Young leader going places
Hindu Council of New Zealand has been identifying and promoting young and upcoming leaders in New Zealand community.
Pritika Sharma, joint General Secretary of Hindu Council of New Zealand and the co-ordinator of Hindu Youth Conference, was recently invited to attend the 5th annual 4-day Aspiring Leaders Forum on Faith and Values, which was held from 22 – 25th July 2010 in Wellington.
In October 2009, Ms Sharma represented New Zealand as part of the interfaith delegation to the 5th Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue in Perth, Australia.
Aspiring Leaders Forum brings together the brightest, most committed and courageous young leaders from all over New Zealand. The forum attempts to bridge the growing divide between the leaders and young people of our nation. The unique aspect is that participants are nominated by Mayors, Members of Parliament, universities and community leaders.
All delegates at the forum were identified for their outstanding leadership qualities. They were identified through the belief in them either by a community or an individual representing a community.
“It was an honour to be selected to be part of such an elite forum,” said Ms Sharma.
“The line up of distinguished speakers over four days proved to be very inspiring and motivational. Leadership is not an individual concept; it involves everyone around the leader,” she added.
The forum’s interactive sessions were aimed at bridging the gap between the ‘now’ and aspiring leaders. Delegates were placed in groups, ensuring that the groups were representative of various sectors to enable sharing of different viewpoints, experiences and perspectives. The small group interaction was equally valuable as insights from the experiences of the distinguished speakers were shared.
Ms Sharma draws her inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji never compromised on his Hindu values of truth, love and ahimsa (non-violence).
“Every aspect of Gandhiji’s life is uplifting to the soul, and helps change the society. Gandhiji’s fight against discrimination and equality for all human beings is remarkable and of particular interest to me,” said Ms Sharma.
Recognising the significance of people and family was a strong theme at the forum. Values of respect, honesty, integrity, humility and love imbibed by an individual through their family are universal, and form the basis of culture and values that shape a nation.
“It is impossible to separate values from leadership. I grew up in a Hindu family and am personally driven by Hindu values. The joy of selflessly giving to the community without any expectations constantly motivates me to continue the work I do,” Ms Sharma said.
Hindu Council of New Zealand plans many more programmes for the youth in coming years.
“We will organise the 2nd New Zealand Hindu Youth conference in Auckland, in May 2011 and Youth festival in Wellington in 2011,” said Dr Rajiv Chaturvedi, Public Relations and Media Spokesman of Hindu Council of New Zealand.
In Rotorua, youth from both Hindu and non-Hindu communities have been invited to be a part of and promote the Rotorua Deepawali Festival to be held on 2 October 2010, which also happens to be Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
“A primary focus of this year’s festival will be youth participation and leadership,” he added.
For more information about Hindu youth activities in New Zealand, please contact hinduyouth.nz@gmail.com
Hindu Council of New Zealand has been identifying and promoting young and upcoming leaders in New Zealand community. Pritika Sharma, joint General Secretary of Hindu Council of New Zealand and the co-ordinator of Hindu Youth Conference, was recently invited to attend the 5th annual 4-day Aspiring...
Hindu Council of New Zealand has been identifying and promoting young and upcoming leaders in New Zealand community.
Pritika Sharma, joint General Secretary of Hindu Council of New Zealand and the co-ordinator of Hindu Youth Conference, was recently invited to attend the 5th annual 4-day Aspiring Leaders Forum on Faith and Values, which was held from 22 – 25th July 2010 in Wellington.
In October 2009, Ms Sharma represented New Zealand as part of the interfaith delegation to the 5th Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue in Perth, Australia.
Aspiring Leaders Forum brings together the brightest, most committed and courageous young leaders from all over New Zealand. The forum attempts to bridge the growing divide between the leaders and young people of our nation. The unique aspect is that participants are nominated by Mayors, Members of Parliament, universities and community leaders.
All delegates at the forum were identified for their outstanding leadership qualities. They were identified through the belief in them either by a community or an individual representing a community.
“It was an honour to be selected to be part of such an elite forum,” said Ms Sharma.
“The line up of distinguished speakers over four days proved to be very inspiring and motivational. Leadership is not an individual concept; it involves everyone around the leader,” she added.
The forum’s interactive sessions were aimed at bridging the gap between the ‘now’ and aspiring leaders. Delegates were placed in groups, ensuring that the groups were representative of various sectors to enable sharing of different viewpoints, experiences and perspectives. The small group interaction was equally valuable as insights from the experiences of the distinguished speakers were shared.
Ms Sharma draws her inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji never compromised on his Hindu values of truth, love and ahimsa (non-violence).
“Every aspect of Gandhiji’s life is uplifting to the soul, and helps change the society. Gandhiji’s fight against discrimination and equality for all human beings is remarkable and of particular interest to me,” said Ms Sharma.
Recognising the significance of people and family was a strong theme at the forum. Values of respect, honesty, integrity, humility and love imbibed by an individual through their family are universal, and form the basis of culture and values that shape a nation.
“It is impossible to separate values from leadership. I grew up in a Hindu family and am personally driven by Hindu values. The joy of selflessly giving to the community without any expectations constantly motivates me to continue the work I do,” Ms Sharma said.
Hindu Council of New Zealand plans many more programmes for the youth in coming years.
“We will organise the 2nd New Zealand Hindu Youth conference in Auckland, in May 2011 and Youth festival in Wellington in 2011,” said Dr Rajiv Chaturvedi, Public Relations and Media Spokesman of Hindu Council of New Zealand.
In Rotorua, youth from both Hindu and non-Hindu communities have been invited to be a part of and promote the Rotorua Deepawali Festival to be held on 2 October 2010, which also happens to be Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
“A primary focus of this year’s festival will be youth participation and leadership,” he added.
For more information about Hindu youth activities in New Zealand, please contact hinduyouth.nz@gmail.com
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