PRINCIPLE OF YOUTH FOR CHANGE

Youth Participation - This program is completely focused on youth participation, SAHAYOG is following Roger Hart's ladder. For youth participation in its Y4C programme you can visit www.freechild.org/ladder.htm.
Ladder of Participation
About the Ladder:
Sociologist Roger Hart wrote a book called Children's Participation: The Theory And Practice Of Involving Young Citizens In Community Development And Environmental Care for UNICEF in 1997. This groundbreaking work put the work of young people and adult allies around the world in the context of a global movement for participation, offering needed guidance and criticism of many efforts. The "Ladder of Children's Participation," also called the "Ladder of Youth Participation," is one of many significant tools from the book.
It has been noticed that youth are always being used as a decorative component in most families in rural India where their rights and decision making powers have not been recognized. In spite of various programmes and policies being formulated by the government the youth's decisions are rarely ever accepted and appreciated by the adults as there is a belief that the youth is not mature enough to make decisions regarding their well being. Therefore Y4C is a unique programme aimed at not only the development of the youth, but also to allow them to play a vital role in the implementation of the programme and to enable greater participation of the youth in the programme. Their decision making powers are recognized and is encouraged not only for the implementation of the programme but also for other matters relating to their life.
Youth Diversity - Youth in Uttar Pradesh (Most populated state of India) are very diverse: a large number of these are rural youth; a large number of youth are poor and some will be migrating out; significant numbers are the specially disadvantaged Dalits and Muslims; a large number of young women are non-literate and a vast percentage of young women will be married or mothers before the age of 18 years.This program looks to facilitate the involvement and participation of all the above diverse youth especially between the ages of 13-24.

Stakeholder support - Stakeholders such as parents, teacher, health service providers, political representatives, media and other related departments are also part of this program implementation. As the decision making abilities of the youth is not recognized by the above stakeholders owing to different social, economic, cultural, political, regional and religious factors Y4C seeks to make them aware of the vital role that they are capable of playing in order to enable the youth to realize their sexual and reproductive rights and their decision making powers. Y4C looks to bring all these stakeholders together to support the youth of the country and to provide encouragement for the realization of the above goals.