What kind of youth-related issues are you going to deal with at YES!+?
We found that, neither in the educational system, nor in the standard interventions are the primary issues of the youth being catered to. There are certain issues that have to be tackled at that age. They cannot be tackled before or after. So YES!+ essentially evolved as a way to introduce AOL techniques (to the youth). But at the same time it takes input from the brightest cross-section of students from across the country in order to address their specific needs. So then it involves everything from career choices, to relationships, to peer pressure, 'parent management'. We take the approach of presenting the issues as challenges. There are some things all of us have to deal with. So, we ask the students:
a) what is your approach going to be and here are some alternatives.
b) Here are some tools and techniques to help and guide you through.

YES!+ is a 7 day course, so will this be enough to make a profound impression, or will the participants have to do something to maintain the momentum?
In those 7 days, there is a profound transformation. It's not just a psychological or an ideological thing. The beauty about understanding the link between body, breath, mind and consciousness is that the breath makes it very experiential. So you'll go through processes that will help you see that. Your body can be energized by some simple breathing techniques 10 minutes a day. Your mind can be brought completely into focus for the present moment by say another 5-10 minutes a day of another technique. Then a little bit of meditation and an introduction to see what is possible. There is some area of stillness within each of us, which is the source of all creativity, so for youngsters this experience is very tangible and very profound. They have come back and told us that this is something we always thought was inside us but nobody told us it's there.

Can you illustrate one activity at YES!+, how you will be dealing with a particular issue?
Firstly, I'll give you an example of a 12th standard student. This student wants to focus on his exams. Everyone tells him not to be nervous, concentrate, and to do his studies. But nobody tells him how. But there is a process and it can be easily learnt. Through proper breathing concentration becomes easy. So if I describe to you the scenario and ask how many of you have experienced it, then 80-90% of them are going to raise their hands. Even something like anger, lust, jealousy or lack of confidence in social interactions (can be overcome). Everyday we focus on 2 or 3 of these issues. The second thing is that the accumulated stress also adds up. For e.g. you have a break-up. In time you come to terms with it. At one level you are fine, you've moved on, you've learnt from the experience. But physically, all these stresses and traumas don't go away but they percolate down to the physical body at the cellular level in the form of toxins and they stay there. So nobody ever gives you a chance to flush that out.

Download Yes Course Form 2008 | Listing of Colleges and Universities | Youth Empowerment Seminar Plus ( YES!+) Frequently Asked Questions