What is the Nepal of our dreams and is it possible?

Duration: 30 – 45 mins (there’s no option between 20 mins and 1 hour)

I don’t want to preach, but want to start a discussion. I don’t have the answers to the questions I am asking- I’ll try to find them together with you. Instead of blaming politicians and administrators, I want to be critical about other actors of our society and discuss about them.

Requests to participants: Please leave your pre-conceived notions at home and come with a free mind. I would emphasize the importance of “Critical Thinking,” so, an open-ended and a free-flowing discussion would really be very helpful.
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Development and progress always remain to be the priorities of societies. Nepal has seen several attempts to achieve them, but the results seem to be only modest. We are a small country not only in terms of area, but also in terms of the economy. But, as the world’s 40th most populous country, of which about a half are youths, maybe there is a need for a change of attitude?

I will talk about my personal observation about where we, the young Nepalese, stand as a society. What are our qualities and shortcomings? What are the similarities/differences between us and the other small, poor or land-locked countries?

Then I will divulge into a few selected topics. Why is critical thinking important, and if our society practices it? Is there some role for the youths like you and me, and can we really do something that can bring about some change?

In the first part of my session, I will give my perspective on these issues. In the second part, I will raise questions for discussions. I also plan to conduct an informal survey and try to spot possible solutions.

Can we be hopeful? How?