Cohort I – Goa
“A wide range of topics discussed by experts on each was a huge insight into the ground reality”.
Anand Meherwade
“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. I think it was a tremendous experiment that worked really well.”
Steven S George
“The content of all the presentations were fantastic. The sessions flowed well thematically as well, especially since I am someone who had minimal context for coastal issues. That was very helpful as I could learn things one by one and it wasn’t overwhelming. It was so, so fantastic to meet so many wonderful people as well, not just the experienced speakers and activists but also other participants. The selection of participants was great, and I was comfortable with everyone and it was interesting to learn from so many people from different areas of the country and different occupations”.
Tanvi GS
“Open space to participants for sharing their views on different sessions and collective approach is very much appreciated.”
Arul Actovin C
Cohort II – Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
“Understanding the importance of fisheries as a livelihood rather than a business. In every financial planning, fisheries and the fishermen are just calculated as the profitable industry through which the GDP could be grown. But, this workshop has taught me that the importance of the fisher community’s livelihood is the essential part of every planning when it comes to the fisheries department. This workshop had taught me that significance and also the need for political representation from the fisher communities”.
Subagunam Kannan
“The area of study. The life of coastal communities are unknown, and mostly covered in environment and conservation view, however the study on conservation excluded the people who live on the coast. Study on The coast and it’s community help to understand inter relationship between nature, development and people, researchers and policy makers better understand the coast in fishers point of view. The program like Youth for the Coast’ helps the future researchers to understand the view which is not in academics”.
Avala Ramu
“The people and the purpose behind it.The mutual connection shared by Anil, Jibin, Sridhar and Aswathy was awesome. You could articulate the idea as great as possible. I loved the hospitality from Adishakthi and it was a luck to meet experienced people in the field. You didn’t forget about keeping jamming sessions from time to time”.
Aswathi A
“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. His request to find a medicine for “MOOLAN” is still a mystery that made our minds more energetic. We who have participated under the disciple of science. We’ll take it as a challenge to find it out & give it a breakaway. I loved that Session. Later the session I loved was the class by Jones Anna. It’s a simple, easy dramatic capturing session. I loved his class & the sessions about Women fishers by two Amma’s… These were the best parts of the session. I loved it to the core.”
Senthamizh
“Planning of the syllabus, resource person delivering content, outreach was extremely satisfactory”.
Pooja Saravanan
Cohort III – Kolkata, West Bengal
“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. Having people from different backgrounds, was amazing given the discussions post the sessions would give ample space for more comprehensive understanding on the issues around the coast and fisherman community by lived examples”.
Yashita Singhi
“Equality. Everybody irrespective of their background or field of work were given equal opportunity. The girls and boys were equal in number. Even when language problems arrived, people were given adequate support to express themselves”.
Meghaa
“Bottom up approach of each presentation. Everything designed from the common man’s point of view”.
Tanmoy Bhaduri
“The Youth for Coast (3rd edition – West Bengal, Kolkata) for me has established the groundwork that will allow me to critically understand and engage with the issues on coastal development and its impact on the fisherfolk communities and their livelihood. I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to be part of a diverse cohort and the learning experience that has nudged me to reflect on my own positionally. It has also made me aware of the complex institutional and policy mechanisms that are rapidly changing the socio-ecology of our shores and coastal communities.The best part about the workshop is the sincere efforts being put by the resource people, facilitators and speakers who’ve all made an immense efforts in making this workshop a more democratic space. Language never felt like a barrier in our interactions. It made space for everyone to put forward their thoughts without any hesitations and allowed everyone to participate. Personally, it also made me realise how little we know about the issues that are faced by the fisherfolk community from the different coastal states. There is an urgent need for collaboration across different stakeholders from different states in order to amplify and mobilise the voices of the fisherfolk community. This is something I wish to capitalise on and is currently brainstorming on with my fellow peers from the workshop”.
Mridul Ganguly
“The group was a diverse mix of people working on different social sciences fields and I think it helped all of us to look at and understand a subject from different angles”.
Sana Amir
Cohort IV – Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
“the informative talks of the resource persons helped me overcome the barriers in understanding the reality of many coastal communities. The intensity of their shared experience, filled with longtime struggle and pain, provided clear insights on the ground level. In the world of profit-making, I hope such initiatives with us youngsters make changes possible in the real lives of the working people.”
Shakila
“The sessions in the workshop helped to understand and look at the Coast and coastal life with more clarity. It has also made me aware of different policies and their politics.”
Joseph Rahul
“Coming from a space where I have minimal knowledge of issues of coastal regions, this workshop opened up a gateway and gave me a perspective on how to approach and better understand the issues and concerns of coastal people. Despite my concerns about the language barrier, there was tremendous support and push for translation. Everyone was treated equally, and there was an emphasis on everyone’s learning and how they want to take it forward. It is a privilege to be part of the Y4C workshop and connect with more like-minded people, listening to their own stories and experiences.”
Ayushi Malik
“I was amazed by just how good this workshop was. Not only was the information taught at the perfect pace and in an informal way so that all of the attendees could understand what was being discussed.”
Prashanth R
“The workshop made me think out of the box and asked me why? Every session was highly informative and pertinent. The highlight of the workshop for me was meeting different people from diverse backgrounds.”
Lithiya
“the context of the entire workshop was to my liking. The context was focused on the community of fishermen and the problems they are now dealing with. I was motivated in the session to hang around the problem and seek a solution. It altered how I viewed the progression. I had previously believed that whatever coastal development was occurring was beneficial to the community of fishermen. However, after attending the workshop, I believe that the development is not sustainable and is, therefore, a hindrance to the coastal community. I appreciate everyone in the team for enlightening me on this. Looking ahead, I’ll try my best to work on the problems and do my best to solve them.”
Aswini Kumar Paital
Cohort V – Mumbai, Maharashtra
“When I enrolled into the workshop, I knew very little about fishing and it was only through linear reading. By the end of the workshop, I felt embedded in the journeys and resilience of fishing communities. The workshop was immersive and brought in both the everydayness of the occupation and the implications of national and international policy frameworks. The overall management of the workshop was gender-inclusive and I felt humbled to have been part of a vibrant and knowledgeable group of participants.”
Poorvi Kulkarni
“The Y4C held in Maharashtra helped me learn several aspects about the western coast, not just from the expert resource persons but the participants as well. I was part of a diverse group, with many being members of the fishworker community. The opportunity to directly converse about real issues was made very accessible through this workshop, and our discussions outside the sessions were more informed and rigorous, after taking away whatever we learnt from a particular session. The workshop also introduced varied elements concerning the fish worker communities as well as the larger economy, which was enough for me to gain a broad idea of the present and future of fishing and fishworkers.”
Nidhi Panicker
“Youth for the coast in Maharashtra was a really insightful workshop. What I enjoyed the most about the workshop was the diversity of issues that we were introduced to, from a legal perspective to the women’s movement within the fishing community, the range of topics was wide and gave a picture of the coast. The interactions with participants added to my perspective and the introduction to movements both in the past and those presently going has created a way to continue being involved with the coast and ecology even beyond the workshop.”
Shivani Chunekar
“Youth for the Coast workshop provides an open and safe place for discussion on contemporary issues of the coastal community. Knowledgeable resource persons covered these issues on the ground level in a definitive manner. I, for one, went home with deeper insights into the struggle of the coastal community in Maharashtra.”
Prateem Prashant Rohanekar