INTRODUCTION 

The United Nations adopted the ‘Youth 2030’ Strategy on 24th September 2018.  Today’s world consists of 1.8 billion Youth between the ages of 15-24 and nearly  ninety percent of the Youth are living in developing nations (UN Youth Strategy 2030).  Young people are significant and dynamic contributors to local and global economic  and social development. They co-create powerful communities by connecting key  stakeholders with innovative strategies, which is promoting positive Youth-led social  change across the world. The central pledge of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable  Development is to ensure that “no one will be left behind.” At the same time, Youth are  significantly affected by Mental Health Issues, social exclusion, discrimination, and  violence across the globe, particularly Youth from marginalized sections of society. 

 YOUTH IN INDIA 

India is one of the highly populated countries in the world, especially which  consists of young people as its majority. India is prepared to become the youngest  country in the world by 2020 (Francis, Gross, Quint, & The, 2013). In India, 27.5%  of the population is Youth in the age group of 15-29 years, and 67.5% of the Indian  population lives in rural and semi-urban areas (The National Youth Policy, 2014). India  plays a vital role in the local and global economy with the highest number of young  human resources. After the COVID-19 global pandemic, the lives and livelihood of the  Youth population have been severely affected and it impacts their Mental Health and  wellbeing. These global health and socio-economic factors increasing suicidality,  unemployment, the digital divide in education, and lower civic engagement as threats  and challenges in the context of Youth Mental Health. Suicide is the second leading  cause of Youth mortality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several Youth suicide cases  have been reported on the news outlets. This situation creates a critical need for  collective action. As a responsible Youth-led organization, TYCL-India took initiative in association with the Department of Social Work, Pondicherry University for  collective academic discussion and exploring needs for strategic action and policy  recommendations. This National e-conference aims to bring all the key-stakeholders  of Youth development and Mental Health to reflect, connect, and act on the Youth  wellbeing to overcome the ongoing Mental Health crisis in India. 

 OBJECTIVES 

• To create a multi-stakeholder knowledge-sharing platform to critically discuss Youth livelihood and Mental Health challenges during the global pandemic and economic crisis in India. 

• To explore the best practices, Youth development models, and strategic actions to strengthen Youth Mental Health initiatives in India. 

• To promote interdisciplinary collaborative research, Youth-led community action, and policy recommendations to ensure inclusive Youth wellbeing in India. 

 THEME 

The National e-conference invites academic and practice papers on the theme of  “Youth life, livelihood, and Mental Health in India.” In relation to the seminar theme,  papers will be considered in any of the following sub-themes: 

• Youth Unemployment and Mental Health Problems
• Emerging Technologies, Social Media and Youth Wellbeing 
• Intersectionality of Caste, Gender, and Sexuality in Youth Mental Health
• Life and Livelihood of Youth with Disability and Mental Health
•  Life and Livelihood of LGBTQA+ Youth and Mental Health

• Socio-economic Determinants of Youth Mental Health in India • Stakeholders’ Responsibilities in Youth Mental Health
• Youth-led Community Action in Mental Health
• Creative Arts in Youth Mental Health
• Youth Mental Health and Spirituality
• Role of NGOs and CBOs in Mental Health Services  
• Policy and Program Reviews of Youth Mental Health in India FORMAT

This National e-conference will be structured in the following sessions: 

• Inauguration
• Opening session: Expert Panel
• Parallel Practice Presentations
• Youth Voice Panel: (Youth Leaders from across the country share their best practices) • Parallel Academic Research Presentations
• Closing Ceremony

 PARTICIPANTS 

The participants of the National e-conference will include: 

• Students and researchers working on Youth wellbeing
• Youth welfare/development academicians from across India • Regional, National, and local Youth-led organizations working with/for Youth • Policymakers and legislators
• Members of Youth movements/campaigns
• Youth Mental Health workers in government and non-government programs • Youth investors and philanthropists

 CERTIFICATION & PUBLICATION 

• All the registered participants will receive e-certificate and registered authors and presenters will receive custom-made e-certificate for their presentation and  publication.  
• 100 research articles will be accepted. 20 high-quality peer-reviewed articles will be published as a book with ISBN. 

 GUIDELINES FOR PAPER SUBMISSION 

The abstract should be written in English and typed in Microsoft Word in Times New Roman 12-point font with 1.5-line spacing, not exceeding 250 words. APA-6th  edition style should be followed for writing and citing the references. The name of  the author(s), designation, institutional affiliation, full postal address, phone number,  email ID & Abstracts should be submitted on or before 31st December 2020.To  submit the abstracts Click Here. The e-conference core committee will review the  submitted abstracts and the selected abstracts will be communicated to the authors  on or before 10th January 2020. The full paper of the selected abstracts with 5000  words should be submitted on or before 20th January 2021.The acceptance of full  papers will be communicated by the core committee on or before 30th January 2021. 

The Selected papers should be submitted and the registration should be done on or  before 05th February 2021.The selected papers will be published as an edited book  with ISBN.

• Last Date for Submission of Abstracts : 31th December 2020

• Notification of Selected Abstracts : 10th January 2020

• Last Date for Submission of Full Papers : 20th January 2021

• Notification of Selected Papers : 30th January 2021

• Last Date for Registration : 05th February 2021

• E-Conference Date : 12th February 2021

 CONFERENCE VENUE 

The e-conference will be organized via the Zoom platform. All the registered  participants will receive the meeting link/ID and password after registration of the  e-conference 

 REGISTRATION 

• Rs.500/- for academicians, NGOs, research institutions, and others from India.
• Rs.200/- for students and research scholars from India. 

All the registration fees should be paid in the name of Trust for Youth and Child  Leadership (TYCL) by cheque/DD or online payment via the TYCL donate page.  Please send the selected papers and copy of the payment details  to conference@tycl.org.in 

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK, SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES   AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY 

The Department of Social work, School of Social Sciences and International  Studies, Pondicherry University was established in October 2007, the Department’s  vision is to become a leading institution for innovative, interdisciplinary approaches  in educating social work practitioners and scholars, conducting research, and  serving as a catalyst for positive social transformation. The MSW programme  offers specializations in Community Development, Human Resource Management  and Medical & Psychiatric Social Work. Apart from classroom teaching, the MSW  students shall undergo concurrent and block fieldwork in various government and  non-government organizations, industries and hospitals. This practical training  enables the students to acquire professional social work skills, values and ethics. 

 TYCL 

Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL) is a Youth-led, non-profit organization  based in Puducherry, India. TYCL is an organization with “Special Consultative Status”  from the Economic and Social Council, United Nations since 2018. TYCL aims to  bring positive change in Youth, children, and their community through safe, inclusive, participative, and innovative leadership models. TYCL is working towards zero Youth  suicide in Puducherry by 2030. 

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

PATRONS: 

Prof. Gurmeet Singh, 

Vice Chancellor, Pondicherry University 

Prof. S. Balakrishnan, 

Director (SEI & RR), Pondicherry University 

Prof. Rajeev Jain, 

Director (C&CR), Pondicherry University 

Dr. B. Chitra, 

Registrar (i/c), Pondicherry University 

Dr. Amaresh Samantaraya, 

Finance Officer (i/c), Pondicherry University 

Prof. P. Moorthy, 

Dean, School of Social Sciences and  International Studies, Pondicherry University 

 CONFERENCE CHAIR: 

Prof. R. Nalini, 

Head, Dept. of Social Work, Pondicherry University 

Dr. Siva Mathiyazhagan, 

Founder, Trust for Youth and Child  Leadership 

 CONFERENCE ORGANISING   SECRETARIES: 

Prof. A. Shahin Sultana, 

Dept. of Social Work, 

Pondicherry University 

Mr. G. Rasaiya, 

Associate Director, Trust for Youth and Child Leadership 

CONFERENCE ORGANISING COMMITTEE: 

Dr. R. Nalini, Professor 

Dr. A. Shahin Sultana, Professor 

Dr. K. Anbu, Associate Professor 

Dr. C. Satheesh Kumar, Assistant Professor Dr. P. B. Shankar Narayan, Assistant Professor Dr. Iftekhar Alam, Assistant Professor Dr. M. Elamurugu (Guest Faculty) 

Mr. R. Suresh Krishna, Director, Administration & Operations Mr. R. Saravanan, Director, Technology Advancement Mr. F. Francis Kulandai Raj, Board Member, TYCL Ms. A. Anitha, Co-ordinator Youth Helpline, TYCL Ms. M. Keerthana, Co-ordinator Programs, TYCL Mx. R. Saarika, Office Manager, TYCL 

Mr. S. Surath Kumar, Co-ordinator Multimedia, TYCL Ms. P. Yuvayazhini, Co-ordinator RDD,TYCL 

FOR FURTHER DETAILS : Email: conference@tycl.org.in / Contact: +91 90427 96535