Inspiration
The initiative, Youth for the Coast, was inspired by Late Com. T Peter, the General Secretary of National Fishworkers Forum. He believed involving youngsters understanding the issues of the coasts and fishworkers was extremely important given the kind of marginalisation they are facing. He was involved in the initial discussions and conceptualisation of this initiative, unfortunately, we lost him to COVID-19. We hope that this initiative will be one which will take forward the dreams and aspirations of T Peter and the fishing communities.
Vision
To build critical perspectives and creative civic action initiatives for the youth in order to nurture the environment with specific reference to the coast and the communities dependent on it.
About
Youth for the Coast is a training programme for early to mid-career practitioners from various fields who intend to work on the various aspects of the ocean and coast in India. The aim is to bring together young people to develop their understanding and extend solidarity to civic action initiatives and organisations in their own capacity. It is specifically designed for the fishworkers, youth from coastal communities, researchers, media practitioners, interested in engaging with the issues of coast primarily from the nine coastal states from the Western and Eastern Coasts i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal…
Pedagogy & Curriculum
Youth for the Coast is a residential course for the selected participants that will equip them with information and resources that confront the complex socio-ecology of land and water. During the course, the participants will also engage in peer-to-peer learning, participate in field visits, engage with community leaders, academics and activists currently working on coastal issues to create their own chosen project/intervention they would like to design and implement…
Testimonials
Steven S George
“The best part was the presence of diverse people – in terms of the region, field, gender, language, professions, engagements and more. The simultaneous translations opened up a corridor full of possibilities. Instead of a lacuna there was a spirit of engagement and enthusiasm with translations and exchanges…”
Senthamizh
“I liked the way or methodology of teaching. The best part of it was Palayam Anna’s presentation. We enjoyed His explanation, his knowledge, …His pain in his eyes is hitting us like a shooting star…”
Yashita Singhi
“The best thing about the workshop was language was never a barrier. In Spite of people coming from different spaces and not having the same language, be it for participants or resource people there was translation and everyone was included in all the discussions…”