LMAD Youth Conference - 2019

 

The 25th edition of the Let’s Make A Difference Youth Conference kicked off with a bang on the 1st of June, 2019. Through the course of the conference, a record number of 385 people attended which included 52 volunteers from all over India including Yavatmal, Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Katni, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Nagpur had come to help conduct the 8 day-conference. A few volunteers had even flown across the world (St. Martins, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles) just to attend and help out. The participants registered, filled in a survey and said goodbye to their beloved phones. With the gadgets out of their hands, the extremely diverse crowd was already seen interacting with each other and admiring the beauty of the 51 year old campus of Asia Plateau.

Everyone assembled in the Foyer of the main building at 4:30 where they were divided into 16 groups. They were introduced to their group leaders and walked out for their first Group discussions. They were given their name tags and introduced themselves to their group-mates with who they’d be spending a lot of time in the upcoming days. Everyone looked thrilled as they got to know each other. All the groups gathered in the Foyer of the main building not really knowing what was to happen. As everyone smiled, chattered and had fun, a distinct “HAERE MAI, HAERE MAI” was heard and suddenly, most of the volunteers who were also part of the crowd started moving towards one part of the Foyer, facing the participants, reciting and dancing to the chant of haere mai, a traditional Maori song of New Zealand, that collectively welcomes the newly arrived guest.

After the initial moments of confusion, the participants were now enjoying and tapping to the rhythm of the song. The participants were then guided to the adjoining auditorium which was set up for the inauguration of the silver jubilee of Let’s Make A Difference.

Once all the participants were seated, the volunteers entered the auditorium via the aisles with great gusto, clapping their hands to the song playing and got onto the stage where they danced to songs from various Bollywood movies. The dance was immediately followed by a humorous play that spoke about how everyone has an inner superhero within them that would be awakened in the coming days. The audience seemed to enjoy the play thoroughly. The host of the evening then stepped in and introduced IofC and Let's Make A Difference. The lamp was auspiciously lit which was preceded by a traditional dance. This was followed by a speech by Mr. Bhanu Kale, the guest speaker. Volunteers from different generations then took the stage to share their experience with Let's Make A Difference and how it has positively made a difference in their lives. The youngest of them was only 17 years old. Songs are a big part of IofC, Let's Make A Difference. The singing team then sang the song, Chaliye Na. The song encourages everyone to lend hands to make a difference. Everyone then stood up for the National Anthem which concluded the inauguration.

The participants moved up to the dining hall for dinner. Delicious vegetarian food was served four times a day, throughout the conference. One group had the responsibility of serving food for every meal and one group for the wash up. Conversations with different people every day, every meal resulted in the inception of so many beautiful friendships.

The participants then assembled in the foyer where one of the volunteers explained the dos and don'ts of the conference. Points that made sure the campus was left in the same condition that it was on the first day, points that ensured the smooth running of the conference. The course convener then introduced every volunteer to the participants, which concluded the first day. The participants walked back to their rooms to meet their room mates and took rest after the long day that they had.

The next day commenced in line with a traditional Let's Make A Difference morning with everyone uniting at 6.00 AM for a prayer and some light exercise followed by a brief session before heading out for quiet time. During the first day’s session the participants were introduced to the Let's Make A Difference diary and the concept of quiet time. Over the course of the eight days, the participants spent 24 hours in complete silence with themselves. They were explained that the diary given to them was going to be an extraordinary one because it shall house the thoughts of their conscience. One of the senior volunteers shared how the diary has helped him throughout the years.

With those seeds of thought each participant proceeded for their first quiet time to find the one spot within the bounties of Asia Plateau to hear out their conscience.

The sharings of the participants indicated their initiation into their journey inward. The sharing session ended pre breakfast and the participants appreciated spending time with themselves.

During the session ABC of IofC the participants were introduced to the four principles i.e. purity, honesty, unselfishness and love which are bound together in the abbreviation ‘PHUL’. These principles lay at the core of this conference and are the basic pillars of what IofC and Let's Make A Difference stand for.

These values distinguish the inner voice from the thoughts that arise from the mind. The convener of the course shared personal examples to explain the essence of each value in detail and emphasized the fact of various complexities coming into play while living up to these values in their personal lives after the conference.

The inner voice is the voice of the conscience of a person that often helps with right or wrong decisions. The inner voice is the truth that has knowledge about our decisions being right or wrong. The inner voice is an individual’s internal guidance and support system.

In order to enhance the participants’ understanding of the four core values a few volunteers and volunteers shared their experience about their introspective assessment against these values and expressed how the change has affected in their lives.

Post lunch the participants gathered for a group photograph which signified how the Let's Make A Difference family is united by thought despite the cultural and regional differences.

Each one for the duration of this conference is assigned a family group which they are a part of for the 8 days and also beyond that. A certain time is dedicated for the participants and volunteers to meet in their respective groups to discuss, reflect and share about the inputs given that day. The participants proceeded for their first group discussion in their respective GD spots. It started with an informal introduction followed by a reinforcement of the Dos and Don’ts and the ethics of the group discussion by the volunteers of every group.

Free time was given to the participants after tea during which many chose to spend their time outdoor games while many others wished to interact with their other fellow participants. This time is essential since it allows the participants to relax and gain exposure to a variety of cultures as well as explore their talents. About 17 hours(after breakfast cannot be counted) of free time was give to the participants throughout the course of the conference.

Prior to dinner everyday the participants were seated for the time of silence during which a music was played and they were asked to close their eyes and concentrate upon the music played. Time of silence was a refreshing experience that energized them and helped relieve the exhaustion of the day.

The post dinner schedule had ice breaking games planned for the participants by the volunteers which filled the evening air with laughter and applause. As the participants left the foyer their faces were lit up with smiles.

The course convener is another pre-quiet time talk emphasised how by consistently spending time with oneself and introspection, one can clear truly listen to their inner voice and distinguish them from passing thoughts. He spoke about how quiet time is not something to be taken up when one is in a tough situation. Rather, by doing it consistently, getting into these tough spots can be avoided in the first place.

The participants all spread around the campus for yet another session of quiet time. The effectiveness of the session was reflected in the sharings that were done in the auditorium immediately afterwards.

“I realized that I spend a lot of time concentrating and pondering over what people around me do and experience. I want to give myself more attention from now on.”

Post breakfast, the groups got into separate buses that were headed to the Mahabaleshwar market for a picnic. Many participants donned shades and hats; everyone looked extremely excited for the day ahead. They sang, danced and had a jolly time in the buses. After spending a good one hour at the market, they got into the buses yet again for a trip to a local garden park known for their strawberry produce. After having lunch, everyone boarded the buses and headed back to Asia Plateau. The participants went back to their rooms to freshen up and take rest after the energetic and tiring morning.

The participants gathered in the auditorium for a session conducted by one of the volunteers about how one can build not only a successful career but also lead a happy and content life at the same time by combining key things in their life that already existed. The session was very impactful; many participated and were seen writing in their diaries very seriously.

3rd June was for the very first time celebrated as Womanhood day at Let's Make A Difference last year. The male volunteers and participants gathered in the foyer and welcomed the ladies as they walked on the red carpet that was laid out for them. They were each given a small hand-crafted decorated mirror as a small token of appreciation for everything they’ve done for their friends and families. They were elated as the male volunteers clapped, cheered and handed them the token. Once everyone gathered in the auditorium, the course convener conveyed the significance of the day to everyone present. He spoke about how India has progressed in so many ways but our attitude towards women hasn’t evolved a lot. He spoke about how the women in his life shaped his life and led him to where he stood right now.

A special guest was present among the ladies that day. She was invited to address the audience and tell them about her life. Ms. Virali Modi wanted to become an actor from a very young age. In one of her visits to India, she fell sick, the doctors couldn’t point out what was wrong with her, she was only given paracetamol. She soon started hallucinating and her condition became worse. One morning, she couldn’t even recognize her mother, she freaked out thinking she was a murderer. The next morning, things seemed fine, but as she went to the restroom, she realized she couldn’t move her legs. She was immediately taken to the hospital, a spinal x-ray revealed some kind of shadow. A cardiac arrest and a seizure made things even worse. So much so, that the doctors declared her dead. They tried giving her shocks using a defibrillator to recover her pulse but for seven long minutes, she lay still, without oxygen, without a pulse. On the third try, a faint pulse was detected and she was taken to the ICU. The next day, she went into a coma. 23 long days later, the doctors wanted to take her off the ventilator as she showed no signs of improvements. Her mom wept and convinced the doctors to delay this till her birthday which was 9 days away. On her birthday, as her relatives surrounded her, she opened her eyes and came back to conciousness. She recovered and was fine except that she was paralysed from the neck down. Through sheer resolution and will power, she got her upper body to respond. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same for her lower body.

Ms. Virali Modi

Her friends and family abandoned her and gave up on her. She hated herself, and tried killing herself twice. That’s when her mom said a few words which are still stuck with her, “Virali, if you don’t love yourself, how can you expect others to?”. She learnt to accept herself. She moved to India in 2008 and started therapy in Mumbai. She won a beauty pageant, auditioned for a lot of movies and the only reason the casting directors wouldn’t select her was her disability.

She as devastated but did not give up on herself. She started writing on Quora and started venting her thoughts in a positive way and gave relationship and life advices. She shared her traumatising experience. She was recognised as one of the top writes for four years and she has over 100,000 followers on Quora. When people ask her if she feels bad that she cannot walk, she simply says, “you people have to walk all the time while I carry my own throne with me everywhere I go.”

She started working on making India more accessible and was very excited about the project. No trains in India were wheelchair accessible and she faced molestation in three different locations while people helped her to board the train everyone a lot of people around her noticed it but no one raised a voice. She started a petition by the hashtag “#MyTrainToo” to make the trains wheelchair friendly. Over two lakh signatures are signed and six railway stations in India are made completely wheelchair accessible. The Bombay Central railway station did the same and BMC is working with other stations in Mumbai to make more stations wheelchair accessible. The audience was awe struck. They seemed to love the determination that Virali had.

“No experience is a bad experience”

-Ms. Virali Modi

A very interesting activity was conducted later that evening where the participants wrote letters to themselves about all the strong emotions they have been feeling in the past couple of days. These letters will be sent to them at a later point this year to remind and motivate them when they’re outside the premises of Asia Plateau.

The next speaker, Ms. Sonal Giani, one of the more prominent youth icons of the LGBT rights movement in India, spoke about her journey and hardships in being a bisexual lady in this day and age. Her sister laughed at her for mentioning that she might have feelings towards another girl. She made sure she kept these feelings with herself from then on. She did not understand the implications of burying her feelings back then. To add to thet, one of her batchmates outed her by sending an annymous forward. This dragged her down even further. Most of her friends stopped interacted with her and life in short, wasn’t at it’s best. The biggest support she had was her family. Her mother understood and asked Sonal to seek professional help. Her story was inspirational and eye opening for many in the audience.

Ms. Sonal Giani

4^th of June has held great significance every year at IofC during the Youth Conference since it is celebrated as Khadi Day. Khadi or khaddar is natural hand woven fiber cloth mainly made out of cotton. The cloth is spun into a yarn on a spinning wheel called charkha. Mahatma Gandhi used khadi to boycott against the British rule by rejecting their foreign goods. Khadi is more than a piece of cloth, it is a symbol of the spirit of independence and freedom.

In the input given in the next pre-quiet time period, the course convener elaborated on how most people often place a massive importance on our outer appearance however often neglect the inner self. He elaborated on this phenomenon by demonstrating an experiment and using personal examples and illustrated that by living one’s life according to the four principles and disciplined quiet time one can go through their internal purification and live a life filled with happiness. It was emphasized to the participants that it is necessary to keep a balance between the internal self and outer world.

Attending the conference is a transforming journey for each and everyone hence the participants were given time to reflect upon their lives before the conference. Having come halfway through the conference the participants had a deeper understanding and were comfortable with the concept of quiet time. This progress was evident within the sharing by the participants.

The participants gathered outside the foyer to celebrate khadi day. The participants were told about the importance and significance of khadi. One of the volunteers talked about the rules and etiquette of the Indian national flag. The flag hoisting marked the occasion which was followed by singing the Indian national anthem and Vande Mataram.

After the news and the video for the day the participants were asked to go to their respective GD spots where they observed quiet time and reflected upon the inputs given in the previous session with their family groups which was followed by a brief sharing session in the auditorium.

The participants gathered with their groups for a group discussion post lunch during which they were asked to introspect and share along the lines of the experiment demonstrated during the morning session. They were asked to contemplate about how they have lived their lives until now and evaluate it against the four standards of IofC.

All the participants and volunteers had filled a survey at the beginning of the conference that intended to gauge and understand the behaviour, mindset and choices of the youth of the country. The last session of the day post dinner held in the auditorium was dedicated towards discussing the results of the survey. Significant inputs were given towards the survey results by the participants as well as the volunteers. The need for conversation The session was highly interactive since diverse viewpoints came up which led to discussion within the entire group of 385 people.

After being in the campus for four days and following the routine that had been set for them, the participants were comfortable with waking up earlier than they usually did outside of Asia Plateau. They were seen participating more keenly and with a lot of enthusiasm. The course convener spoke to them about how everything one usually does is towards their outward journey and change, how we desire things related to material pleasure and outward appearance. He emphasised the importance of taking a step back and looking inward for a change. He assured that the physical aspect of things will automatically fall into place if only we sort ourselves internally by practising quiet time daily. The participants seemed to agree:

“I’m not going to let stuff take over my mind. I realized that physical things will not sustain. If I’m rich from the inside, I’ll automatically be rich from the outside.”

“I realized that my inner voice is present, prominent and has a lot to say”

One person can make a difference. People often blame others for the situation around them. One of Let's Make A Difference’s motto is “If you want to change the world, start with yourself”. 5th of June was dedicated to this thought. The course convener started off the session post breakfast by bringing to light how very capable we all are of making a significant difference not only in our own lives but in the lives around us too.

Mr. Pradeep Lokhande, the next guest speaker illustrated just this. He hails from a small town called Wai in Maharashtra. For over 20 years, he has been on a mission to collect data of as many villages as possible. Six lakh villages are present in India which isn’t a small number. He spoke about how he narrowed his search down to the villages with the population over 2,000. The number came down to 85,000 which is a more achievable number. Instead of going to the village himself, he started writing letters to the heads of the villages. He did not give up even though the response he got back was mostly negative or nothing at all. He knew the importance of what he was doing and he did not stop. In his own words:

“If you want to be a successful CEO or entrepreneur, unless and until you understand the pulse of rural India, you will not be successful in this country. This is because even today, 55% of our people reside in villages.”

Today, his website contains information of over 85,000 villages and he achieved all this with a simple idea. All by himself. This information is being used by big corporations to bring about a social change in these villages. His vision captivated the audience who listened to him with rapt attention.

Mr. Pradeep Lokhande

The course convener then conducted a session on concentration and the importance of it. He spoke about how easily it is for us to get distracted and the significant difference concentration can bring in our lives. He illustrated how fickle our minds can be by conducting a simple exercise. Lunch was served immediately after.

Participants gathered in their groups for yet another group discussion. This time they spent time identifying their power of one and how they’re going to go about achieving their dreams. After a heavy start to the day, they set out for a trek to the plateau. They were seen smiling and having fun as they walked up the path until they reached the top. The scene from the table top was absolutely mesmerizing.

Post dinner, the participants were shown a movie in the auditorium. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor and is an astounding true story about a boy who is forced to leave school as his parents struggled to meet ends. The movie beautifully depicts how the boy, William is determined to help not only his family but also a community facing famine. Everyone watched the movie intently, after which they went back to their rooms for the night.

6^th June holds a deep and huge significance in the course of the conference. Everyone belongs to a family regardless of whether it is related by blood or by thought. It is the family that stands by an individual through crisis as well as joy. The sixth day of the conference is termed as family day which is celebrated in silence.

An individual enters the world through family. It is a family that teaches one the moral values of care, acceptance, love, belongingness. Often people tend to get detached and distanced from their families as a function of their ego.

During the first session in the morning the course convener introduced the idea of the importance of family to the participants by narrating a small story about the famous painting “The praying hands”. The participants were asked to ponder over some questions : how many people have I hurt with my anger and actions? Can i love my family unconditionally? Can I forgive someone who has hurt me with their words, actions and anger?

Many participants stepped forward to share their quiet time thoughts. Many of the participants realized how they might have caused pain to someone.

“Till now I was a firm believer of tit for tat. There was this watchman who had punctured my tyre. So to take revenge I stole his goods and all other things and threw it away somewhere. I realize now that what I did was very wrong and I have caused him a lot of trouble.”

The participants were assembled in the auditorium for the session of family time which is a core component not only of the day but also of the conference. After the video of the day the course convener briefly gave his inputs about the importance family holds in our life. Often at the price of feeding our ego we create barriers between us and our family which only causes more hurt and pain to everyone.

The platform was then opened for the participants to come and share their thoughts and about their family and their loved ones. The participants used the stage to share personal experiences about their family. One of the participants expressed his grief over the death of his father. He mentioned that he had seen his sister come to Let's Make A Difference that helped her move on from the loss. The participant shared that he could not cry since two years and attending the conference has helped him to let out his deeply rooted emotions.

Another person came forward to express how the process of getting over his mother was extremely difficult. He spoke about how his understanding of pain and loss changed after his mother passed away. Only when he read his mother's forwarded WhatsApp messages that he previously ignored did he truly understand the meaning of loss. He spoke from his heart and it moved everyone present.

Since family is an essential component of every individual's life most participants had tears in their eyes and felt extremely sentimental. They were allowed to talk to their family members and loved ones over phone calls. There were many emotional outbreaks however they felt relieved having released their bottled up emotions. To respect the sanctity of the day the rest of the was spent in silence.

After a quiet lunch the participants gathered in the foyer for the relaxation exercise during which they lay on their backs in savasana and relaxed as light meditative music played in the background after which the participants felt quite rejuvenated.

During the course of the conference many people have deep realizations and intense epiphanic moments. However once they return to their daily routines the personal commitments that they make during these eight days tend to fade away. Hence everybody present during the conference wrote a letter to themselves which will be sent to them after six months. The letter will be a reminder to themselves about they changes that they promised to bring about in their lives.

Often a rift caused between two people is because of their ego The course convener talked about how at the cost of the ego a valuable relationship gets compromised, which leaves the individual with nothing. An exercise was conducted that made the participants realize how close are the people near them and the measures they ought to take to work on their relationships. They participants also participated in an exercise through which they were asked to let go of their ego in a symbolic gesture.

Post dinner the participants met in their groups which were further subdivided into two smaller groups when the participants could share their thoughts and experiences about their family and loved ones.

The day witnessed many emotional outbreaks during which many people shared intense moments with each other. After the GD everyone met in the foyer and sat in two concentric circles holding hands. A candle was lit in the middle which was the only source of light. Everyone maintained absolute silence for a few minutes and then moved to their rooms.

In the 7th day pre-quiet time session, the course convener spoke about the various tough layers we have to break through to deal with the true negativity inside us. How extremely difficult it is to actually get to the root of an issue and deal with it. These layers can be broken by consistently following quiet time and following up. He emphasised how many of our relations would immediately start taking a positive turn by doing this. Some of the sharings post quiet time are below:

“Mom never left my side; loved me even after I hurt her. I need to be a better version of myself to deserve a wonderful woman like her.”

A powerful exercise was conducted post breakfast that was about how one can plan not only for their eventual goals but their near future as well. The participants had their internal journey, figuring out exactly how they’re going to achieve what they had set out for. The session also highlighted the importance of building habits and how big a role it has to play in successfully executing anything. The participants were then asked to burn a piece of paper on which they had written down one negative quality that they would immediately get rid of when they got back from Asia Plateau.

Later in the afternoon, the last group discussion took place where the participants re-lived their journey at Let's Make A Difference and noted down their personal takeaways. Post tea, a session was conducted where the course convener connected the dots from the morning’s session and spoke about how much time an average person ends up in a day. Time is something most take for granted and he emphasised how that’s the difference between the good and the best.

Everyone went back to their rooms, freshened up and got ready for the formal night ahead. The participants all looking dapper, entered the auditorium where they were welcomed by the volunteers. After the special dinner, the volunteers proceeded to the auditorium where a talent show was held. Participants came forward and performed on stage what they were best at. Performances included singing, dancing, mimicry and so on. Every participant then rose and danced to the rap song of Let's Make A Difference that was made by Bharat Kapoor (goes by the stage name of Mr. Bolly) which was played for the very first time. The volunteers were awarded certificates for their time and dedication towards Let's Make A Difference. Everyone gathered in the foyer to take pictures with the ones they got close to in the period of these seven days. After an enjoyable evening, the participants retired to their rooms.

The last day of the conference had a pious start. Unlike the previous days of the conference the prayer on 8th June is done in the foyer during which a lamp is lit in the center and everyone sat around it. Prayers from all cultures and religions by anyone were welcomed and a ten second was maintained after every prayer. A prayer of this kind is important since it unifies people regardless of the boundaries of nations, cultures or religions.

The final session of the conference was held pre lunch which started with one of the volunteers shared the importance of working hard and achieving excellence. The participants were explained the concepts with real life examples of people who have achieved utmost excellence in life like Michael Jackson and Husain bolt.

The participants were also reminded of the teachings that were given during the conference and the commitments that they made. The importance of these teaching were emphasised by drawing a simple yet powerful comparison of the conference with a pilgrimage. The course convener spoke about how vital it is for everyone to go home and spend time with themselves as well as their family so that the essence of the conference isn’t lost. They were handed out a pledge to read that stated that the person signing it will be conscious of using resources like water, food and electricity with care and if the person fails to follow it then he/she shall punish themselves by fasting or satyagraha. A few of the volunteers also shared how a change was brought about not only in their lives but also their family and loved ones after they signed the pledge. The participants understood the seriousness of the pledge as many of them signed it while a few weren’t sure whether they will be able to live up to their commitments.

Later two of our volunteers expressed the gratitude and thankfulness towards the entire staff of the conference starting from housekeeping, kitchen, security, garden and workshop. The staff also shared their experience in working for IofC with all the female staff members singing one of the songs of IofC for the participants.

The conference ended with lunch and distribution of certificates and the group photograph by the volunteers in their respective groups. All the electronic items of the participants were returned to them as they were bid a heartfelt adieu.

Annexure – I

During the conference, the participants were asked to make at least one commitment which they will follow henceforth. A list of some commitments by the participants is given below showing their top concerns.

• Unconditional love to my parents
• I will try not to be angry on other people if anyone says any bad word
• I commit to be focus and successful in my life and be the best version of myself
• I will have a scheduled & planned lifestyle and routine
• I want to be patient with people and process!
• Take care of my mental health #Go seek therapy/ Professional help
• The first thing that I will do after this conference is papa ko hug kare sorry bolna hai job hi misbehave unke sath kiya hai.
• Stop being jealous and appreciate people
• I will leave engineering and chose a career of my interest
• Focus on my goals and aims
• Get less addicted to phone and to spend more time with my family
• I will not let my past mistakes demotivate me.
• I want to be a better person than what I was yesterday
• I want to be more open and helpful to my relatives who are my backbone of my life.
• I commit to have at least ONE meaningful conversation with my family every day.
• I will be very honest towards my parents who trust me blindly and never break their trust
• Spending time with myself
• If anything happens wrong in life, I will try to see what was my mistake.
• After going home, I will make sure that I don’t hurt my mom. And never back answer her.
• I will try not to cut myself.
• Be more optimistic
• I will put all my dedication over studies and make everyone who cares for me HAPPY
• Agreeing that I am wrong without any argument & working upon it. Try to control my anger
• I will stop being jealous of people doing better than me, forever
• I will stop the use of abusive words
• Leave addiction to pornography
• I am going to sit for quiet time and will try to follow it for throughout my life.
• Go for a swim
• I will value the time and be punctual
• I will help everyone
• No to drugs
• Waking up early
• I’m going to be totally honest to my mom and dad
• I’m going to stop judging people
• Spend at least one hour with mom, dad and bhai and half hour at least with dadi
• Start playing the piano
• Never compare anybody with anybody
• No more excuses
• I will give up my mobile phone addiction
• I will exercise regularly.
• I will never tell lie to my parents
• Being nice to my grandmother
• I will quit smoking cigarettes and all the other things I’m addicted to.
• I’m going to learn to accept.
• Not to lie to my mom about where am going and who am hanging out with
• I will implement complete purity in my thoughts and actions. I will stop watching or reading any type of vulgar contents anywhere.
• I will be more confident about myself and have more courage to do things and stand up for things I believe in
• Drink lots of water
• I will talk to my brother & try to make things better
• I’m going to wake up early in the morning and spend some time with myself
• Being more serious about my relations and my profession
• I will not be lazy!
• I have done a mistake in my life, and I am little scared to tell my mom about it. But I will tell heart 8th June
• I will remove my anger from inside me! And I can’t forgive anybody easily, so I will work on it.
• Be empathetic
• I shall give up on smoking and start to live a healthy life both physically and mentally.
• Always being honest no matter what the situation is.
• Learn to wait and be patient
• Have my meals on time without watching TV.
• I will never talk to someone rudely or use inappropriate words to hurt someone. (Translated from Bengali)

Annexure – II

Out of the many participants who attended this year’s conference, about 30 students came from a school called Young Horizon in Kolkata. They arrived a day early and actively took part in the conference. Three teachers also had come with the students to observe the events that took place over the course of the 8 days.

Interestingly, a few participants and volunteers were from the second generation of Let's Make A Difference families. This indicated how much this institution and it’s values meant to various old hands who have been part of the larger family since the beginning.

For the very first time, Eid was celebrated in the Youth Conference. On 4th of June, before the pre quiet time session, a few participants came forward to recite a prayer. Special dinner was also served that day.

Apart from the annual Youth Conference, Let’s Make A Difference conducts many regional programs throughout the year. Conferences of various capacities were held in Tamar, Bundelkhand, Jamshedpur and other places in the last year. Some of these conferences were completely taken care of by the CSR funding that Let's Make A Difference had received by Glencore. The same company, through it’s CSR fund gave Let's Make A Difference a grand total of INR 2,000,000 (20 Lakh) this year. The money is to be used in conducting programs in rural areas of India. This is a very proud moment for Let's Make A Difference as it’s value is being recognized and appreciated by people and companies all over the world.

Few members of the Let's Make A Difference team met Mr Mike Afraz, founder and trustee of the Honourpoint foundation. The objective of this meeting was to discuss the possibility of conducting a conference for the children of Martyrs. Let's Make A Difference has also had talks with the Vasantharathna Foundation for Arts regarding the same. They provide a support system for the families of Jawans martyred in the service of the nation.