Hyderabad-headquartered Heartfulness Institute, a non-profit global organization offering relaxation and meditation practices, is to host ‘Rising with Kindness’ (RKS) Global Youth Summit from Aug-12-14 at the Kanha Shanti Vanam, a landmark spiritual retreat on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The Summit is a joint initiative of Heartfulness Institute, AICTE and UNESCO-MGIEP and will see congregation of thousands of youth from several parts of India to learn and share about empathy, compassion, and kindness. Several foreign delegations are also expected the join conference. Being held in hybrid mode, the event will also be joined by delegates online from remote locations across the world.
Already 13500 youth have registered for the event and no more registrations are accepted as of now. But the sessions will be streamed live online and a lot of youth will join online. ICCR is coordinating with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Indian missions aboard to take the event to more than 130 countries across the globe.
“The idea for this youth event from UNESCO and as part of the conference 200 stories of kindness will be chosen for UNESCO’s Kindness campaign. Top Four stories and tellers will be awarded later at the World Youth Kindness Conference in November 2022,” said Dr Nivedita Shreyans, RKS convener at a press conference in New Delhi on Aug 2. She added that all those coming for the conference will be lodged in the Kanha Shanti Vanam ashram and both stay and food will be free of cost. All delegates will be offered certifications of participation.
The ‘kindness concert’ by Ricky Kej is planned on August 13. The 3-day event is packaged with experiential and immersive yoga + meditation workshops, heartful communication, musical interludes, green and blue innovation breakouts, project showcases, etc. Several speakers and experts are also lined for various sessions and include youth icon and Badminton star, P V Sindhu, waterman Rajendra Singh, Pullela Gopichand, Khatija Rahman, Tanya Manikata, Kiran Bhir Sethi, Joshna Chinappa, Radhika Ghai, Nirmala Mehendale and several others.
The event has three focus-verticals –self-drawing inspiration for personal wellness, opportunity to network with like-minded youth and enabling emphatic leadership, communication and social entrepreneurship and three, helping promote kindness towards nature through circular economy, zero waste, eco brick and climate activism.
Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman AICTE, who was present at the announcement said that India is moving to provide credible learning pathways in both higher and school education for fostering values of kindness and empathy. He added: “I think in five-six years, we would demonstrate that vasudhaiva kutumbakam (world is one family) and wellness of all, the Indic values of love, respect and kindness travel to the world through our youth and academics. At AICTE we have already started credit course modules and activities and hopefully UGC will soon implement it in universities.”
“Coming at a time when people who realized that kindness is the bedrock of society during covid pandemic and got to know how important are neighbours and communities in our lives are just getting to back old ways, this event will help youth in connecting to those values and stories and network,” commented Pragya Mishra, Director Public Affairs, True Caller.
