy, Local Level planning process to produce youth trainers of SDGs for the purpose to make them engage in community-level for 15 years.  There were 25 participants from diverse background representing from Banking, Engineering, Tourism, Social Activist, political thinkers. The participants were divided into 4 groups for the entire 5 days residential program.  These groups worked on each social goal of SDGs and developed the action plan to work in the community. Participants were interested to know about fundraising for the proposed project and they were highly motivated to know that Local Level planning process could possibly facilitate them for funding process.

In the first day of training, I observed participants doing Icebreaking, session on Child marriage and formed a group to work in 5 social goals. In the second day, participants took session on MDGs to SDGs, learnt about Evidence Based Advocacy. In third day, participants worked on the SDGs 4, 5 and 8. In the 4^th day, participants went for field visit. One group went to visit local hospital and other went to visit community.

The main motive of this session was to inform participants about the concept of service seekers and service providers in the community. This training also made them enable to understand where the resources and possible action taken to solve the community issues. In the day5th, Mock session was organized in the community issues and participants learnt about 14 step planning process of community level.

At the end, participants were evaluated best on their performance and could possibly be mobilized in the grassroots level of Nepal to localize SDGs process. The participants were well informed about the use of social media and global issues. In my informal interaction with the participants on mainstreaming youth in development of Nepal, most of the youth urged that youth have potential to change the nations. They argued that most of the Nepali youth are doing great jobs in an international market. The time has come to act in Nepal, they say. They have understood the multiple impact of working in community level and knew the significance of behavioral change for Nepal’s overall transformation.

Overall, my experience writing rapporteur was great. As I got chance to interact with youth from diverse background to know about them, their thoughts and aspiration for Nepal. 

-Mr. Saurav Raj Pant, Regional Communication Adviser for Asia-Pacific, Independent International Relations Research Associate, Freelance Development consultant and blogger.