When the first conversation happened about an AIF Fellow coming in with expressed interest in joining the Youth Intervention Team, I was sitting in the balcony. It was a trigger to reflect upon how this program could provide her with an opportunity to contribute, as well as learn something from our work. It was a challenge that we were willing to take and the profile of Allison Horton, a passionate young woman with credentials in conflict resolution, human rights, and youth development, was our buy-in.
At Pravah, we work with young people and take them on a ‘Self to Society’ Journey with the focus on active citizenship, as well as seeing them as facilitator of 5th Space. For us, a person bringing in experience of working with young people from diverse backgrounds on the issue of conflict resolution was seen as just the added edge to our work. Here was a young person who was the facilitator of journeys who could be a role model for other young people.
An evolving plan with our Fellow was created where she would lead a journey for some young people who were specific in their interest in Peace & Harmony, Conflict Resolution that will culminate in Music for Harmony in February 2013. Music for Harmony is an annual event that is led by youth facilitators and volunteers who have been at different stages of the ‘Self to Society’ journey during the year. We are looking forward to this journey together and its evolving plan.
Ms. Naghma Abidi has a Masters in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she also served as a Teaching Fellow. She is part of the Pravah team, an organization that works with youth in Delhi and Jaipur and also works as a lecturer at Delhi University’s Department of Social Work.
