Youth
Special Olympics (SO) has a wonderful relation with LCI. AP has been witness to the signing of the pact between LCINSO when he served on the international board. In ISAAME, AP organised the first long-standing MOU between his MD and SO to continue to support the programs for reaching out to the special children.
This support continues till date, and has been extended to cover the Inclusion project of SO as well.
In association with Sukriti foundation, with the involvement of AP, LCI supported expeditions of physically challenged individuals through difficult terrains to demonstrate that they are differently abled. These expeditions were converted into documentaries, which won more than 20 awards at international film festivals. We believe this would be the first time any lions film with a social message would have been recognised at international film festivals. These events were widely recognised by the top ranking government officials, past presidents of LCI and Consul Generals of various countries in India.
The partnership with Sukriti Foundation also included training of children in the slums of eastern India to unearth their painting skills. Some of the children turned out to be such prodigies that their paintings were auctioned in just a day, and one past president of LCI was almost in tears at such an event, and obtained a painting which continued to occupy a place of pride in his office.
In order to promote international understanding among the youth of the world, AP has worked closely with Calcutta Debating Circle to organise debates between young adults from some of the top universities of the world, including those from Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, and Florida.