ASIAN
YOUTH CONFERENCE DEBATES MEDIA, CAREER & CHARITY
(25 September 2004)
 This
year's Asian Youth Conference, held on Saturday 25 September 2004
at the House of Commons, was organised by Asian Voice newspaper
and focussed on the issues of Media Representation of Asians, Modern
Asian Culture and its effects on British Society, the effect of
glass ceilings on Asian Entrepreneurship, career progression and
the route to 'Sewa' (charitable works) for young Asians. Publisher
of 'Asian Voice', C B Patel opened the conference with a brief introduction
to his 30 year career in ethnic publishing.
He
was followed by Sunny Hundal of Asiansinmedia.org, who outlined
career paths for Asians looking to enter the media industry. "This
industry is not based on conventional career paths, so look for
breaks to work your way up the ladder" he advised. Young Asians
were told to learn how to "pitch ideas to editors and programme
makers" and how to present themselves. Sunny further warned
against trying to represent the Asian community, saying that it
was best to "just represent yourself". The Q&A session
on the representation of Asians in Media focussed on issues about
whether Asians should integrate more into the mainstream and whether
there was a need for ethnic media at all!
 Sudha
Buchar, co-founder of Tamasha Theatre Company, moved the discussion
onto Asian Arts. In a stirring speech she outlined how "surya
namaskars" and kurta bikinis have now come into the mainstream.
She described how Tamasha's theatrical work has become the "cultural
barometer" by which other plays are now being measured. She
labelled this a cultural zeitgeist. Tamasha's future works will
include 'White Mughals', based on a book of the same name by William
Dalyrymple and a new play based on Rohinton Mistry's 'A Fine Balance'.
 Mira
Kaushik of Akademi picked up on the cultural zeitgeist theme and
went on to say that every three years her dance company goes through
a process of reorganisation and reinvention. Describing herself
as a "mature potted plant" transplanted from her native
land, she drew out the differences she has seen from her start in
the UK to the present day.
Keith
Vaz MP, fresh from voting in the chamber, introduced the afternoon
session and said to the gathered group "the doors are truly
open for you. Asian Youth have fantastic opportunities to fulfil
their expectations" and he urged those present to "learn
to ask for things that will help them progress further."
 In
the session on how to shatter "Glass Ceilings", Karan
Bilimoria of Cobra Beer spoke of how the impetus for his business
came from the belief that he would never be able to break the barrier
to reach the highest position in corporate Britain. "Integrate
into your community the best you can, but never forget your roots",
he advised. His tips for how to establish a successful business
venture like Cobra Beer included: research your market, improve
on a service, invest in your people and approach your idea with
passion and commitment.
 Parminder
Vir took up the mantra of passion by describing her own career path
and how she has challenged the perceptions people may have held
about her. She said "nobody can put a glass ceiling on your
passion. If you have a real fire in your belly about an idea, then
you need to carry it through". She advised conference participants
to "manage their own glass ceiling". Her tips included:
planning your career path, seeking out help, networking and creating
your own opportunities.
 The
last session of the conference covered voluntary work and the charity
sector. Madhav Chavan of Pratham outlined the changes in Indian
society and the concept of "sewa". Pratham, a learning
charity, that started ten years ago,works with Government and NGO's
in delivering learning models for Indian children. He explained
that nearly 60 million children are out of school in India and the
desperate need the nation has to improve basic reading and writing
skills for these children. He spoke about being a "catalyst
for change in illiteracy" in India.
 Sachin
Nandha, of Indicorp echoed this theme by stating that charitable
works should be undertaken in a holistic manner. He believes that
charity is bi-directional with those giving actually receiving as
much in return. Indicorp began in Texas in 2001 and aims to "reconnect
people of Indian origin back to India though a 12 month structured
program". It has placed 20 fellows from USA & Canada in
India and claims that that process helped participants "discover
their Indian identities through service". Indicorp in the UK
currently has a team of 5 people looking for British Asian participants.
"They who shall learn to serve their people, India shall recognise
them", Sachin ended.
The
Asian Youth Conference 2004 ended with Keith Vaz thanking all the
participants, organisers and speakers and urging young Asians to
seek new role models and to participate actively in the wider political
community in Britain.
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ASIAN
YOUTH CONFERENCE 2004 - IMAGE GALLERY
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Click
here for the Asian
Youth Conference Programme.
Click here for speaker
biographies.
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