Young minds root for health initiatives and innovations

Hyderabad: Recognising that young individuals are early users of technology, and are well-positioned to innovate, develop, and embrace technological solutions to address both traditional and emerging challenges, the Y20 emerged as a platform for them to exchange their ideas and experiences, as well as advocate for policies and programmes that promote the health and well-being of their peers.

The Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) and Research and Information System for Developing Countries, New Delhi have partnered to organise a brainstorming session on “Health, Wellbeing, and Sports: Agenda for Youth” as a part of the Y20, the official youth engagement group of the G20 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports at T Hub on Thursday.

The Y20 brainstorming session on health, wellbeing and sports served as a platform for the young achievers of Telangana to come together and discuss various aspects related to health and mental wellbeing. The session featured interactive expert talks followed by an hour of moderated brainstorming session to discuss on the following key themes:

♦ Promoting digital health infrastructure

♦ Improving physical and mental well-being through adoption of traditional medicine yoga

♦ Improving access to health financing for young citizens

♦ Strategies for prevention of substance abuse through sports and wellbeing programmes

♦ Promotion of indigenous sports

Dr Shanta Thoutam, Chief Innovation Officer of Telangana, heading TSIC said, “TSIC is always vocal about uplifting the youth and making them a part of the innovation ecosystem. Y20, one of the G20 initiatives, is getting together some of the prominent young people of Telangana who carved a niche for themselves in the areas of health, well-being and sports under one umbrella to brainstorm innovative ideas and advocate actionable policies in the discussed areas. The innovation ecosystem of the State has been a role model in recognising the abilities of youth and providing them with tailormade opportunities to connect with each other and further excel.”

The outcomes of the session will be compiled into a comprehensive report that will be presented to the Ministry of Youth affairs and Sports.

Ali Syed, Consultant for Y 20 from RIS said, “We are organising brainstorming sessions for youth across the country on environment, health, technology 4.0 and democracy and other important issues. These inputs from the youth are taken in developing the policy which will be presented at the G-20 proceedings in September. Also, mind is the engine which keeps the body running and being conscious about health is more important. The amount of youth and energy in India is exceptional and is a part of the great India story.”

Some of the ideas shared by these young individuals include:

♦ Raising awareness among college students about various health issues such as menstrual hygiene, stress, obesity, and eating disorders

♦ Propose the creation of a friendly Chatbot that serves as a reliable source of information and assistance for any related queries

♦ Enhancing physical and mental well-being by promoting the adoption of traditional medicine and yoga.

♦ Suggest building a community that supports and encourages the practice of yoga.

♦ Promoting inclusion and diversity in hospitals by ensuring proper representation of all communities among the healthcare workforce. This aims to create a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.

♦ Establishing a comprehensive health repository specifically tailored for sportspeople. This repository would serve as a centralised database for managing their health information and requirements.