HCL Foundation organized virtual ‘Yuva Mela 2022’ to celebrate the potential of youth on National Youth Day

Commemorating the Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, which is also observed as National Youth Day, HCL Foundation, the CSR arm of HCL Technologies organized a virtual event – ‘Yuva Mela 2022’. Swami Vivekananda was a great Indian philosopher who had immense faith in the potential of youth for national transformation. In keeping with this spirit, the event was a celebration of the potential, agility, resilience, and contribution of the youth towards the national building agenda.
This virtual event brought together almost 1,000 young minds who are part of the various interventions supported by HCL Foundation, under its flagship programme, HCL Uday, across various locations of India. This included young scholars who have excelled in academics as well as sports, youth being trained in various trades across the ‘Yuvakendras’ (Skill Development Centres), young micro entrepreneurs and women part of the various HCLF supported SHGs. Various industry experts also participated in the event and conducted sessions on varied topics relevant to the youth.

Ms. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO, HCL Corporation, Chairperson, HCL Technologies and Chairperson of the CSR Board Committee joined the meet and motivated the youth of our nation. Ms. Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation, also addressed the youth and partners and acknowledged their contribution and achievements.

During the event, the beneficiaries participated in panel discussions with representatives from each sub-theme actively guiding young fellows to achieve their goals while contributing to national development. The objective was to create a learning and development platform for this conglomeration where they get to meet and interact with successful people from various industries and fields and feel inspired by their stories.
The event comprised of multiple Youth Development sessions which were organized by industry experts. These sessions focused on holistic development of future workforce and witnessed participation from Dr. Anagha Lavalekar, Director and Associate Professor, Jnana Prabodhini’s Institute of Psychology, Dr Arvind BA, Additional Professor, Centre for Public Health, NIMHANS, Mr. Tushar Malik, CEO – iWire Global (IoT), and Ms. Payal Randhawa, Founder/ Director – BWorks Communication & Advisory Services, among others
HCL Uday, under the Skill Development and Livelihoods vertical, works towards economic, social, and emotional empowerment of the youth such that they contribute meaningfully towards the larger nation building agenda. This is achieved through strategic interventions focused on employability, communication skills, vocational skills and life skills. HCL Uday also focuses on enabling linkages with Government social entitlement schemes for the youth, digital and financial literacy, life skills as well as holistic health and well-being for the young people.
The Skill Development & Livelihoods vertical has five sub-themes – Yuvakendra (Skill Development Centres), Women Empowerment, Social Entrepreneurship Incubation, Career Counselling and Strengthening Government Institutions. Under this vertical of HCL Uday, HCL Foundation has partnered with 54 highly skilled NGOs have supported the implementation and success of the programmes.
Through such meets, HCL Foundation hopes to develop a cohort of young fellows who are skilled in sectors that are highly in demand and relevant as per the economic and social landscape of the country.