Our activities, though numerous, can be broadly be classified into 3
major themes:
Promoting Legal and Political Awareness and Discourses
Promoting Knowledge Synthesis: In today’s increasingly sophisticated world where
the rate of sophistication is proliferating, being attuned to these changes is vital. This means
policymakers should be aware of these looming changes and should proactively come up with policy
solutions.
For this very reason, YFD envisions a platform to promote evidence-based policymaking, research and
advocacy culture among the youths. With this we have focused our work on conducting research,
generating evidence for policy-making, advocacy and eventually publishing journals, reports, policy
briefs, and infographics. Besides conducting research, the think-tank initiative is envisioned for
establishing YFD as a watchdog to provide analysis and recommendations to politicians, policymakers,
researchers, and civil society organizations.
Promoting Knowledge dissemination and discourse: The creation of knowledge is
just the initial step towards keeping up with the time as the citizenry needs to be aware of these
impending changes and the challenges that accompany them.
Thus, facilitating the diffusion of knowledge is the next obvious and vital responsibility we strive
to shoulder. We promote Knowledge of Legal issues and political situations primarily through our
Discussion series where experts/politicians pertaining to various legal and political matters are
invited to share their views as guests. Similarly, we have Blogs where our members regularly publish
their views on legal, social and political issues. Podcast Likewise, our pre-prepared, pre-scripted
podcasts strive to diffuse information on critical issues in easily digestible form.
Likewise, in parliamentary simulations, a core part of our events, we strive to follow all aspects
of parliamentary producers including discussions, policy reviews and so on. Discussion of a wide
range of policy issues ranging from creating special economic zones, infectious disease control
protocols, education sector reform to marijuana legalisation is held.
Thus, we conduct these programs, along with others like debates, reading club thesis presentations,
etc. through collaborations with various educational institutions. Such programs along with others
enable us to implant and promote discourses, especially among youths who will form the backbone of
civil society in the long term.
Youth Empowerment
YFD, being a youth-run and youth-led organisation, places tremendous
focus on youth empowerment.
Leadership opportunities: We want youths, immersed in policy discussions in our
platform, to be capable of taking leading roles, in high offices and civil societies, where they can
have a significant impact on policies.
Therefore, we provide youths with the opportunities to lead by enabling them to climb up the
organisational ladder based on merit. Even without necessarily taking a leading position they can
still lead from, as they’ll have the option of choosing to lead, manage, supervise various of our
programs including but not limited to discussion series, Parliamentary discussion Simulation (MPA).
They can freely take initiative to start/organize new programs under their leadership as well.
Personal Growth: Not only do we want our members, equipped with novel ideas, to be
capable of leading but capable of reaching those positions of leadership in the first place. Hence,
personal growth and proliferation of soft skills of our members, which would aid them in their
endeavours to reach higher in future, is a matter of utmost importance.
Since there are multiple roles within the organisation without necessarily being in charge of
looking after communications, creating proposals, securing fundings, connecting with special guests
etc, this provides our participants to work on a wide range of soft skills.
More prominently, through activities like Debates, Parliamentary simulations, Discussion series,
Reading club, Blog writing, Podcasts etc., we provide ample opportunities for youths to improve
their critical thinking, expand their knowledge, gain exposure to important contemporary discourses,
demonstrate their knowledge and insights etc.
Progressive Community building
In addition to propagating political and legal discourses, we seek to create communities of
individuals committed to bringing about changes based on those views. Bringing about positive change
is a collective endeavour, requiring proper organisation, coordination between leaders of various
causes, sustained political movements and other cooperative efforts. So we believe building a
progressive community is the other vital foundation for a society to lurch forward. This is done
through civic engagement directly through our organisation or in collaboration with other
organisations.
YFD’s own civic engagement: We put a great deal of effort into recruiting our
members as well.
Members are selected after a rigorous selection process to evaluate their conscientiousness,
character, willingness to contribute to our causes and so on. Thus our platform itself serves as a
community for such youths. Those youths, through various aforementioned events, and events they
initiate themselves further strive to increase this community
Civic engagement and community building through collaborations: To make our
engagement far-reaching,
we collaborate with various educational institutions, local communities and even other organisations
through collaborative joint events. We organise various inter-college and intra-college
competitions, open competitions, training etc in collaboration with these organisations. Through
these regular activities, we hope to foster communities of like-minded people within these
independent organisations as well, who share our vision.
Through these works, we seek to contribute to strengthening belief in
constitution and progressive
policies in Nepal in the long term.