First of its kind program for rural youth held today at Mawlynnong

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 12, 2021

On the occasion of UN International Youth Day 2021 i.e. 12 August, the youth of Mawlynnong, East Khasi Hills district, held an event through a flagship program titled “Mawlynnong Youth Dialogue”.

The event was held to discuss and initiate formulation of a declaration on the new interventions, experiences and best practises of the ‘rural youth’ in promoting ‘value chains in food systems’, ‘entrepreneurship’ and ‘biodiversity conservation’ thereby addressing SDGs No 12 “Responsible Production and Consumption”.

This event has been mapped as a global event in the UN Youth Portal and is first of its kind initiative in the North East Region. The youth also taken part in the SDGs poster campaign.

This event has been jointly organised by Yes We Can Youth Organization, Intellectual Forum Shillong and King’s College London, Alumni Community-Hyderabad.

Outcomes of the event:

This flagship event has encouraged the participants to develop a draft declaration on certain rural entrepreneurship, bio diversity conservation and developing food value chain in the village.

The following key sectors have been discussed during the Mawlynnong Youth Dialogue which require integrated and collective interventions for the promotion of SDGs.

1. Mr. Henry Kharrymba a member of the youth in Mawlynnong village has expressed his interest and experience in developing bio-compost and solid waste management in the village by enabling collection, transport and proper dumping.

2. Mushroom cultivation has already been initiated by Ms Trinity Kshiar, Ms. Alice Larisakhonglam and Ms. Crosbina Khongthiem in village however further interventions and support system for soil testing and preservation of the produce has been discussed with the science and technology researcher from IFS.

3. Bee-keeping has been one of the primary occupation of the villagers. To further promote the business, Ms. Dapshisha Dkhar has decided to develop a marketing framework in support of this bee culture.

4. A food garden with all the locally cultivable crops and fruits and a mini-digital library with CSR funding have been discussed and further modalities are being developed by the researchers of IFS in coordination with the village Youth.

5. Mawlynnong, being regarded as the Cleanest Village in Asia, has one of the highest footfall both in terms of tourism and entertainment. In view of this, the youth of the village have collectively decided to capture the business and develop a confectionery with local baked items.

The commitment makers of the Mawlynnong Youth Dialogue have decided to draft the declaration by 24 October 2021 i.e. UN Day and convene a meeting for developing an execution plan in consultation with all the necessary stakeholders.

Mr Moral K Rymba, Village Headman of Mawlynnong, Mr Stephen Anurag P, Alumnus of King’s College London; Mr Sumarbha Dkhar, a local youth leader; Members of Intellectual Forum Shillong Ms Fidiarity Kharumnudi, Joint Secretary; Mr Darius JMT, S&T Researcher; Mr O Donald Singh, Law Researcher, Mr. Y Kishore, Technical Specialist UAV, JICA Project and the youth of Mawlynnong have participated in the event adhering to the strict Covid-19 protocols of the State.