Touseef Raina from Baramulla selected to participate in top US programme
Srinagar, Feb 23: Touseef Raina has achieved the rare distinction of following in the footsteps of the late prime ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Indira Gandhi as a participant in one of the most prestigious programmes in the world for leaders of the future.
Raina, 28, is going to the US in March for the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) meant for those showing promise of political leadership.
Vajpayee and Indira Gandhi were among others who were chosen several decades ago.
The IVLP is the U.S. Government’s most prestigious professional programme for youth.
Raina is the director of the Think tank, Policy Institute of Jammu and Kashmir. He is a dynamic young change-maker with an outstanding record of shaping a positive, forward-looking cultural, social, and political milieu in Kashmir.
Raina is a socio-political activist from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district who launched and became the chairman of the NGO, Global Youth Foundation, when he was still a teenager. Under its auspices, he has engaged the youth of Kashmir in social and cultural programmes, and run campaigns against drugs, corruption, and human rights abuse.
During the next few weeks, Raina and other promising leaders from different parts of the world will meet political, social, and academic leaders in different parts of the US. They will spend most of the time in the US capital, Washington DC.
Raina says he intends to explore how enhancing the leadership skills, knowledge-base, and aspirations of the next generation can advance their civic engagement.
“I look forward to learning and growing. I am deeply humbled and excited to participate in this programme. It is a privilege,” Raina said.
This programme will facilitate his interaction with public, private, academic, religious, and gross-roots organisations to learn about best practices in responsible citizen activism and leadership, as well as educational and social strategies to prepare for positive civic engagement.
This programme will include volunteer activism, professional networking, and opportunities to share empowerment strategies. It aims to offer current and emerging international leaders the opportunity to experience the diversity of political, economic, social and cultural life in the US.
