When 60 Young Change Makers Meet Under One Roof To Make A Difference

The South Asian Youth Conference (SAYC), initiated by The Blue Ribbon Movement, India, is an annual international conference for high-potential young leaders from South Asia, who wish to connect, collaborate, and create a strong youth-led movement to enable joint- capacity building.

This year, the SAYC concluded successfully in Nepal. It was held jointly with the Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON). It brought together around 60 young South Asian leaders to discuss the themes of livelihood development, meaningful participation, and sustainability.

“We feel privileged to have been part of a process where young, like – minded change makers from all over the region were be able to interact, join forces, and develop ideas that will make a difference to our world.” – Vedika Lal, Program Lead — International Programs, The Blue Ribbon Movement

During the conference, these South Asian youth leaders demonstrated their willingness and commitment to contribute meaningfully and find effective solutions to problems that are being faced by the entire region. They actively expressed the need for capacity building and integrated, cross-country programs to ensure concrete achievement of peace, cooperation and development throughout the region. As a result, an Action Based Change Declaration (ABCD) was drafted, in the hope of bringing about legitimate change.

“The SAYC was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The conference and interactions I had with the delegates and organizers really changed my perspective on a lot of things. I really do view a lot of these countries and their issues in a different light. I realized that we do face the same issues and are way closer culturally, economically, and in other ways than I imagined.” – Raj Desai, SAYC Participant, India