According to the International Labour Organization’s Global Employment Trends 2014 report, the unemployment rate in India has been gradually increasing since 2011 when the rate was at 3.5 percent. Having risen to 3.6 percent in 2012 and 3.7 percent in 2013, the rate is expected to continue to grow in 2014, according to the report.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

To address the need for skills training and workforce development for India’s poor youth, Salesians in the country recently opened the Don Bosco Social and Technical Institute at Tezpur which is located in the Sonitpur district in the state of Assam in northeastern India.

The new institute will offer courses in subjects such as computers, hospitality, tourism and leadership, among others. Programs will train students in skills needed in employment sectors where steady work is available. Through workforce development initiatives such as assistance with resume writing and interviewing skills, the institute hopes to help students find and retain stable employment upon graduation.

Focusing not only on formal education and training, but also on assisting youth in overcoming personal challenges, the institute strives to give students hope for a stable future.

“We are confronted with the situation of social exclusion and unemployment and its associated negative consequences such as rebellion, insurgency, violence and addictions in this part of Assam,” says Father V.M. Thomas, Salesian provincial of Guwahati in the state of Assam.

To combat the social exclusion many youth have faced in the past, additional Salesian initiatives at the institute will focus on individual and group counseling, conflict management, team-building dynamics and life-skills. The institute is committed to working with marginalized youth to empower them to help shape their own futures.

“Other similar Salesian technical institutes in India have been very successful,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “India has a growing economy and for poor youth to be successful, they need access to training and help finding and retaining employment. This new institute will accomplish both.”

Salesians in India plan to continue to expand their programming for poor youth in the country throughout this year and next. Three more Salesian technical institutes are scheduled to be opened in the Guwahati province in Assam within the next year.

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Sources:

Don Bosco India – Guwahati Salesians launch new strategy for skilling youth

International Labour Organization – Global Employment Trends 2014 Report

UNICEF – India

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While progress has been significant and the number of out-of-school children has been reduced from 25 million to 8 million in the past eight years, India continues to have the largest number of child laborers in the world. When children lack educational opportunities, it is often due to issues of caste, class and gender.

In northeastern India, the Assam Don Bosco University has announced several new scholarship programs to help poor youth attend the university in Guwahati. The scholarship programs are based on need and academic success.

“The Don Bosco Society has been in northeast India for the last 90 years and the vice-chancellor, Dr. Stephen Mavely, and I have been serving the region for the past 50 years,” says Father V. M. Thomas, chancellor of Don Bosco Society in Guwahati. “We are not a fly-by-night organization. We are here to stay.”

Establishing the Assam Don Bosco University in Guwahati was a major undertaking but was important for regional growth. Previously, more than 50,000 youth left the area to pursue higher education in other parts of India.

“This was a major loss for the area both in terms of losing a highly intelligent workforce and the financial loss as a result,” adds Fr. Thomas. “Our goal in setting up the university was to lessen the need for youth migration and bring in more financial resources and qualified workers to the region.”

Currently, Assam Don Bosco University is serving more than 5,000 registered students from around the globe. The university plans to award full scholarships to 1,000 students from northeastern India for the online Bachelor’s degree courses in business administration and computer applications. The university has also announced special scholarships for families with single female children.

Those students who suffer the worst poverty while succeeding academically will receive a free education. Close to 1,000 high school students from northeastern India are eligible and are enrolling as residential students at the university campus at Tapesia.

“Salesian programs adapt to local needs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The scholarships provided will allow students who otherwise could not afford it, the opportunity to acquire an advanced education. The university will teach, train and work with local youth living in poverty who want opportunities for a brighter future.”

Other partial scholarship programs include 25 percent off tuition plus academic fees covered for those serving or retired from the Defense Services in India as well as their spouses and dependent children. Students who qualify as 40 percent or more disabled and former Don Bosco alumni who have completed at least tenth grade at any Don Bosco school in the country will receive the same scholarship opportunities.

University students who are working in the nonprofit sector will be entitled to scholarships covering 40 percent of their tuition and academic fees. Other scholarships will be awarded to students who have been highly successful academically to help them pursue advanced study programs. For students who do not qualify for scholarships, the university has collaborated with local banks in the region to provide educational loans.

“The Salesians are working hard to educate youth in India and provide them a path out of poverty,” says Fr. Hyde. “The academic and technical programs offered by the university show how education and training not only benefit the individual student, but also entire communities as students are able to gain skills to contribute back to the local economy.”

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Sources:

Don Bosco India – Salesian university plans special projects to help northeast students

World Bank – India

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The theme for the Expo was “Capacity Building Training in Life Skills, Citizenship and Peer Education” with the goal of igniting the minds and spirits of the youth participating. According to many of the participants, it was a unifying event. With a focus on different cultural exchanges the youth had an opportunity to learn more about each other and create a dialogue which many believe has ignited the process of social change.

“Youth are the leaders of tomorrow so nurture them today,” stated Father Johnson Parackal, executive director of Don Bosco Institute in his welcome address.

The Youth Expo is one of many programs and activities facilitated by the Salesians in India whose focus is on providing education and vocational skills training to poor youth to break the cycle of poverty and help them lead productive lives. According to the World Bank, nearly 44 percent of India’s work force is illiterate and only 17 percent has secondary schooling. Building the skills of India’s rapidly rising workforce is a key focus for reducing poverty. Between 2003 and 2009, the number of out-of-school children declined from 25 million to eight million.

Many leaders in India attended the Youth Expo including His Excellency Sri Ranjit Sekhar Mooshahary, Governor of Meghalaya and guest of honor, Father V. M. Thomas, Salesian of Don Bosco Provincial in Guwahati.

In his speech, Sri Mooshahary focused on the importance of providing youth lessons in human values and helping them find the right path for their own social development. He urged the youth to transform their dreams into reality.

During Fr. Thomas’ speech, he expressed the importance of holding events such as the Youth Expo in the region while also training youth in leadership skills, enabling them to move forward and create productive lives for themselves and their communities.

The Expo was marked by the release of the book, The Secrets of High Achievers – 17 Lessons from the World’s Great Achievers, authored by Father John Parankimalil. The Governor, while releasing the book, emphasized the importance of youth standing united in society, building their own futures, achieving success in life and bringing change to the world.

The grand finale of Youth Expo 2013 was presentations of the traditional songs and dances of India.

Sources

ANS – India – The Youth Expo at Don Bosco Institute

World Bank – India

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A recent news article in The Hindu estimated that as many as 278 relief camps had been opened to shelter people from these districts. Salesian-run programs in the area have been aiding the refugees as well.

Father V.M. Thomas, founder and director of the Salesian-run Don Bosco Institute in Guwahati, is spearheading the effort. The Salesian relief services are being organized through Guwahati-based Bosco Reachout, Don Bosco Institute and programs of the organization at Bengtol, Kokrajhar and Dotma.

Fr. Thomas is no stranger to organizing and directing relief services. In 1996, he set up the CARE program for thousands of children whose families were affected by the riots of that year. Currently, he is prioritizing program initiatives to respond to the refugees in need.

News reports in The Hindu indicate that refugees may begin to return to their homes as early as Aug. 15, 2012. But those living and remaining in the refugees camps need food, clothing, baby food and shelter. Relief materials consisting mainly of clothes continue to be distributed by the Salesians who plan to continue their work for as long as needed and are also working locally with civil authorities.

“Our services may be just a drop in the ocean,” says Fr. Thomas. “However, as we distribute these relief materials, we pray and hope that we will be able to spread the message of peace and harmony among the various communities living in these districts.”

“When there is violence, no one wins,” adds Fr. Thomas. “The children and women suffer most. We plan to supplement the relief services of the Government, particularly with an eye to help the children, women and the elderly. We mourn the death of those who lost their lives and pray and work for the healing of those wounded and stand by those who have been displaced.”

The relief services are further supported by Don Bosco Institute’s sister organizations; the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians and the Sisters of Mary Immaculate.

Fr. Thomas has appealed to the general public and particularly the former students of Don Bosco Institute to work together in this humanitarian initiative by mobilizing human and material resources.

To learn more and support programs like this, visit www.SalesianMissions.org.

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PHOTO: REUTERS/Utpal Baruah

Sources:

The Hindu – Sporadic violence in Kokrajhar

The Hindu – Refugees to return home by Aug 15: Gogoi

The Assam Tribune – Don Bosco chips in with aid in BTAD districts

Salesian Missions – Don Bosco Institute

Don Bosco Institute Website – Don Bosco Institute

Reuters/AlertNet: Refugees flee ethnic violence in India’s troubled Assam

The post INDIA: Salesians Aid Refugees of Ethnic Violence first appeared on MissionNewswire.