Our biggest takeaways from YIN launch
Young Inspirators Network (YIN), an initiative of Sakal Media Group’s Delivering Change Foundation (DCF), kicked off on August 19 in Mumbai amid much fanfare and celebration. The two-day event saw a huge number of college students from all across Maharashtra participate in the training-cum-talk sessions that were conducted by globally-acclaimed trainer Dr Amir Kfir from Israel.
Actor Aamir Khan, the chief inspirator of YIN, shared his expertise and life experiences with the students, while Founder and Chairman of Delivering Change Foundation Abhijit Pawar advised the youngsters on how they could become the changemakers of society.
Some of our Youngistan team members also attended the event. Here they share their biggest takeaways from the YIN launch:
Aahna Kulkarni (First Year, Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce)
A catalyst for change
The thought of getting up before 6 am didn’t gel well with me. That was precisely our departure time from Pune for the YIN launch in Mumbai last Tuesday. I wondered whether it was necessary to take all the effort. But once I found myself amid the hundreds of college ambassadors in Hyatt, I knew I was in the right place, doing the right thing.
A forum atmosphere can get formal and intimidating, but since it was meant for youngsters, RJ Sangram made sure that we were all at ease. MD, Sakal Media Group, Abhijit Pawar inspired us with his humble, youthful and charismatic personality. He spoke of YIN in depth and told us how we could contribute to the network. He said that he could make all the powerful world leaders and celebs accessible to us, provided we had a concrete idea for change.
Then came the man who made waking up at 5 am totally worth it! Dr Amir Kfir — our trainer at the launch — taught us how to form forums and make them work in our respective colleges. His command over the language, excellent inter-personal skills, complete freeness while communicating with us — everything inspired us. His sense of humour was also remarkable.
The showstopper of the event was Aamir Khan! Frankly, my first thought was, “He looks the same on screen too! Equally handsome!”. Then came his inspirational talk. We loved it as he narrated his success story which had its share of ups and downs. I was amazed to see how down to earth the much celebrated man was. He lent a patient ear to our questions and answered them all with great enthusiasm.
YIN has given us a platform to pool in our ideas and make them big. I am eagerly looking forward to putting my plans on paper and then putting them into action, using YIN as a catalyst for change.
Preeti Kulkarni (First Year, Bachelor of Business Management IB, Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce)
A great learning experience
I had the opportunity to be the college ambassador of BMCC for the YIN inaugural training programme. Considering that I was chosen from over 1,000 applications, I was pretty thrilled. That said, initially I felt a little lost about how the students could contribute. However, Abhijit sir’s speech put us all at ease. He was crisp and clear about what we were supposed to do and was very warm in his approach.
Our training session with Dr Kfir was a different experience altogether! He trained us in various aspects and maintained an air of excitement throughout the sessions. His exercises of building intimacy with others and ice-breakers were very practical and applicable in everyday life.
Aamir Khan’s interaction was like the icing on the cake. He spoke for almost an hour and a half, and the students were thrilled.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first YIN session. It was a great learning experience and I also met many people which has helped me expand my network.
Aman Singh (Third Year, Computer Engineering, MES College of Engineering)
An informative session
When I registered for YIN, I wasn’t sure of what I was getting into. I thought that the first YIN meeting would be a day of lectures and talks. But I was pleasantly surprised. The forum — which saw students from various colleges interacting and brainstorming with each other to find solutions for problems that concern the youth and society — was enlightening and exciting.
Dr Amir Kfir, who trained us on how to set up forums, was simply extraordinary. His session was not only informative but also a lesson in public speaking. His knack of making everybody participate and of explaining stuff through practical examples was so awe-inspiring for debating enthusiasts like me. He also taught us social skills like how to make interesting conversations with people as soon as you meet them.
Vikram Sathaye’s wit and Aamir Khan’s sincerity left me feeling excited and motivated as the event came to a close on the first day (Aug 19).
I feel fortunate to be a part of YIN, which is a great initiative and a simple, self-sufficient idea that can be put to use.