UN-Habitat has carried out training for the winners of the Youth Fund in Mumbai to enable them to run their identified projects more effectively. Every year following the announcement of groups who are successful in applying to the fund, the Youth Fund Secretariat conducts training in project management to equip young people with the necessary skills and tools to successfully conduct their projects and to create a sustainability plan. This training spans a week and covers topics such as introduction to project management, organizational and team management, financial management, stakeholder management, reporting and monitoring and evaluation.
The first training for the 2013 grantees was held at the Universal Business School in Mumbai, India, for the successful projects in the Asia Pacific area. The training brought together eleven participants from different parts of India and surrounding countries including Nepal, Yemen, and the Philippines. The program included interactive lectures, group activities, a webinar on the new E-Learning program and an assessment of their own projects to further amplify their activities.
The training, conducted over six days, was extremely well received by the attendees. Abhishegh from the Tara Trust in Goa said, “I’m leaving here with a very good understanding of Project Management and how I can apply concepts from the training in my own project. I’ve learnt a lot and I’m very grateful for this opportunity that was extended to me.”
This year as part of a new collaboration, the training was jointly conducted with the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation (NSF). This partnership was spurred by the need to address the growing challenges facing young people in India. NSF is partnering with UN-Habitat Youth Unit to establish the first ever India Window of the Youth Fund. Through the India Youth Fund, they have directly funded seven innovative youth-led organizations at an average cost of USD 15,000 per organization.
The intensive training program was concluded by an alternate and classical rock music performance by a group of young artists named Three’s Company from the National Streets for Performing Arts, an initiative to take art to the people by reclaiming public spaces for street performances. |
