Jan. 16: The Don Bosco Institute at Kharghuli today started a monthlong programme for youths of the Northeast to improve their leadership skills.

The institute has teamed up with the Tamil Nadu-based Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development to organise the event, which was inaugurated by Johnson Parackal, the institute’s executive director.

Retired American army officer and life and soft skills trainer Athiqul H. Laskar and youth officer and head of NSS Regional Centre at Guwahati Sunil Basumatary were also present at the inaugural function.

Youths from across the Northeast participated in the programme.

In his inaugural address, Parackal said young people constitute the country’s vital resources and are important pillars that build the future of a nation. The institute, being a powerhouse for young people, is privileged to conduct this programme for the youth of the region, he said.

Parackal encouraged the participants to follow their dreams. He hoped that leadership programmes like this one would help young people to overcome their shyness and be leaders of society. He implored the participants to grab opportunities to be leaders. “This programme is a great opportunity for you to showcase your skill and talent hidden inside you,” he said.

Laskar, in his speech, asked the participants to learn as much as possible while Basumatary said the training would make the students competent to compete with young people from anywhere. “This internship will help you to be leaders,” he said.

The Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, a premier national training institute for the youth under the ministry of youth affairs and sports, has been conducting youth programmes across the country.

The institute exclusively focuses on holistic development of youth through an array of training and innovative post-graduate programmes.

The internship endeavours to expose the youth to a range of branches of knowledge, skills and fields of experiences, enabling them to develop leadership qualities. This would result in strengthening their commitment to the task of nation building.

“The objective of the programme is to provide interns with genuine social experience. To expose them to the ground realities of society, to enable them to enhance their leadership potential, to connect them to the community processes and developmental issues, to provide them with critical insights to social issues like gender discrimination and unemployment and enable them to develop professionalism and emerge as a good leader,” said an organiser.

Cletus Pattamkulam, the deputy director of the institute, welcomed the gathering. Abhilash Vadakkekara, the associate director, gave a brief history and the work undertaken by the institute.