Editorial Viewpoint
A youthful affair
The 10 lakh rupees or so set aside for youth affairs by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) is a welcome move to involve the young in community matters. But for one reason or the other Parsi/Irani youth organizations in India do not appear to have a lasting presence. Either they lose their youthful characteristics as the initial founders age but continue to hold office or the leadership steps down from office once they cross the specified age limit and the new entrants lose interest in continuing or lack the organizational skills to keep the body going.
Many years ago one recalls attending the mass navjotes sponsored by the Youths’ Own Union at Allbless Baug. What struck one was that all the office bearers of the association were middle aged. Though the organization had started as a youth body and worked for the betterment of youth, it was like most socially conscious organizations managed by adults.
Around 1952 the Young Collegians’ Zoroastrian Association (YCZA) was formed, again with the objectives of bringing the youth together socially and intellectually. But while the YCZA’s education fund is still active, its other objectives languish. And like for so many other youth associations the reason is not lack of funds or a place to meet but the young not coming forward to participate and take responsibility.
Until the age of 21 most young people are pressured with their academic workload and school/college related activities. Commuting back and forth, attending tuition classes, school trips, etc, absorbs their energies. Once they start their professional careers, the hours are long especially in the initial stages. And when married they are saddled with familial duties.
Yet despite all these pressures, countless youth associations were and probably are being formed. Many of the Parsi colonies have youth wings; youngsters residing overseas have formed youth associations. The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia hosted international youth meets; Canada will host the 5th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2011. North American Zoroastrians held their 12th national youth meet this year.
With the guidance and encouragement of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) the Federation of Zoroastrian Youth Associations (FOZYA) was formed around 25 years ago. The body undertook various community projects including a subscription drive for Parsiana. Several all India youth meets were hosted with the members tapping various community philanthropists for funding. In December 2003 they even hosted the Second World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Poona.
The leadership changed periodically to ensure that only the young (those under 35 or so) remained at the helm of the organization. Yet FOZYA floundered. Accounts were reportedly not up-to-date, the balance monies that accrued from the Congress were not handed over to the new office bearers and unfortunately as the FPZAI itself was riddled with divisions and was moribund for three years, FOZYA also went into hibernation.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia lists 22 Jewish youth associations, 10 of which are affiliated to other organizations. Under Zionist youth groups, around 75 are listed globally. But when one searches Google for Parsi or Zoroastrian youth groups all that is reflected are websites referring to various youth meets or matters.
Allowing that our young are computer savvy, if organized youth groups existed their presence would be better reflected on the web. With mobile technology, e-mails, the internet, websites, communication is a lot easier than before. A question arises whether the young who are connected through websites such as Orkut, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks feel the need for formal associations. Or are these websites substitutes for community youth organizations that do not function effectively? It’s probably a bit of both.
If the community is to ready the next generation of leaders, organizations to identify, train and nurture them are required. Thus the BPP’s initiative is to be commended. But aside from allocating money, the trust must also lay down a framework, guidelines (the age limit, who qualifies for membership enrolment, etc) and a draft constitution which can then be modified by the new office bearers and the general body of the youth. There must also be a time bound plan of action, a budget, office space, telephone, staff and so on.
How much autonomy the BPP wants to give the youth association and how much control do the trustees intend to retain will have to be debated. Will the trustees insist on traditionalism and orthodoxy as a prerequisite for joining or will membership be open to all? Will dissent be permitted or will there be restriction on the subjects that can be discussed and debated? What will be the method of accountability? Will it be a separate body or a division of the BPP?
Without some formal structure the body may meet the same fate as the earlier ones. Of course even youth organizations meeting all the above criteria have failed. But very often they did not have a parent body they were answerable to. In the functioning of the Holiday Programme for Youth, possibly one of the BPP’s most successful undertakings, the trustees have demonstrated an ability to permit autonomy to the program coordinator while remaining within the overall framework of the BPP.
The question is can the BPP now replicate that model in a youth body and make it truly representative of the thinking of the community’s young? If they can do so they will have succeeded where so many other bodies, in India especially, have faltered.
Many years ago one recalls attending the mass navjotes sponsored by the Youths’ Own Union at Allbless Baug. What struck one was that all the office bearers of the association were middle aged. Though the organization had started as a youth body and worked for the betterment of youth, it was like most socially conscious organizations managed by adults.
Around 1952 the Young Collegians’ Zoroastrian Association (YCZA) was formed, again with the objectives of bringing the youth together socially and intellectually. But while the YCZA’s education fund is still active, its other objectives languish. And like for so many other youth associations the reason is not lack of funds or a place to meet but the young not coming forward to participate and take responsibility.
Until the age of 21 most young people are pressured with their academic workload and school/college related activities. Commuting back and forth, attending tuition classes, school trips, etc, absorbs their energies. Once they start their professional careers, the hours are long especially in the initial stages. And when married they are saddled with familial duties.
Yet despite all these pressures, countless youth associations were and probably are being formed. Many of the Parsi colonies have youth wings; youngsters residing overseas have formed youth associations. The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia hosted international youth meets; Canada will host the 5th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2011. North American Zoroastrians held their 12th national youth meet this year.
With the guidance and encouragement of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) the Federation of Zoroastrian Youth Associations (FOZYA) was formed around 25 years ago. The body undertook various community projects including a subscription drive for Parsiana. Several all India youth meets were hosted with the members tapping various community philanthropists for funding. In December 2003 they even hosted the Second World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Poona.
The leadership changed periodically to ensure that only the young (those under 35 or so) remained at the helm of the organization. Yet FOZYA floundered. Accounts were reportedly not up-to-date, the balance monies that accrued from the Congress were not handed over to the new office bearers and unfortunately as the FPZAI itself was riddled with divisions and was moribund for three years, FOZYA also went into hibernation.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia lists 22 Jewish youth associations, 10 of which are affiliated to other organizations. Under Zionist youth groups, around 75 are listed globally. But when one searches Google for Parsi or Zoroastrian youth groups all that is reflected are websites referring to various youth meets or matters.
Allowing that our young are computer savvy, if organized youth groups existed their presence would be better reflected on the web. With mobile technology, e-mails, the internet, websites, communication is a lot easier than before. A question arises whether the young who are connected through websites such as Orkut, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks feel the need for formal associations. Or are these websites substitutes for community youth organizations that do not function effectively? It’s probably a bit of both.
If the community is to ready the next generation of leaders, organizations to identify, train and nurture them are required. Thus the BPP’s initiative is to be commended. But aside from allocating money, the trust must also lay down a framework, guidelines (the age limit, who qualifies for membership enrolment, etc) and a draft constitution which can then be modified by the new office bearers and the general body of the youth. There must also be a time bound plan of action, a budget, office space, telephone, staff and so on.
How much autonomy the BPP wants to give the youth association and how much control do the trustees intend to retain will have to be debated. Will the trustees insist on traditionalism and orthodoxy as a prerequisite for joining or will membership be open to all? Will dissent be permitted or will there be restriction on the subjects that can be discussed and debated? What will be the method of accountability? Will it be a separate body or a division of the BPP?
Without some formal structure the body may meet the same fate as the earlier ones. Of course even youth organizations meeting all the above criteria have failed. But very often they did not have a parent body they were answerable to. In the functioning of the Holiday Programme for Youth, possibly one of the BPP’s most successful undertakings, the trustees have demonstrated an ability to permit autonomy to the program coordinator while remaining within the overall framework of the BPP.
The question is can the BPP now replicate that model in a youth body and make it truly representative of the thinking of the community’s young? If they can do so they will have succeeded where so many other bodies, in India especially, have faltered.
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From the archive