India's true power lies in the hands of its youth: Suresh Raina at UN event

On the occasion of International Volunteer Day, mandated by the UN General Assembly,held on December 5 every year, hundreds of people gathered for the National Conferencewhich included speeches by Suresh Raina, Asit Singh, Kamal Kishore Ritesh Mehta, Head of Programmes, India, South and Central Asia, Facebook, and Ankit Kwatra, Founder, Feeding India.

“India’s true power lies in the hands of its youth. Believe in yourself. You have the power to change the entire country,” said Suresh Raina, member of the Indian Cricket team, while addressing a gathering of over 500 young boys and girls at the National Conference on International Volunteer Day, 2017.

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The International Volunteer Day (IVD) was designated by the United Nations in 1985 as an international observance day to celebrate the power and potential of volunteerism - the theme this year was "Volunteers Act First".

The theme was adopted to highlight the important part played by volunteers during times of crisis and forgetting about their health and security risks. Over a billion people around the world participate each year - almost 100 just from India, however, their efforts are not widely acknowledged.

“Volunteering is a part of Indian culture. The Government of India has always relied on these volunteers, and they have been important partners in all kinds of nation-building activities” said Asit Singh, Joint Secretary (Youth Affairs), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of India. "We are committed to extending all possible support to the volunteers in their quest," he promised.

Kamal Kishore, member of the National Disaster Management Authority of India congratulated students and volunteers on IVD 2017. "In India and across the world, disasters have been successfully managed not because of the work of government bodies and scientific institutions, but because of the dedication and commitment of volunteers," he said.