Curriculums and Trainings

1. Child Protection and Participation Curriculum, in collaboration with UNICEF Bhutan and RENEW
2. Ethical Leadership and Mind Training Curriculum, in collaboration with Ingenious Faces
3. Passport to Success (PTS) Life Skills Curriculum, in collaboration with the International Youth Foundation
4. Reaching In, Reaching Out: Resilience Building Manual for Young People, in collaboration with UNICEF Bhutan, Save the Children, Royal Bhutan Police, and the Ministry of Health

Child Protection

Bhutan signed the United Nations Convention on Rights of Children on 4^th June 1990 and it was ratified on 1^st August 1990. Recognizing the importance of addressing the child protection through YDF’s work, the President, Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck and the Board of Directors endorsed the inclusion of Child Protection as a new core program under the YDF in 2011.

As a leading advocate of child rights in Bhutan’s civil society, the YDF seeks to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation and abuse of vulnerable children and youth through the provision of services.

The objectives of YDF’s Child Protection services are as follows:

1. Provide advocacy and capacity building on child rights, child abuse prevention, and more for stakeholders and society at large.
2. Refer vulnerable children and youth facing difficult circumstances to the relevant agencies and service providers.
3. Reintegrate and empower children and youth in difficult circumstances (children in conflict with the law, victims of abuse, etc.).

The YDF continues to take concrete action steps to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to develop their potential and thrive despite the difficult challenges they face in their lives.

Advocacy, Knowledge Management, and Policy

In partnership with the SAARC’s South Asian Initiative to End Violence Against Women and Children (SAIEVAC) and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, the YDF has produced several child protection and child rights videos, presentations, forum theatre performances, and other resources for various stakeholders to promote the cause of social justice for children and shape social policies for child rights.

Moreover, YDF conducts capacity building, systematic collection, and management of information with regards to child protection and stakeholder coordination in Bhutan. In 2015, the YDF convened Bhutan’s National Action and Coordinating Group (NACG) against Violence against Women and Children in close collaboration with the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC). YDF believes that the protection of children should not be a sole responsibility of a single agency but a shared community responsibility.

Children in Conflict with the Law

In 2013, the YDF started working with children in conflict with the law in collaboration with the Royal Bhutan Police (Youth Development and Rehabilitation Center) and Save the Children. A Tracer Study on Children in Conflict with the Law was conducted and recommendations on increasing childrens’ access to justice and reintegration were advocated for among key stakeholders in civil society and government.

Reintegration Fund: YDF also established an endowment fund to support the reintegration of children who came in conflict with the law after their release from the rehabilitation center through the provision of the following types of support:

1. Provision of basic educational scholarships to those children in conflict with the law who want to continue their studies after their release in the local schools near their community and family.
2. Provision of funding for vocational training to those who haven’t been to school and want to pursue a career using the identified vocational skill.

For more information, please contact: Ms. Roma Pradhan, Program Coordinator (327483/329135/17726016 – romapradhan@bhutanyouth.org)

Golden Youth Award Camp 

Every year, one student from class 10 is awarded the “Golden Youth Award,” an educational scholarship to pursue further studies, after a series of local and national competitions that provide opportunities for youth to develop their potential. The final Golden Youth Award Camp is conducted in Thimphu where 80 students from the 20 dzongkhags come together to participate, rewarding and empowering gifted youth through holistic activities.

Areas of focus

Participants of the camp participate in the following activities:

• Academic excellence
• Literary
• General Knowledge & IQ
• Talent display
• Games & sports
• Social service