Introduction:
GMRV Foundation recognises the significant role that youth have in achieving desirable social changes. Any community development programmes may be implemented effectively if the local youth are provided an opportunity to actively participate in various phases of programme management. The important prerequisite to ensure youth participation is that the youth are organised. With this objective in mind, the Foundation established the first youth club in Mettavalsa, Rajam in October 2005.

Objectives:

• To motivate youth to become change agents of the community and to facilitate greater community awareness and promote social responsibility amongst the youth
• To promote positive attitudes and behaviours, greater sociability, improved communication, healthy decision-making and effective conflict resolution skills amongst the youth
• To get access to networks and resources

Process:
GMRVF encourages and facilitates youth to come together to form such clubs. It is in no way directly involved in the running of these clubs. Clubs get themselves registered and have their own office bearers. GMRVF encourages and facilitates them in various ways supporting leadership training for the members, suggesting programmes and activities, organizing educational tours and exchange visits. But the emphasis is on the youth strengthening their own institution.

Today there are eight youth clubs, two of which are women groups. On an average, each club has around 20 members. With the supervision and motivation of the Foundation, youth clubs not only organize various community activities like cleanliness drives, plantation drives etc., but also assist in planning and organizing various events and celebrations for the community members.Efforts made by these groups have also resulted in increased participation of adult community members in various Foundation programmes.

Achievement/ strengths:

• In villages where youth clubs exist there is notable positive effect on the programme management and outputs because of their participation
• Youth clubs organise several activities for the community such as clean and green programme in which they clean up roads and drainages, Shramdan in which they construct roads for the village.
• The youth clubs actively work to collect donations and also organize various events and competitions in the community.
• The youth clubs have resulted in improved youth-adult relationships leading to increased participation of the community in the programmes.
• Adults have become more responsive to the youth.
• The participation of youth has resulted in better decision making practices and outcomes on one hand, and improved life skills, knowledge base and attitude on the other hand.