With over 40 percent of population in younger age, Nepal has a huge potential to achieve high growth. However, this is only possible if the youth are given right perspective and opportunity.

At a time when Nepal government is in desperate need to train the youth, US Ambassador to Nepal Alaina B Teplitz opened a three-day orientation of a new group of Youth Council.

“The council was a mechanism to partner with emerging young leaders to address shared challenges,” said ambassador Teplitz. “The United States is committed to providing opportunity for young people to ensure they are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also change agents today. We stand ready to help unleash your true potential and to create a more prosperous and secure future for Nepal, and the world.”

Elaborating the power of entrepreneurship, she said, “So many of you can have an idea, you build a team and work to turn that into reality, and you launch products and companies and entire industries that can help transform your society, nation and the world.”

Every year the US embassy selects a group of young Nepalis to be the members of the Youth Council that was established with two main objectives to inform the embassy about the challenges young Nepalese face and ways to address them, and to encourage participation of council members in their communities and the larger civil society.

As the embassy aims to support Nepal’s efforts to complete the peace process and to institutionalise democratic procedures, human rights protections, and the rule of law to create stability, peace, and prosperity, the mission is also aimed at promoting sustainable economic growth in Nepal to reduce poverty, improve standard of living and enhance cooperation on disaster reduction/response, she added.

The council is funded by Public Affairs Section of the US embassy and is managed by Daayitwa, a youth-led NGO.

Organised by the Embassy of the United States of America, fifty Nepali youths from diverse backgrounds participated in a three-day orientation program. The participants were the newly selected members of US Embassy Youth Council (USYC) for the 2016-2017.  Renowned personalities like popular Nepali actor Rajesh Hamal and surgeon Bhagwan Koirala were also in the list of speakers.

According to the US Embassy, the main aim of the USYC program is to identify and address the challenges faced by Nepali youths, and to encourage the council members to be change makers in their own communities.