Is My Choice Relevant?

The YC session was a roaring success! Thanks to everyone who showed up to make it up. Thanks to the hardworking presidents and vice presidents who toiled for more than 20 days to put the show together. Thanks to us secretaries who did all the clerical work :P
And thanks to Ms. Pental who took so much time out from her busy schedule to give us support all the time.

Keep checking this page for the results!

BACKGROUND GUIDE

IS MY CHOICE RELEVANT??

In this may session of Youth Congress we question the relevance of our choices and preferences in the decision making process of our lives.these choices range from selection of clothes to your streams and disciplines. Is your decision really yours or is it that of your parents,teachers,peer group or the society,at large ?we ponder and deliberate over this question in the coming session.the various issues to be taken u are as follows:

EDUCATION: The Path To Success.

They say that education is the most important aspect in a child’s life. Education helps one to decide on a career. A student can explore the world of knowledge and choose the vocation to choose his liking. Right?
NO! Absolutely not. In today’s world there is no such thing as freedom of choice for a teen particularly when it comes to career options. The most vehemently chosen stream is obviously Science. The most opted for careers… either Engineer or Doctor.
Why is this?
Is it because career options are unavailable in other streams i.e. Commerce and Humanities? It is definitely not so. Let us take a look at options available in these streams:
Humanities Careers
With the diversity of humanities disciplines, pinpointing a specific job path for humanities graduates can take a while. Many jobs in policy, research or marketing are good choices for a well-rounded humanities graduateHere are a few popular choices for humanities majors:
· Film and Media Studies -The study of film and the visual media helps students to think analytically and imaginatively about visual culture.
· Foreign Service- Especially if you've majored in the study of a particular culture, your ability to understand the workings of human society are invaluable when trying to work in a foreign country.
· Journalism -Many top journalists have humanities and liberal arts backgrounds instead of journalism school degrees.
· Law- Humanities majors are the most common prerequisites for law school.
· Public administration. If you've studied how societies work, you're probably qualified to help make them work.
· Human resource Management
COMMERCE CAREERS
BUSINESS Management: The global marketplace has truly arrived with business and commerce being carried out 24/7. Competition is getting tougher and fiercer.Nearly every single business sector or government department requires business managers, the main growth areas being Technology, Management Analysis, and Public Relations
· Chartered Accountancy:Chartered Accountants work in all fields of business and finance. Some are engaged in public practice work, others work in the private sector and some are employed by government bodies.
· An economist is an expert in the social science of economics. He may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are many sub-fields, macroeconomic analysis, microeconomic analysis or financial analysis, involving analytical methods and tools such as econometrics, statistics, economics computational models, financial economics.
Therefore, it can be safely concluded that career options are available in plenty in the Commerce and Humanities streams. Then, why is this mad rush after the Sciences? Are there factors which affect our choices except for thoughtful and rational considerations of what we are most suited to study?
Yes, Parental Pressure, Peer Pressure, Pressure form the Society and even the Media influence our choices to a great deal.But by the end of the day it is up who have to take up a career of our choice because we know what is best for us.no one is a better judge of us than us ourselves. We take up on the significance of this statement in the present times, during the session.
SOCIAL VALUES
Social norms focus on peer influences, which have a much greater impact on individual behavior than biological, personality, familial, religious, cultural and other influences. Often there are not much differences in the values of teenagers and parents across ethnic groups. We share similar terminal and instrumental values as our parents, implying that parents have a significant influence on the development of our values.
Thus parents play an important role in transmitting
good values to their children in resisting negative influences.

INFLUENCE OF PEERS
People who are of your age, like your classmates, friends, who have experiences and interests similar to yours, are called peers. When they try to influence how you act, to get you to do something, it's called peer pressure. Peers have a strong influence on the behavior of adolescents. It's natural for people to identify with and compare themselves to their peers
Parents do have an influence on who their children are friends with during adolescence. Teenagers choose their friends based on similarities, specifically shared values and attitudes . Also, parents who show higher levels of interest, understanding and helpfulness have been proven to have a greater influence .
Negative peer pressure has always been a factor in adolescence. However, the flip side is that there is also positive peer pressure. Studies of peer pressure indicate that most teenagers feel that their friends are likely to pressure them not to use drugs or not to engage in sexual activities .
There are also positive pressures to participate and excel in athletics, music, and various other types of extracurricular activities . This can be viewed as a way for adolescents to become better rounded, exploring positive domains other than academics.
Westernization
There are great values in the Western world: Freedom, democracy, equality (not always though), respect for the environment, less corruption. India must, and has already borrowed from these qualities. But since the last three years, it seems the Indian political and intellectual mind is pushing that 'we are as democratic, as liberal, as free as you are.' This process of copying the West to the point of aping it has, of course, already happened many times in the developing world. And it killed the soul of many countries, making them just another replica of the West -- with a youth that wears the latest Calvin Klein jeans, knows the No 1 bestseller on the Time list, can quote a few lines from Dante but knows nothing about pranayama, has never read a verse from Kalidasa and does not know who Sri Aurobindo is. The Westernisation of India must not be at the cost of her culture and spirituality.
One positive aspect of westernization is the coming together of the youth in matters of global and national importance. Western society recognizes more individual freedom and the ability of the individual of express herself or himself freely. India’s youth, in its attempt at aping the west, has adopted such ideologies. It might not always be for the best but it is certainly for the better. As a result of this westernization, we are becoming more and more aware about our surroundings. Be it politics or the environment, the youth is becoming more and more proactive.
Positive:
· Ability to fend for themselves(financially as well as emotionally)
· Openness towards socially sensitive issues like aids, HIV and sex.
· More awareness as far as subjects and streams are concerned.
Negative:
· VIOLENCE AMONG THE YOUTH
· Too much intolerance towards old set values and norms.
· More self-obsession
Impact of media on youth
"When youth actively take part promoting their own voices and culture through mass media then images of youth will be more honest because no one can speak or talk about youth better than themselves."
Overview
Overall, the media is a powerful, but untapped, tool for change. It has immense ability to educate a wide group of people, provide direction for both adults and young people, and incite people to be involved and active in the global community.
The media acts as a positive driving force for today’s youth:
· focus more on positive representations of individuals
· give a greater voice and a stronger role to young people in the media
· use the media as an educational tool for both youth and adults
However, the media often misuses its power. Television, newspapers and radio were all criticized for offering stereotypical and often negative representations. Participants repeatedly stipulated that the media tends to omit, or downplay roles and offer a biased view. Very often it encourages
· Poor self-esteem among youth
· Gender inequality and racism : we need to explore the effect of media on women and girls in particular. The media today focuses on the link between body image, in particular eating disorders, and the ubiquitous images of thin, blond, "perfect" girls. The media often promoted gender inequality by stereotyping women as materialistic and unintelligent and men as the stronger sex.
· incites violence
· deprives young people of peer role models to emulate.
Young people on today are calling for a greater and more substantial role in the media. The media is a powerful tool to influence behavior, the way people think and the way they perceive the world. It is time for the media, empowered by youth, to inform society's perspectives and bring people together to create a better today and tomorrow