An event to attend. Bring your i-card along!
Is Climate Change an Exaggerated Concern?
Location: Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi
March 24, 2011 From 11.30 am to 1 pm
Prakriti- The Environment Society, is pleased to invite you to join us for a panel discussion on ‘Climate Change is an Exaggerated Concern’ organised by Green Karbon, a Deutsche Bank- Sanctuary Asia Climate Change- Biodiversity initiative.

The Speakers
· Muhammad A. Khan, Advisor of Law and Policy to Ministry of Environment and Forests
· Professor Vinod Chandra Menon, Former Member National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India
· Samir Menon, Head of Eco-Sustainable Services, Tata Consultancy Services.
Speakers from LSR
· Dr. Kalyani, Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Lady Shri Ram College
· Preeti Venkatram, President, Prakriti- The Environment Society of Lady Shri Ram College
Please register at the link given below:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHRXcXRraVNDMWtrWGsxS0tJMWwyLXc6MQ

An environment week at Lady Shri Ram College - Participate!

Go green! It is the colour of our times. If you are a college student in Delhi, there are a number of events you can participate in at Lady Shri Ram College's Environment Week, popularly called the Prakriti Week. There is an Environment Quiz, an Ad-Mad competition, a Folder-making competition, an exciting panel discussion, an LSR Model Conference of the Parties (LSR MCOP), and a photo story competition.
It is your chance to display your talents and knowledge and win certificates and exciting cash prizes! So go ahead and enrol. Details of how to participate are given below -

The Environment Society of Lady Shri Ram College
Presents
‘Prakriti Week’
21st-26th March 2011
Rules and Registration Details (Also viewable on http://prakriti-lsr.blogspot.com/)

21st March: Tree Plantation (intra-college)

22nd March:

Environmental Quiz- 12:30 pm (inter-college)

1. Each participating team must consist of 2 members.

2. Cross college teams are allowed.

3. The first round will be a written round with Multiple Choice Questions. The top eight teams will qualify to the next round and will be contesting in the quiz.

4. The quiz essentially will be questioning you on environmental issues, environmentalists, global networks supporting the cause of the environment, etc.

5. Prizes worth Rs.3,000 to be won.
Each team is required to register on or before 15th March 2011 by sending a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with the Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number of both participants.

22nd March:

Eco Friendly Folder Making Competition- 12:30 pm (inter-college)
1. Participation maybe either in the form of a team of 2 or an individual.
2. A set of two folders has to be made on any one of the themes given below. Each folder should have a different design or pattern.
Cartoon
Traditional
Natural
3. Each folder should be of A4 size.

4. Only handmade paper can be used.

5. Drawing/ painting/ decoration has to be done on the spot.

6. You will be required to bring any material you require- handmade paper folders, scissors, paints, etc.
7. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.
8. Prizes worth Rs. 1,800 to be won.
Each team is required to register on or before 15th March 2011 by sending a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with the Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number of the participant(s).

23rd March:
Green Ad Mad Competition- 3 pm (inter-college)
1. A team of 2 or maximum 3 members can participate.

2. The competition will consist of 2 rounds.
3. Preparation time before each round will be given.

4. Different forms of expression can be used- skit, jingles, slogans, or any other innovative form. 5. Time duration to present each act is 3 minutes.

6. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.
7. Prizes worth Rs. 3,000 to be won.
Each team is required to register on or before 15thMarch 2011 by sending a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with the Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number of the participant(s).

24th March:
Panel Discussion- 11:30 am (inter-college)
‘Climate Change is an Exaggerated Concern’
Please confirm your presence by sending an e-mail on or before 15th March 2011 to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com with your Name, College, Course, Year, E-mail Address and Phone Number.

25th March: Film Screening (intra-college)

26th March:
The First Lady Shri Ram Model Conference of the Parties (LSR MCOP)- 9 am (inter-college)
• Applications are open for the following positions:

1. Government Delegates for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) Agenda: ‘Sustainable Development through Adaptation to and Mitigation of Climate Change’

2. Media Delegates (choose one of the three positions): a) Chief Editor (1) b) Reporter (3)

c) Photographer (1)

3. NGO Delegates (4)

For whichever delegate position you are applying, please write 250 words on why you want to be a part of LSR MCOP, and what makes you a suitable candidate for the position you are applying for (if you are applying to be a Media Delegate please include relevant samples of your work). Additionally, please mention previous debating and/or MUN experience.

Please note we will welcome those with no prior experience as well.

Send in the above (on or before 10th March 2011) to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com along with the following details: Name, College, Course, Year, Email Address, Phone Number, and Top Three Country Preferences* (in case you are applying to be a Government Delegate)

*Countries: China, Maldives, Australia, Russia, United Kingdom, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, United States of America, Brazil, South Africa, Haiti, India, Afghanistan, Japan, Chile, United Arab Emirates, Congo, France, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, Iran, and Norway.

• Applications are also open for the Executive Board of the (AWG-LCA). It is mandatory for applicants to have had prior Executive Board experience. Knowledge about UNFCCC and Conference of the Parties is also a must.

Positions are: a) Chair b) Vice- Chair.

For whichever Executive Board position you are applying, please write 250 words on why you want to be a part of LSR MCOP, and what makes you a suitable candidate for the position you are applying for. Please also mention previous debating and/or MUN experience.

Send in the above (on or before 10th March 2011) to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com along with the following details: Name, College, Course, Year, Email Address, Phone Number
Please note that there is no registration fee for LSR MCOP.

Photo Story Competition: Theme- Environment and Growth: Contradictory or Complementary? (inter-college) 1. Only one photo story submission per participant is allowed.

2. Each photo story must have 3 photos in it.

3. Photographs must not be digitally altered in any way (only cropping is allowed).

4. Size of each photograph should be 6" x 8".

5. Each photograph in the story should have a caption and the name, college, course, and contact details of the participant clearly mentioned behind each.

6. Please send all your entries together, enclosed in an envelope to Faculty Apartments # 21, Lady Shri Ram College, Lajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi- 110024, India

7. Entries must reach LSR by 18th March, 12 pm.
8. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.

9. Prizes worth Rs.3,000 to be won.
All entries will be on display through the week.

For any queries please send a mail to lsr.prakriti@gmail.com or contact the numbers below.
Preeti Venkatram (President): 9818086231
Simren Singh (Secretary): 9717802408

An initiative for rural development - Check it out

Been away for some months. Now am back. And propose to post actively. Please re-connect, write in, comment or send us links. Yes, all of you who are interested in seeing India a better place.

SBI Youth for India, an initiative to promote rural-development in India by encouraging educated youth to volunteer on development projects in rural India, has requested us to spread the word about the initiative it has launched. We quote --

" The Programme is in the nature of a one-year Fellowship which has been initiated, managed and funded by the State Bank of India, in partnership with reputed NGOs. You could visit http://www.youthforindia.org/ for more on the Fellowship. Our immediate objective is to solicit applications from highly motivated educated youth. We've just started our social media campaign to spread the word as far as possible. We would like to seek help from a group/page like yours which has achieved an excellent number of supporters. A mention on your group/page will help us immensely."
So guys, check it out. You might just find it to be what you are looking out for.

Join the discussion on how India can reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and empower women

Mera India Bridge the Gap is proud to have two of the literary finalists, Pani and Nupur, lead a discussion within the UN Millennium Campaigns iMDG online community of youth activists at www.asiapacific.endpoverty2015.org/imdg.
Currently the discussion is just beginning but already ideas on the target problem areas as they relate to Gender Empowerment, Reducing Child Mortality, and Improving Maternal Health are being shared in addition to possible practical projects to address those areas.
Please join the community and the discussion, and share your thoughts on how India can strengthen the effort in reaching the MDG targets by 2015. Look under 'India' to find the discussion but also check out what else is happening and start your own discussions on MDG topics that interest you.

The youth of Lajpat Nagar show the way

The Youth Welfare Association of Lajpat Nagar has sent us the following message -

"Life is not only about

Wearing latest fashionable clothes,

Listening to hip hop music,

Flaunting costly Ipod's,

Checking orkut scraps,

Fooling around in multiplexes

or bunking classes.....

A true life is lead when you revolt and resolve to change things you don't like.......... It can be anything bad roads, maintenance of parks, cleanliness, corruption, terrorism.........
Lets come together and join the biggest youth movement to build our area of our DREAMS.........
We request people of all age groups who can endorse our cause to join our association the
YOUTH WELFARE ASSOCIATION, which is a student based non political organisation. Its aim is to serve mankind and bring the youth together. "

YWA over the past two years has taken the lead in organising many initiatives in Lajpat Nagar -a tree plantation drive, a cleanliness drive, free health check up camps, a cultural event on Independence day, the Diwali festival, a house tax collection camp, a cloth donation camp and a Woollen cap distribution among the needy during winter.

Over the next two weeks, YWA is seeking to expand its membership to South Delhi by enrolling those who can give one hour per week for social causes. It has a powerful slogan - THIS YEAR MY COUNTRY IS MY VALENTINE.

The YWA started with four friends deciding to form a non political group and now YWA has over 150 members. Those interested in joining YWA can contact the organisers at 9810377022, 9310064446...

RAGHAV PAL- President
ABHISHEK BHATIA- Treasurer
VARUN KAPOOR- Chief Coordinator
ROHAN PAHWA- Coordinator
and ALL YWA MEMBERS

Mera India, Bridge the Gap wishes the initiative all success. But has one question for them- Why are there no girls in the association?

Glimpses from our Workshop --Transforming Ideas into Action

The workshhop - Transforming Ideas into Action: The Building of a Healthy and a Prosperous India - was held at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi on December 12, 2009, as the second phase of the nation-wide campaign Mera India, Bridge the Gap.


The first part of the campaign had focussed on getting young Indians to come up with ideas on how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to get them to rate which constituents could play more of a role making the goals possible in the Indian context. ‘The Youth’ by far was voted as the most important constituent in achieving the MDGs. Consequently the youth-centric workshop sought to involve the youth in the nation-building process through demonstration of practical solutions.
Students active in National Social Service NSS, Social Service Leagues and socially active youth from St. Stephen’s College, Kamla Nehru College, Jesus and Mary College, Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, Kirori Mal College, Dayal Singh College, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Jamia Millia Islamia attended the workshop. Journalism students from the Times Centre for Media Studies and the Indian Institute of Mass Communications also participated.

In the opening address, Pamela Philipose, Director, Women's Feature Service, gave an overview of India’s performance on MDGs and emphasized the existing gaps. This was followed by an introduction on the campaign and workshop by Shree Venkatram, Director, Unnati Features. The contest and the campaign was hosted by the two media organisations.

In the first session, Engaging with your local elected representative, Dr M R Madhavan and Tonusree Basu from PRS Legislative Research, discussed how citizens can engage in the formulation of laws and the specific stages when they can play a role. The duties of a Councillor, an MLA and an MP were also discussed.

Following this, two young men, Raghav Pal and Varun Kapoor shared how they had formed a Youth Welfare Association in Lajpat Nagar and their experience of engaging local youth and elected representatives in improving the living conditions in the area.

In the second session, Manish Sisodia from KABIR presented some encouraging case studies citing the Right to Information Act as a powerful tool in the hands of citizens for keeping the government machinery in check. He gave instances of how common people had used the tool to get ration cards, have an areas cleaned up of garbage, and for disbursing school uniforms in a rural area. Participants were keen to know how and where RTI applications can be filed and there was discussion on how the system could be further improved.
Pooja Parvathi from the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability gave a presentation on how citizens can track public expenditure with examples from the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Mid-day Meal Scheme.

In the concluding session, giving their feedback, the participants said the workshop would propel them into action.

Join us at a very special workshop

Mera India, Bridge the Gap
invites you to a workshop in Delhi
Transforming ideas into action

The building of a prosperous and a healthy India

On December 12, 2009 (Saturday) 9.30 am onwards to conclude with lunch.

The workshop will inform how youth can work towards an India that is free of poverty and hunger, is healthy and informed and where women and men enjoy an equal status.

There is no entry or participation fee and certificates will be awarded to the participants.

However, to participate you have to be between 18 to 35 years.

The workshop follows the Mera India Bridge the Gap contest where participants had advocated that the youth should play a more active role in nation building and in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

If you are interested, contact us at indiabridgethegap@gmail.com asap telling us about yourself -what you do, how old you are and how the workshop would benefit to you (all this in less than 300 words). As there are a limited number of seats, reservation for the workshop will be on a first come basis.

We look forward to working together.

Bridge the Gap Team