A program imagined by young people for young people
The activities of the Bagmati River Basin Youth Program were built around the broader context of a Nepali government plan for the Bagmati River to tackle water security and anticipate the effects of climate change on the ecosystem.
For the Asian Development Bank, the intention of these workshops was to enable the sustainability of their investment. They had given loans to redevelop the riverbank infrastructure and build community spaces, and they wanted the local population to be engaged as well in the transformation of the environment.
Since a very large part of the population there is young, focusing on youth engagement seemed evident to involve the community in the protection of Bagmati. Not only was it a consultation, the goal of the program was to transform the youngsters into agents of change, able to take ownership and responsibility of their river.
"By the end of the Bagmati River Basin Youth Project capacity-building program, 196 participants completed the intensive six-week SDG program facilitated by ten youth facilitators. Additionally, the "world's largest lesson" also concluded by delivering 102 virtual sessions to empower 1,703 youth participants with the help of 107 youth facilitators."
Adam Sharpe, youth participation and foresight practitioner, during an interview, told us that the facilitation process had been completely conceived with the young people in the Kathmandu Valley. They were actually leading their own project. Every step of the program was conceived by them, with the support of "expert" facilitators like him.
The following idea -to use music during the workshop as an embodiment process- is an example of their numerous ideas initiatives:
"With soothing background music inviting them to take deep breaths, in and out, a narration was provided to guide them through the visioning. Youths were given fifteen minutes to think about their dreams and then five minutes to draw their dreams on a piece of paper, giving them a title."
A comprehensive method from the identification of issues to local actions
The participants of the workshop followed the "5-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry": Definition, Discovery, Dream, Design, Delivery.
After Defining the topic of this program (the Bagmati River and its issues), they delved into more personal questions about their experiences with nature, community service and positive change (Discovery).
Then, they Dreamt their ideal vision of the Bagmati River of the future.
"A Google form was made to record the title for their vision and to upload their drawings, to collect the data. There were around 200 different visions, and every vision was unique."
Finally, the participants Designed projects to implement in their communities. Together, they conceived of a wide range of actions, from awareness raising programs to the production of vermicomposting units.
The Delivery part was intended for the youngsters to spread the word about what they learned during the program.
The transformation of the relationship with Bagmati
What stood out most about this experience is how deeply the relationship to the environment has been transformed. Even though Bagmati is a sacred river, it was full of waste and pollution. Hence, the young people, not having any previous memory of beautiful scenery, had quite a bad relationship with the river. They avoided it and consequently did not care for its protection.
Therefore the program's goal was to change their point of view with the power of visioning. They first asked what was the best experience youngsters had in nature. The participants often shared memories of the Himalayan mountain. Then they were asked to imagine: what if you could feel the same for the Bagmati river?
The river became the place of every dream (community's activities, meditation, sport). The assumption of what the river could be changed drastically.
Future of Bagmati, the summary of participants' visions:
1. Clean, green, magical, beautiful Bagmati in ten years, where people can meditate, exercise or simply view the scenic beauty of nature along with different flora and fauna in the water and basin area.
2. Systematic and sustainable developmental plans: With water treatment plants, proper disposal of sewage from the nearby houses, planned urbanization, development of parks, boating services and so on.
3. Saving Bagmati is shaping our bright future and Bagmati is our national property.
After this step, the ground was fertile for young people to be engaged in the protection of the ecosystem and gain agency in their environment. They were really motivated to improve the conditions and participate in building the Bagmati of their dream. Their engagements were significant and the impacts were visible.
"I want to share the experience when I led a few of my friends to make a group and start cleaning the jungle near our community. The high point was that I realized how I can be the leader of change."
The soul of the country, Bagmati is our pride
To conclude this exploration of the project, we invite you to immerse yourself in a poem written during the workshops.
"The mountains are smiling and sitting with sweet water. Nature is rejoicing with joy and playing with fresh leaves. The trees are dancing to the tune of the wind's flute. Lucky people are getting to live in this nature that is like heaven.
The sweet sounds of the wind make me laugh. The mountains know what I like. The trickle of water from the sky delights my heart. The harmony of animals and birds reminds me of sweet moments with nature.
The clear, clear water of our Bagmati River, the waves of the open sky above it, and our souls are many centuries old.
To drink the sweet water of the Bagmati, even today my heart celebrates it. My hands greet the clear waters of the Bagmati River, which are like heaven.
Just as the Bagmati River fills our soul, our heart, and our sweetness, Radha Rani purifies the mind and makes the mind happy, and above all, pure water."
(translated from Nepali)