The rich demographic dividend of India needs to be harnessed and channelized so that they could contribute actively to the GDP of the country, thereby becoming a boon to the country. Realizing this need of the hour, The Global Times-Amity students’newspaper organised 8^th Youth Power Programme 2014-15” which aimed at engaging and grooming the youth of the country to become leaders, change initiators and active contributors to the society.

“Youth Power 2014-15” is a social leadership Programme by The Global Times, wherein students from 9 Amity Schools spread across Delhi/NCR organised a wave of activities to spread awareness on different issues related to health throughout the year including Combating anaemia, Hand sanitation, Health for rag pickers, Dental and oral hygiene,Maternal health, First aid, Eye care and Health of the elderly.

The valediction was graced by Chief Guest, Dr Sushma Dureja, Deputy Commissioner Adolescent Health, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Dr. (Mrs.) Amita Chauhan- Chairperson, Amity International Schools; Mrs. Pooja Chauhan, Vice Chairperson, Amity Humanity Foundation and Mrs. Divya Chauhan, Chairperson Amity School of Fashion Technology and Amity School of Fine Arts.

Duringthe occasion, Ms. Veera Sharma- Managing Editor, The Global Times presented a brief overview of the programme and explained the various stages of Youth Power Programme. She said“It is the 8^th edition of Youth Power Initiative which has been developed under the dynamic leadership of Dr.(Mrs.) Amita Chauhan and Founder President, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan.” She added that Amity believes that it is moral responsibility of every educational institution to nurture the sense of social responsibility in the students for the sustainable development of nation. She highlighted that through Youth Power, Amity aim to develop social awareness amongst students by making them socially responsible citizens.

Congratulating Amity International Schools for successfully conducting Youth Power Programme, Dr Sushma Dureja, Deputy Commissioner said that the programme is worth emulating by other educational institutes which aim to nurture socially engaged global citizens. She added that themes on social issues empower the students and sensitize many people in the society. Dr.Dureja opined that young people are the agents who will bring about a potential change in the society and they will also lead the path of many others as they grow up. She apprised that there are 253 million adolescents (age 10-19 years) and 353 million youth in India, which is highest number in the world.She further added that considering the numbers, it is the critical responsibility of the society to ensure their well being. Dr. Dureja emphasized that adolescents are in the transient phase wherein they cannot be called children and even an adult, making them vulnerable. She outlined that we have to help the youth and adolescents to achieve their social, economical and cultural potential through dynamic programs and interventions. She called upon the educational institutes to develop the leadership skills of every student and make them aware about societal causes in right manner. During the occasion,Dr. Sushma Dureja presented a brief on the programmes rolled out by Government of India for the health of Indian youth and adolescents.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. (Mrs.) Amita Chauhan praised the work of Amity students and said that every participant has done a remarkable work by contributing immensely towards the societal benefit. She added that she feels like a proud mother and a positive change has to be brought in the society, it is important to change the DNA of people by sensitizing the youth from an early age towards social issues.

The esteemed jury members for the finale included Dr. Mradul Kaushik, Director Operations and Planning, BLK Super Specialty Hospital; Mr Taposh Roy,Director of NGO HRIDAY and Ms Smita Priyadarshini, Counsel Director,Legal for Dell Services.

Appreciating the sincere efforts of Amitians towards societal welfare,Mr. Taposh Roy said that youth are the largest stakeholders for the development of nation. He added that it is very important for them to learn and become compassionate towards raising the voice of change. He remarked that it is heartening to see the amount of exposure the school is providing to the students and connecting them with the issues afflicting the society. Mr. Roy opined that the students are the powerhouse andfuture leaders who will bring remarkable change in the coming time.

The team of Amity International School Pushp Vihar was declared as the winners for their project“Dental Health”.

During the presentation of AIS Pushp Vihar in the finale, Team Leader Ms. Simran Arora said that it is a sad fact that 4.8 billion people have mobile phones while only 4.3 billion people have toothbrush. She added that the aim of the project was to raise public awareness about good oral health for healthy living. She apprised that during the project, the students had filed a petition to include dental care expense under medical insurance. She showed that to spread the awareness they conducted various activities including dental camp, distribution of prescribed medicines to school helpers, providing medical aid to a woman suffering from oral cancer and sharing information on prevailing oral hygiene practices through social media platforms. She outlined that they managed to reach over one Billion people through various initiatives in 6 months including schools in Germany,Spain and London.

Team of Amity International School Noida lifted the trophy of First Runner Up for their project “Combat Anemia” and Teams from AIS Gurgaon 43 and AIS Mayur Vihar were adjudged as Second Runner.

During the programme, Amity International School Lucknow debuted with their project on “Ayurvedic and Herbal Plants”.