Manushi Chhillar: Must train the youth in vital skills

Manushi Chhillar

Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar - who is inarguably getting among the biggest Bollywood launches with Prithviraj, alongside Akshay Kumar - has been roped in by UNICEF for a youth campaign. Discussing the initiative, Chhillar tells mid-day, "The youth is the spark that can light lamps. We are the future, and the benefits that we reap will depend on [the seeds] that we sow today. India has more than 300 million young people, and by preparing them to transition [into the workforce], we are creating an India whose potential will be unlimited."

Chhillar lays the roadmap to achieve important goalposts for India's transformation by actively engaging the youth. "There is an urgent need to connect young people to 21st century skills, while engaging them as change-makers. Young people bring fresh ideas and a new outlook to pressing problems. We need to provide them with platforms to take their ideas forward. Even while participating in the Miss World [pageant, we were encouraged to] present ideas, and organisations with the necessary resources would step up to support [us]. This will also be a learning experience for the young. For far too long, adults have made decisions for young people, and the time has come to involve them in decision-making processes."

In order to facilitate meaningful participation from the country's youth, YuWaah has set up a Young People's Action Team (YPAT). Comprising young people who are invested in change-making processes, the YPAT will spearhead the amplification of the mission.

Also Read: Manushi Chhillar: Important for men, women to be vocal about the rights of girls