In India, where more than 50% of the population is below the age of 25, there is an urgent need to inculcate a strong sense of the importance of conservation. Only this will ensure better decision makers in the future, who will understand the critical importance of protecting India’s forests and wildlife.
In 2011 and 2012, Youth For Conservation (YFC) conducted a series of outreach programs in Tamil Nadu with the support of Wildlife Conservation Society - India Program and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai. These outreach programs ‘The Truth About Tigers Outreach Marathon’ and ‘Save Our Sholas Outreach Marathon’ reached around 50,000 students in eighteen districts across Tamil Nadu.
In 2011 and 2012, Youth For Conservation (YFC) conducted a series of outreach programs in Tamil Nadu with the support of Wildlife Conservation Society - India Program and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai. These outreach programs ‘The Truth About Tigers Outreach Marathon’ and ‘Save Our Sholas Outreach Marathon’ reached around 50,000 students in eighteen districts across Tamil Nadu.
This enthusiastically received program reinforced the need for conducting outreach programs in smaller towns and villages, as we observed that these students had little or no exposure to nature and wildlife conservation, despite living closer to nature reserves. Additionally, we felt the need to deepen students’ understanding of critical environmental issues to inspire them to become ecologically conscious citizens.
This led to ‘The Planet and You’ program, which was conceived by Shekar Dattatri, an award-winning wildlife and conservation filmmaker, and designed and developed by K. Ramnath Chandrasekhar, a nature photographer and conservation educator. The program was structured to span a six month period in three districts In Tamil Nadu.
This led to ‘The Planet and You’ program, which was conceived by Shekar Dattatri, an award-winning wildlife and conservation filmmaker, and designed and developed by K. Ramnath Chandrasekhar, a nature photographer and conservation educator. The program was structured to span a six month period in three districts In Tamil Nadu.
The sessions were carefully structured to take students on a journey of discovery. The first three sessions were designed to increase their knowledge about forests and wildlife, and the intricate connections between humans and nature; we also dealt with global ecological issues and India’s major conservation threats. Subsequent sessions highlighted the importance of tiger conservation, and helped students establish a personal connect with nature by getting them to explore their surrounding environment. The final session was structured towards enabling action, and emphasised the critical importance of people’s participation. Students were encouraged to incorporate conservation practices into their daily life for a start.
The pilot program will be initiated in September 2013 and we are excited to reach out to the students enrolled in the program.
The pilot program will be initiated in September 2013 and we are excited to reach out to the students enrolled in the program.
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