Let's Save the Tiger Together! - YTS Day 5

(Posted by Devanshu Sood)

Welcome Back 

First of all, I must apologise for the lack of daily blogs from the Youth Tiger Forum – we worked from early morning till late at night every day, with hardly a moment to spare.

Today was when we all sat down together and discussed our individual national youth outreach projects with the other delegates. The day began with a plenary session during which the presenters for the Television Up-link with the Heads of States summit being held at St. Petersburg in parallel with our summit were selected. I am proud to announce that the delegation of India was chosen along with those of Russia, Laos, China, Nepal and the United Kingdom as the presenters for the Television up-link. Following this we were given the broad contours along which our Global Youth Outreach project should be formulated.

For the rest of the day we were divided into three regional groupings to discuss our individual Youth Outreach projects which we will all implement in our own nations to involve the youth of our nations in tiger and environment conservation.

The three groupings were those of South Asia - India, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh; South East Asia- Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia; and East Asia - Bhutan, China and Russia along with the United Kingdom as an observer and donor nation.

Aarti Khosla the WWF Coordinator from India facilitating and moderating our Working Group

Discussing our Youth Outreach Project with the other delegates of our Working Group - South Asia

For three hours till lunch we deliberated upon our National Youth Outreach projects, incorporating each others suggestions, views and points and making them more coherent with those of our neighboring countries. Following lunch we presented our individual projects to all the other nations.

Following tea we opened the idea bank and began formulating our Global Youth Outreach project, to be implemented together by all of us, in our respective countries. What was to be a quiet input of ideas became a whirlwind from the great flood of imagination that we all have. There was intense discussion, chaotic debating, and calm reasoning. Finally, we grouped our ideas and came up with two broad but comprehensive plans.

They being:

1. To create a Youth Tiger Network, mentored and moderated by all us youth tiger ambassadors which would be open to all the youth of the world to join and aid us in our efforts to involve the youth in conserving the Tiger.
2. Celebration of a the International Tiger Day that falls on the last Sunday of each September with the institutionalization of the Youth Tiger Festival.

The Idea Bank

Deliberartions on the Global Youth Outreach Project

The Results of our deliberations on the Global Youth Outreach Project

The Final Result of our deliberations on the Global Youth Outreach Project

However, as it always happens at such summits, we of different nations were not able to find any common ground upon the finer details of both our programmes. The discussion went on over dinner until it was time to leave for the venue where the Televised up-link to St. Petersburg was to be held, so that we could rehearse for the following Big day.

We went over the plan for the following day many times, standing in our national costumes. It was both fun and exhausting.

Rehersing for the Big Day Tomorrow for the Television Link With the Heads of Sates Summit in St. Petersburg

Returning late at night from the city we all interacted for a bit, trying to break the day's earlier logjam before turning in for the night at 3 a.m.

Namaste

And stay tuned for more bites from the Youth Tiger Summit, Vladivostok, Russia