Connecting Youths for Peace & Harmony
Our International Youth Camp for Peace, in partnership with and hosted by Gandhi Ashram, Noakhali, Bangladesh, celebrates the 155th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Gandhi Ashram. From 30 September to Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October.
The camp is the final program of our Sadbhavana Cycle Yatra 2023 (Goodwill Cycle Rally) which saw over 50 cyclists ride over 1,000km from Kolkata to Noakali, via the Sonamasjid border of Chapai Nababgonj, over 15 days. Our 2023 cycle rally follows our previous rally in 2021 which saw nearly 100 cyclists journey 4200km from Ahmednagar Fort to Noakhali.
This year, the cyclists were able to visit Bangabandhu’s Samadhi at Tungipara and many other communities and organisations to spread messages of peace, nonviolence and communal harmony and participate in different cultural events, discussions, media briefings and more.
The camp brings together groups from Bangladesh and other countries including Bhutan, Germany, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Switzerland, UK and USA. Speakers include representatives of the governments of Bangladesh and India, Snehalaya, Paani Foundation, Noakhali Science & Technology University (NSTU), Sister Nivedita University (SNU), LWM, JWBF, SVC, NRDS, PRAAN and sponsors.
The Peace Camp aims to considerably impact participants by enhancing their expertise through knowledge of conflict mechanisms and a better understanding of the role of narratives in conflict, including a stronger awareness of the narratives of their own communities. The hope is to build on the self-esteem, self-confidence, self-awareness, and critical thinking of the youths attending. These transformative changes will not be limited to their personal sphere but also to their professional development. It will certainly make a difference in their communication skills or relations with the people surrounding them.
At the end of each day, cultural programs presented by teams from Bangladesh and India will showcase the heritage and the struggles of our freedom movements, the contributions of Bangabandhu and Gandhiji and different development issues. A Sufi cultural team from Maharashtra will provide musical entertainment.
The Peace Camp aims to inspire and motivate participants to act following the Gandhian philosophy, ‘Nonviolence and peaceful Co-existence’ in their respective communities and our contemporary world.
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