Since 2005, AYUDH Europe has evolved into an international youth movement dedicated to empowering young people to contribute to a more peaceful and sustainable world. Over the years, it has reached out to more than 10,000 youth.
In celebration of this 20th anniversary, AYUDH Europe with the European Youth Summit gathered from July 21st to 28th at the MA Centre in Hof Herrenberg, Germany. Named ‘Voices for Tomorrow’, the event attracted more than 400 attendees, including over 250 participants who travelled from more than 20 different countries.
This year, AYUDH Europe decided to discuss how they can contribute to sustainable development on an international level. To begin, they partnered with Amrita University’s UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development. Renjith Mohan and Krishna Nandan with the UNESCO Chair led workshops on Sustainable Communities and Live-in-Labs®.
Live-in-Labs® is the university’s internship program in rural India. Participants from Amrita and 30+ international institutions form multidisciplinary teams that live in impoverished villages to find solutions for sustainable development. Since 2013, they have reached more than 1 million beneficiaries in 25 states and clocked 400,000+ hours in the field.
With experiential learning as the central theme, it reflected the significant journey of AYUDH members over these two decades. An inter-generational panel discussion was organised on July 26th, supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission.
Together they identified best practices and developed policy recommendations to promote experiential learning. The outcomes will be compiled into a policy statement by social scientists and shared widely.
The discussion featured youth and experts such as Mr. Himanshu Gulati, Norwegian Member of Parliament; Ms. Fatou Jeng, Climate Change Youth Advisor to the UN Secretary General and Youth Representative for Early Warning System for All; Ms. Katharina Linne, Coordinator of the Master’s Programme on UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Management at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development; and Dr. Violeta Bulc, former European Commissioner for Transport and Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia.
“As a policymaker on education, I would say that experiential learning has transitioned from a nice-to-have, experimental or alternative approach to an essential need,” said Mr Gulati.
From Rwanda, photographers with “Through the Eyes of Children” presented about their nonprofit organisation that teaches photography to vulnerable children to help them share their perspectives on life. Founded in 2000, the project began with children as young as eight years old who were orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi.
During the week, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, the Vice Chairman of MA Math and President of AYUDH worldwide, took time from his busy schedule on Amma’s US tour to address the youth online, encouraging them to confront and transcend their fears to achieve their dreams.
Swami Shubamritananda Puri inspired the youth with his talk, providing tools to discover and express their inner voices. Swamini Amritajyoti Prana emphasised building stable relationships grounded in love and understanding.
This unique space enables us to feel comfortable and integrated in the world without compromising our deeper values and hopes.
Dorian Spaak, President of AYUDH Europe
Other distinguished guests included Frédérique Bedos, French filmmaker, journalist and humanitarian activist, and Marion Chaygneaud-Dupuy, three-time Everest climber and founder of the Clean Everest initiative.
Ms Bedos shared lessons from her parents, who adopted 23 so-called unplaceable children, demonstrating the transformative power of love and patience. Ms Chaygneaud-Dupuy spoke about her dedication to cleaning the sacred Himalayan mountains through the Clean Everest initiative, which has successfully cleared half the mountain of litter.
The anniversary provided a moment to reflect on two decades of achievements and explore future endeavours, including European Volunteering funded by the European Solidarity Corps. AYUDH Europe’s events have received recognition as ‘best practice projects’ three times by the Erasmus+ programme and won the European SALTO prize for Inclusion and Diversity.
This year also saw the launch of the vibrant AYUDH Europe Alumni network. The Alumni members, who have leveraged AYUDH resources to build sustainable careers, are now assisting the youth in navigating their career paths and life challenges.
Over the days, participants engaged in workshops on organic gardening, stress management, music, cloth painting, photography, dance, social science, improvised theatre, and more, led by professional facilitators.
Cultural performances featured prominent artists such as Sophie Frear, Marie-Philomène Nga, Jean Bizimana, Mussa Uwitonze, and Gadi Habumugisha, alongside incredibly talented youth participants at the final Odenworld festival.
The participants left the MA Centre filled with enthusiasm and a strong commitment to making a positive difference in the world. During the event, they raised €1040 to support women needing assistance for childbirth at Amrita Hospitals in India.
Dorian Spaak, President of AYUDH Europe, concluded the event by stating, “This unique space enables us to feel comfortable and integrated in the world without compromising our deeper values and hopes. These past years have been a constant blossoming. This is what AYUDH is about.”
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Nandini Nair, 24, came all the way from Australia to attend the summit. She said, “It has been a wonderful experience, and I wish I could bring all my friends from Australia here. Their parents are eager to know more, and I plan to bring them next year.”
