“Summer Magic Course was the kind of vacation I was looking forward to. It was a perfect blend of education and fun. The interactive sessions were very educative and were way beyond what we have learnt in school and colleges,” said Pranit Chaddha.
Pranit was one of the 2,000 participates who had participted in the Summer Magic workshop at the Art of Living International Center. Concluding on June 29, 2010, this week-long camp drew youth from India, Middle-east and the United States of America.
The camp included an advanced meditation course to de-stress and empower the youth to lead their communities. These youth aged between 18 and 25 years have already completed the Art of Living youth workshops and have been engaging in various local service projects as a part of nation building efforts in their countries.
This youth-led camp provided the youth participants with peer-based training and experiences to enable them to find their own voices and leadership.
Dinesh Ghodke, Director, WAYE, shared, “Conflict resolution, peer pressure, and leadership were addressed through theatre, role playing and debate. The workshop also had cultural activities such as art, dance, music and sports to enhance and bring out the hidden talents in the youth.”
The camp also provided a forum to offer these youth participants with current, creative, and dynamic solutions and empowerment along with talks that addressed and offered practical guidance for contemporary issues faced by them. The participants were also taken through a session of Karatandav, an ancient South Indian Martial Art form.
The participants had interactive sessions with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar wherein they sought advice on numerous topics such as choosing careers, managing peer pressure and achieving success. Mr Raghu Raman, CEO NATGRID, addressed them on inculcating leadership and national security, Dr. Hari and Dr. Hema Hari, Head, Bharath Gyan, took a session on 'Enigmatic India' and Mr. Amol Yewale, a volunteer of the Art of Living, presented case studies on revolutionary grass-root transformations including the Art of Living Rural 5H Programs.
