Theme: Empower Youth to Build the Families They Want
Date: 11 July 2025 | Platform: Zoom
Organized by: Indian Association of Life Skills Education (IALSE) in collaboration with Family Planning Association of India, Smt. M.M.P. Shah Women’s College (Mumbai), and Shri M.D. Shah Mahila College (Mumbai)
About the Event
As part of the Voices of Life Lecture Series, IALSE hosted Lecture #2 to mark World Population Day 2025. The session focused on empowering youth through education, life skills, and access to reproductive health services to build responsible and sustainable families.
Highlights
- Welcome Remarks: Dr. Amitabh Seth emphasized awareness, reproductive health equity, and the role of education in empowering youth.
- Keynote by Dr. Deepa Sharma: Highlighted life skills such as empathy, decision-making, and critical thinking as vital for resisting social pressures. Stressed reproductive health, family planning, and gender equality as foundations for population stability.
- Presidential Address by Dr. A. Radhakrishnan Nair: Spoke on youth empowerment, sustainable resource management, and the importance of life skills in shaping informed family choices. He emphasized self-management skills and emotional intelligence as essential for future generations.
- Lecture by Dr. Rathnamala Desai (President, FPAI): Focused on healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies to reduce maternal and child health risks. Shared recommendations on delaying first pregnancy until 18, maintaining a 24-month gap after childbirth, and 6 months after miscarriage/abortion.
- Lecture by Dr. Kalpana Apte (Director General, FPAI): Discussed youth empowerment, demographic dividends, and the need for investments in health, education, employment, and gender equality to help youth shape sustainable futures.
Q&A Insights
- Male Contraception: Progress is slow but ongoing, with research on non-scalpel vasectomy and contraceptive gels.
- Awareness Programs: Recommended for age groups 10–14, 15–19, and 20–24, tailored to their developmental needs.
- Anonymous Platforms: FPAI prefers localized, language-specific counselling but is exploring digital interactive formats.
- Education Policy Gaps: Experts noted the exclusion of adolescent education in NEP 2020 and called for stronger advocacy to integrate life skills and reproductive health education.
Conclusion
The event underscored that empowering youth with life skills, reproductive health awareness, and equal opportunities is essential for sustainable population management. It also emphasized the need for stronger collaborations between educators, policymakers, and communities to build supportive ecosystems for young people.