Speakers Corner 2nd Session held on 24th Aug 2007

Speaker's Corner is a unique aspect of Janaagraha. It is an interactive session whereby youth are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on issues which are close to their heart. This can get them more involved in the governance structure and nurture them into responsible and able citizens.

The Battleground!

The second Speaker's Corner was held on the 24 th of August, 2007 in St. Joseph 's College of Arts & Science. In keeping with tradition, it was held in an open space within the college campus. The session was compered by Shruti Veenam who is the coordinator of the Yuva Janaagraha program at Janaagraha. The guest speaker was Preeti Prakash from Radio City who spoke about the mass reach and the power of radio which can help in bringing about public change. Sultan, an ex-Yuva Janaagraha coordinator, was the moderator and oversaw the proceedings.

Commencement of the Session

The session started off with Shruti asking the audience about what they know of Speaker's Corner. She then gave them a brief introduction about the origin of the concept of Speaker's Corner in London in 1872. In India , this is only the 2 nd Speaker's Corner which is a Janaagraha initiative.

Guest Speaker's Speech

Preeti started off her speech by saying that radio is an important part of media whereby youth can express their opinions freely and these expressions shape the media. She highlighted the importance of youth in the current scenario as they are the core target audience and consumers and their opinion matters in every sphere. Next, she spoke about the various Radio City initiatives for the benefit of the youth like Radio City.

Live, Parents' Talk, etc. Finally, she concluded by giving suggestions on how the youth can utilize their energy and enthusiasm to make themselves heard through means of radio and pod casting online (uploading an audio file on the internet). Also, she advised to pursue something that truly appeals to one and not to become a victim of the hype.

Truly Your Space

This segment of the session was dedicated to the audience. Any person from the audience had one minute without any interruptions to voice their opinions about any issue which they are concerned about. There were several hot topics contending for the main discussion which were raised by different members of the audience like deteriorating traffic conditions in Bangalore, Ambulance hindrances, rude auto drivers, nonchalant attitude of people towards accident victims, ill-effects of V.I.P. preferences, students attitude towards education, education as a fashion rather than a focused choice, dress codes andbanning the use of cell phones in the college campus, no walking space for pedestrians and reservation of seats for SC/ST students in premier institutions.

A vote was called for on the above topics to select a topic for further discussions. Mr. Sultan moderated the session. The votes highlighted two important topics; education as a fashion rather than a focused choice and deteriorating traffic conditions.

The Debate

• Education as a fashion rather than a focussed choice
• Students forced to join a course against their will after the completion of their schooling due to parental and peer pressure.
• Some contradicted the above statement by saying that parents pressurize their children to ensure a settled and secure future for them.
• One pointed that choice of the course depended on the hype surrounding it or not (how known the course is).
• Attitudes of parents have become very stereotypical as far as education is concerned.
• Another suggested choosing a middle path wherein both the parents and the students can reach a compromise.
• The careless attitudes of students towards teachers and classes.
• Importance of passion for achieving maximum output in one's chosen field.

Deteriorating traffic conditions

• Auto drivers refuse to take passengers to their destinations.
• Auto drivers usually charge exorbitant amounts illegally and availability of people willing to pay more.
• Youth, tourists and new immigrants are the most vulnerable to fall prey to auto drivers.
• Bad roads result in less driving speed and delays causing massive traffic jams.
• The management of the traffic is inadequate. For eg. there are too many traffic signals.
• Most people don't have a proper driving sense and are reckless drivers.
• Many people pay to get driving license and do not bother to learn the proper traffic system.
• The careless attitude of the authority towards road repairs and constructions.

Wrapping it up
After a detailed and fruitful discussion of the above two topics, Sultan advised the students to start with one problem and find a solution for themselves and the rest of the problems will be easier to take on. The purpose of Speaker's Corner was to make the people aware about the general issues that a person faces
and create an excitement which will lead to an initiative being taken and an effort being made to improve things even if not for many but atleast for a handful.

Conclusion:

We wrapped up by taking feedback from the audience.

Please write in with your view, comments and suggestions at shruti@janaagraha.org or leave a comment below! Your feedback will help us deliver better.

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