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Introduction: The MCF and SBMA/Plan brought together more than 20 organizations and 135 children from rural villages around Uttarakhand gathered in Dehradun's Aketa Hotel to discuss the needs of children and work out and share with the government what they would like to see in documents pertaining to a children's policy for the state, and to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the founding of the Mountain Children's Forum. This workshop provided the young people of the state an unequalled opportunity to meet and place their concerns before senior government officials, including, H. E. Sudarshan Agarwal, the Governor of Uttarakhand, Ms. Radha Raturi, Uttarakhand Secretary of Finance, Social Welfare, and Woman & Child Welfare, and Ms. Kanchan Choudhary Bhattacharya, Uttarakhand Director General of Police. Many
of these young people have already formed MCF chapters in their
communities. They have been working together towards a more equitable
society in their villages for the past three years or more.
The following report of the conference was written by Tushar Gupta, a 16-year-old who studies in Delhi and attended the workshop as a volunteer: The
Mountain Children’s Foundation (MCF) organized a children’s
conference for drawing up Uttarakhand’s Child Policy from
the 18th to the 21st of May, 2006 at Aketa Hotel, Dehradun. Over
a hundred and twenty children of various ages from diverse regions
all over the state gathered at the venue and lived together for
an extensive period of over 72 hours. The conference aimed to provide
a platform for interaction and discussion among the children so
that they could get in touch with each other’s problems and
ideas and put their heads together to work out viable solutions
and action plans. This was the first time that I was to attend a conference of such magnitude and importance, and, as it turned out, it was quite an eye-opener. The meeting was kick started with a traditional lamp lighting ceremony. The enthusiasm and eagerness of the children at being part of this landmark conference under the esteemed banner of MCF was there for all to see. They brought the proceedings under way with thunderous applause. To say that I was floored by their confidence and team-spirit would be an understatement. The kids were kept pepped up over the long period by puppet shows, games, story telling sessions and the like. It must be mentioned that these recreational activities had at their hearts a learning or motivational experience. No opportunity was missed to transform the children, most of them from the rural and backward areas in the largely neglected regions of the country, with restricted access to education, into well-informed, responsible and mature citizens.
Each
child was supremely aware of the problems pervading his region and
was eager There was an in-depth analysis of the accomplishments of the various Bal-Panchayats as well as of the milestones yet to be covered. The steps that can be taken to address the problems were discussed by all. The co-operation among such young children who had never met before was overwhelming. This, I should say, was the underlying motive of the conference- to bring children from the nook and crannies of the mountainous state under one roof, to help them become acquainted with others like them who are engaged in similar social work.
Needless to say, the monumental work done by the children at such a tender age received tremendous appreciation from everybody, including the aforementioned guests, holding posts of great power. It only inspired each one of us to tread our chosen path, undeterred, and impress one and all with the difference that children can make.
Participating
Organizations:
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In
a world where most people seem only too happy to shirk responsibility
and work towards selfish motives, it was heartening indeed to see
so many young children willing to go that extra mile to make a difference
to society at large. It is worthwhile to know that society, to them,
includes both mankind and environment. They are as infuriated at
the cutting of trees as they are at female feticide.
to come forward with his views. An opportunity to speak brought
with it sheer excitement. There was a healthy and constructive discussion
over a wide range of issues, garnished with some passionate debates.
The confidence of the children reflected in the comfort with which
they conducted the meeting, referring to each other as brother or
sister. 
The
last day of the conference witnessed three esteemed guests, namely
Ms. Radha Raturi, Uttarakhand Secretary for Woman and Child Development,
Social Welfare, and Finance; Ms. Kanchan Choudhary Bhattacharya,
Director General of Police, Uttarakhand; and Mr. Sudarshan Agarwal,
the Honourable Governor of Uttarakhand. A memorandum containing
a draft of Child Rights had been prepared and was presented to each
of the guests, who in turn promised to do their utmost in their
official and unofficial capacities to help the children living in
the mountains. They also inspected the charts which had the Bal
Panchayats’ achievements and objectives compiled on them.
Phone: 91-135-6532937 Email: mcfglobal @ mymountains . org
Postal Address: 63-A Vyom Prasth, G.M.S Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India