Youth Council is an assembly of wilful young members aged fifteen to twenty five of the target groups, who volunteer their energy in committing a resolute journey for growing abilities and to create better cause for common good over the self-interest alone.

SPAN facilitates in developing the council. Council means a cabinet of willing and capable youth; who will work on enhancing their ability to challenge and create a better cause to effect a change.

It is a platform to encourage and support potential youth to achieve their fullest potential, and by doing so they will create the example first to encourage others. Members in Council should have the willingness to exercise and translate their fullest effort and become truly a CM (Change-maker).

Council is perceived to be a smaller group of young people assembled with a purposed and shared responsibilities.

Towards reducing the causes of the vulnerabilities, and to inculcate knowledge, attitude, and the right wisdom for a change in the perspective of education, economic opportunities, employment, climate and sustainability, peace, and justice, gender equality and SDG; several councils may be engaged to spearhead an enabling situation.

Youth Council Formation

Members in Council should have the willingness to exercise and translate their fullest effort and become truly a CM (Change-maker).

Seven to fifteen members are mobilized in a particular community and get involved creating a better cause, is known to be the Youth Council. Several such councils could evolve out of the process in a particular community, depending upon the size of the population and severity of the causes. Members will volunteer to file their interest in opting for the responsibilities e.g. Convener, Secretariat (2 members) and a Working Group (4 members).

The council of children is primarily to highlight the right of the children to express, be heard and participate as today’s citizen.

This helps children to remain safe, protected, advance and learn in any atmosphere, however difficult it could be, as one can imagine.

So, SPAN insist children to form their group, which they cherish, be it in school or in community.

SPAN ensures all children to be informed adequately so that they could recognise what is good for them and their friend and what is not! Alongside the children are pursued about their academic performances. The platform also keeps an watchful eye on very member so that they stay safe and secured.

Article 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as “every human being below the age of eighteen years”. The Convention transforms children from passive object to active agents of rights. It demands that their views be considered and given due importance.

Adhering the same SPAN thus ensure the platform for children to learn, speak and to be heard, which enables them to participate in the governance, provide them an opportunity to become the proponents of their own rights, and make  responsible citizens motivated to uphold their rights to survive, develop and be protected.

Narishakti (Women Council) is platform women, irrespective of caste, creed, and community, who are industrious to change her life situation and in the process become role model for others.   This platform offer women range of economic and social options along with necessary support measures to enhance their capabilities.

Woman is the key stakeholder in the family and when she is required to contribute to family income and household chores, her incompetence prove to be the greater challenge to tide over her misery and poverty in terms of managing households in every aspect. Moreover, she bears all the brunt of patriarchal society, and it becomes more, when her social, cultural, and economic position are almost at the bottom.

Women would be better equipped with information, education, training, and skill, and become better human being with qualification, dignity, and better control over her own life.

Their contribution to socio-economic development as producers and workers are often not recognised in the formal or informal sectors (including the home-based works).

Hence, the platform would certainly advocate for observing the minimum wage, equal wage for the same work, all such entitlements related to labour code bill, and dignity relating to her employment and working conditions. Feminisation of poverty, increased gender
inequality through often deteriorating working conditions and unsafe working environment are some such concerns towards more women joining the labour force.

Nari Sakti provides comprehensive support in terms of labour legislation, social security, and other support services to participate in various work sectors.

Women are adequately trained and informed to participate in the Governance.

PHULJHURI is the Creche Program for the children of 6 months - 3 Years of age group from the families where parents particularly mothers are engaged as informal workers and deprived from creche facilities for their children either from the employers of the government. SPAN runs 3 Creches for 90 children of tea garden labourers Kilkotte, Kalagatti and Washabari Tea gardens of Jalpaiguri District. These creches are organised in collaboration with respective Tea Garden Management. SPAN also Run 1 Creche at New Town, Kolkata for 20  children of urban informal labourers in collaboration with NKDA.

Gender based division of work assigns mothers, and in her absence other female members of the household, the responsibility of childcare. As a result, women, especially the poor and marginalized ones, bear the triple burden of housework, care work and paid work. Towards operationalizing the women led development SPAN runs these crèches in its operational area particularly in Jalpaiguri Tea Gardens  and Newtown Rajarhat, Kolkata.

Each of the creches under PHULJHURI Program have trained caregivers and teachers who provides following services to the children and parents for their optimum development.

1. Nutrition support
   • Providing meals 3 times a day (Breakfast, Lunch and evening snacks).
   • Children below normal grade are provided extra diet.
2. Health & Safety Measure
   • Monthly Doctor’s checkup and further interventions as advised by the Doctor.
   • Height weight monitoring and health card maintenance.
   • Capacitating with parents regarding hygeine and healthy habits.
   • Immunization tracking as per age.
   • Maintaining food chart.
3. Educational – Theme and Curriculum based Learning
   • Creche :- Khelpitara and other physical activities , cultural activities like music and dance.
   • Balwadi :- Me and my family, My family and house, domestic animal, wild animal, bird, plant, cultural activities like music and dance.
4. Community engagement & Parental Environment 
   • Regular FGD and meetings with parents,
   • Taking care of pregnant mothers.
   • Administering polio and other vaccines.
   • Days observation including parents.
   • 'Sathi Samuha' meeting.
   • Involved the parents with the help of youth volunteers in decorating the center.

SPAN could able to engage 10 Youth leaders who identified 182 child labourers from 6 Wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Youth leaders through regular educational sessions with identified child labourer could ensure regular school attendance of 129 child labourers. Youth and women councils are in process of formulation in these slums while the local schools are also connected with the process through conducting Jeevan Path sessions.

SPAN also have taken joint initiative with District Child Protection Unit of Kolkata to form Ward level Child Protection committees in 9 wards of Kolkata Municipal corporation.

Sensitization and awareness on prevention of child labour was  organised at community, local schools and with local citizen forum.

SPAN developed a community based child protection System in 5 Tea Gardens of Batabari 1 No GP of Matiali Block of Jalpaiguri district with the help of local Youth Councils and Woment Councils. The local Women and youth council could identify 400  cases of child trafficking in last 5 Years in 80 percent of cases they were able to push forward the process of rescue, rehabilitation and follow up.

Local Youth councils and selected 25 youth leaders were oriented and trained on the issue of child protection and state child protection system. They have taken lead role in formation of Village Level Child Protection Committees in different villages. They are in process of regular tracking of children through JEEVAN-PATH sessions in schools and children group Sessions.

SPAN is focussing on facilitating leadership among local youth and women in every villages of its operational area through formation of Youth and women councils. Selected Youth council leaders are mobilised and trained as CHILD RIGHTS DEFENDERS. Child Right Defenders are capacitated on the functional and operational areas of state child protection system which includes Integrated Child Protection System / Mission Vatsalya and all its local level provisions and services.

Child Rights Defenders along with local youth councils organise orientation of school Teachers, Students, Panchayat members, Village/Ward Child Protection Committees on the issue of Child Protection.

Child rights defenders regularly track the children of their respective villages through Home visit, JEEVAN-PATH sessions in schools, PATH-O-CHAKRA sessions in school, and Children Group/Child Club Meeting at Schools and community. Information or identification of the cases of Child Labour, Missing children, Child Abuse, Child Marriage is done through this process.

Village or Ward level Child Protection committee or Panchayat/Municipal Counsellor are informed about the cases of unprotected children by the Child Rights Defender and the case take on immediately for further rescue and rehabilitation action.
The Police, Block Welfare Officer, School Teachers are informed about the cases as per requirement
to take necessary action. The local youth councils through Child rights defenders follow up the cases.