I Society & Public Policy Seminar
19-21 November 2010
Don Bosco Specialised Training Institute Okhla, Delhi

I, Society & Public Policy (ISPP) Seminar was held from the 19-21 November 2010 at the Don Bosco Specialised Training Institute Okhla, Delhi. 30 students from all over India and Nepal participated with much enthusiasm. The participants were from prestigious colleges: St. Stephens, IIT Roorkee, NLS Patiala, JNU.

The first day started off with a welcoming breakfast, followed by a quick introductory session about Centre for Civil Society (CCS) by Manoj Mathew, Director of Programs, which also touched upon the expectations of the participants. The day went on to have very interesting sessions which were highly enjoyed by the participants. Some of these sessions were: Why is India Poor? by Dr Parth J Shah, President of Centre for Civil Society. Where he asked the participants, why they thought India was poor and helped students to understand the importance of economic freedom. The other session that took place was Who Am I?  It was conducted by Swati Chawla, lecturer at Kalindi College, Delhi. It allowed students to interact with each other and helped them in reflection for self-discovery. The day ended with two very interesting documentaries. The one of the documentaries touched upon important issue on the plight of rickshaw-pullers.

The students were greeted by Vikramjit Banerjee, lawyer at Supreme Court the next day. His perspectives on rule of law, Property and Torts, helped in breaking the many misconceptions that the participants had.  Naveen Manadava, CEO of Policy Innovations then gave a talk on Education. The session was very interactive and the participants had a great time giving, their inputs on education. The next session was idea’s through role plays that was conducted by Dr Parth Shah. Everyone was divided into 4 teams. Each team was given an issue which was enacted through a small skit. The session allowed the creativity of the participants to come out in its full glory. The day ended with an interesting documentary which highlighted the plight of sex workers.

The last day of the seminar started off with a session on environment. Manoj Mathew gave an insight into community ownership of natural resources. It was a fun filled 3 day residential seminar. The Seminar was a lovely mix of libertarian philosophy, understanding principles of sound public policy, learning through role plays and through interactive discussion at CCS Café, debates and documentaries. The seminar concluded with a graduation ceremony where the participants were presented with certificates and Ideas for Free Society CD.