A Youreka Way of Life

Now here's a really superb article from The Energy Research Institute (TERI) Magazine "Terragreen " in praise of Youreka and iDiscoveri and with a very apt relevant and powerful quotation by Schumacher (author of "Small is Beautiful - Economics as if people mattered") at the end. Really, lifestyles have changed disastrously and drastically in the last few years and Youreka and iDiscoveri are among the few organisations who are attempting to set this balance right by pioneering outdoor programs and correcting this glaring imbalance. Ed. :

We know we live in

a very modern

world, with every

amenity. You go

to school, there are cars and buses

to pick you up and drop you back.

When you study, you get onto the

computer. When you want to spend

leisure time, there are several

television channels to choose from.

Some of you may love chatting on

the telephone, playing video

games, and watching movies. Life is

beautiful.

But there’s something even

prettier there, out in the woods. Far

away from the noisy bustle of the

city, are mountains and rivers,

deserts and jungles. As you read in

the school textbooks, it is this

bounty of nature that provides

every chemical and every fibre,

every atom and molecule, which we

put together to make everything

we use on a daily basis. Just try

picking up anything in your home,

try breaking it down to where it

comes from, and it’ll take you back

to nature. Yet, living away from

these surroundings, we often miss

the stuff life is made of.

How about reconnecting? I’m

sure there are several initiatives all

across the country, but one that I

came to know of is a camp

programme called Youreka! Run by

idiscoveri, an education initiative

that takes teaching beyond

classrooms, this is one camp where

you aren’t likely to have it easy.

After convincing your parents

that you, their child, is in

completely safe hands, the

programme managers give you the

options of joining their week- long

camps at several places away from

your homes. The list includes places

like Tirthan, Sitlakhet, and Coorg.

Bang in the middle of mountains,

right next to a roaring river is where

the tents are pitched. Now the

course begins, each camper has to

choose one major course and a

minor course. Before you start

grumping, take a look at the

courses. Major : rock climbing,

white water rafting, kayaking,

wilderness backpacking, ropes

course, outdoor survival and

mountain biking. Minor – candle

making, bandana making, music

and choreography, juggling,

magic, campus newspaper,

astronomy, photography, ecowalk

and painting. Phew.

iDiscoverers, as they call

themselves, have wonderful things

to say. They love the sounds of

nature, they love the fun, the tough

acts, the independence. Says

Adnan Vahanavaty, a young gun

who went to the camp, ‘iDiscoveri

has changed the way I see the

environment, other people, and

myself.’ The mums and dads also had

good things to say. They felt that

the children came back a lot more

confident. The safety rules at the

camps and the presence of a doctor

also impressed them.

We thinks it’s a great way to drop

into the lap of nature. Every hurdle

you cross – a river or a rock – not

only makes you confident, but also

teaches one to respect nature.

When you’re so close to this beauty,

so lovingly tended by it, you’ll learn

to love it. And that’s when you’ll

learn how to keep Mother Earth

safe and happy.

Quote

‘A way of life that ever more rapidly depletes the power

of the earth to sustain it and piles up ever more

insoluble problems for each succeeding generation can

only be called violent.’

Ernst Friedrich Schumacher (1911–1977),

German economist and pioneer of appropriate technology