Connecting youth leaders

"Twenty-five young Zoroastrians with a track record of leadership and who care about the future of our community will be invited to attend the first ever World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders (WZYL) forum at the Asha Centre in London from March 16 to 25, 2018,” notes an email from Sanaya Master of New Zealand who is developing the project conceived by the founder director of Asha Centre, Zerbanoo Gifford.
The purpose of the forum is to give next generation leaders from across the globe, aged between 25 to 45 years and blessed with "vision and drive to make a difference… a platform to create working partnerships with others of their caliber… The WZYL forum will be different from a Zoroastrian congress as we will be gathering a group of inspired change makers and equipping them with tools to spark transformational conversations that ultimately lead to action. The Asha Centre will be providing a space for these young Zoroastrians to collaborate and to set the foundation for global projects that will grow over time,” enunciates Master.
Attendance at the conference has been confirmed by seven of the youth leaders: Arzan Wadia and Jim Engineer from USA, Kayras Irani from Canada, Ferzeen Irani from New Zealand, Karl Desai from Australia, Shazneen Munshi and Jimmy Madon from UK.

Asha Centre: venue for the proposed World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders forum

Aware of the "unnecessary divisions” within the Zoroastrian community "where discussions are often overheated, unproductive and lead to further fragmentation” it is hoped that the WZYL interacting with each other in the beautiful, peaceful environment at Asha Centre will "develop a constructive and positive approach to the issues that can easily overwhelm the Zoroastrian community. Through this gathering we trust these young leaders will highlight the way to revitalize a faith that has a long and extraordinary heritage… Zoroastrians need to regain their influence for good in a world beset by political, economic and social upheaval and environmental degradation.”
Besides networking at the Asha Centre, a tranquil Georgian estate in the forest of Dean, UK, the participants will be encouraged to apply the core tenets of Zoroastrianism in the modern world. The program will include study visits to pioneering organizations such as the Grange Camphill Community which is a home to people with learning difficulties, the Centre for Alternative Technology in Mid Wales, and to Somerville College in Oxford City accompanied by the Baroness Jan Royall, former leader of the House of Lords, principal of Somerville College and president of Asha Centre.
The budgeted expense for 25 participants for nine days inclusive of high quality accommodation and home-cooked food from Asha’s biodynamic fruit and vegetable gardens, administration costs and field trips is expected to be £ 18,950 (Rs 16,10,750), as per a detailed note from Master who is currently raising funds for the forum since it is her aim that the young leaders participate in the forum free of cost or at a heavily subsidized price. Their main expenditure will be their flight tickets which is not included in the budget.
During the nine days, Mark Gifford and Adrian Locher who have conducted several training courses will serve as facilitators for this forum. Mark is the executive director of the Asha Centre. He has completed his MA with distinction in the Study of Religion from the School of Oriental and African Studies. He is also a qualified solicitor who has studied law at Oxford University. Locher who is a teacher, actor and director, is the artistic director of the Asha Centre and holds a diploma in group facilitation and conflict resolution.
"I think the time has come for well-educated and balanced youth from our community to take the reins of leadership in a grown up way,” believes Zerbanoo, author and human rights campaigner, and the first Asian councilor for the Liberal Party in the UK who had to battle against racism and sexism for 15 years "to make UK politics more inclusive.” Former director of Anti-Slavery International, a human rights organization that has published her 72-page book,Thomas Clarkson and the Campaign Against Slavery, she was presented the Thomas Clarkson award at the prestigious Undergraduate Awards in Dublin in early November this year. The winners of the Undergraduate Awards were presented her publication on the father of human rights campaigning. As she reminds in her book, "It is clear that the fight against slavery is linked with the need to provide education for all.”
"The Undergraduate Awards is an international awards program recognizing creativity, excellence and innovative thinking within student coursework. (It) is the world’s leading undergraduate awards program which recognizes top undergraduate work, shares this work with a global audience and connects students across cultures and disciplines,” according to their website www.undergraduateawards.com.