Nehru Yuva Kendras were established in the year 1972 with the objective of providing rural youth avenues to take part in the process of nation-building as well as providing opportunities for the development of their personality and skills.
In the year 1987-88, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan(NYKS) was set up as an autonomous organization under the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, to oversee the working of these Kendras. NYKS is the largest grassroots-level youth organization; one of its kind in the world. It channelizes the power of youth on the principles of voluntarism, self-help and community participation.
Over the years, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan has established a network of youth clubs in villages, where Nehru Yuva Kendras have been set up. NYKS has targeted to identify areas of harnessing youth power for development by forming Youth Clubs, which are village-level voluntary action groups of youth at the grassroots level to involve them in nation-building activities. The core strength of NYKS lies in its network of youth clubs. Youth Clubs are village-based organizations working for community development and youth empowerment.
The basic objective for the creation of youth clubs is to render community support through developmental initiatives involving activities with a particular focus on youth empowerment. The implementation of programmes and activities of youth clubs is based on local needs and requirements by mobilizing resources from various government departments and other agencies, which include both national, State level and multilateral institutions. The youth clubs and its member volunteers form the base of the NYKS’s vast national rural network.
