Kerala Youth Leadership Academy
General Administration Department Government of Kerala
PRISM
Kerala Youth Leadership Academy (KYLA) is a very unique and newest institution incubated by the Government of Kerala, under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Chief Minister (Ref 1). It is a potentially growing institute in the State with myriad opportunities for the youth to nurture leadership and propel a catalytic social change. The Government have accorded sanction to one of the unique programs of KYLA, namely, PRISM – to declare all campuses as LGBT+ and Disability Freedom Zones with an ultimate aim to transform into Happy Campuses.
Initially, there will be 2 sets of activities under PRISM:
- SOGIESC and Disability Inclusion Workshop
- Setting up of Inclusion Cell
What is PRISM - SOGI and Disability Inclusion Workshop?
According to clause 3j of Curbing the menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions (third amendment), Regulations, 2016 (Ref 2), UGC has in-principle accepted bullying and exclusion as forms of ragging and also, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) as grounds for institutionalized ragging. As per the UGC Notice cited in Ref 3, the then UGC Secretary had requested all Higher Education Institutions across the country to conduct Anti-Ragging Workshops.
A direct jump into Anti-Ragging Workshops might take a different league. Rather, Higher Education Institutions should take this as an opportunity to learn and embrace inclusivity and thereby understand historical wrongdoings. Gender, sexuality and disability have always been associated with myths and misconceptions. Debunking and uprooting those myths would inculcate inclusivity and embracing diversity.
Ignorance has contributed to the discrimination, bullying and exclusion of LGBT+ students, while sympathy towards disabled students has contributed to the feeling of being less-abled among others. Hence, it is utmost necessary to conduct inclusion workshops to sensitise the student, teaching and non-teaching communities in all colleges to have an idea about inclusivity and its relevance in promoting freedom, mental health and creativity.