| 4 September 2010 |
| Indian YMCA recommends social networking sites for effective communication |
By Philip Mathew
BANGALORE, India (APEN) – A national ecumenical youth body has urged its members to network and communicate using modern technology.
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The youth body called its members to use social networking sites like Facebook, Orkoot, YouTube, Ebay and Twitter for collection and dissemination of information.
The 29-31 January consultation organized here by the National Council of YMCAs (National YMCA) in India said that the information technology and social networking sites “are sure to serve as enabling tools and supportive allies of the India of tomorrow with her burgeoning population and equally burgeoning GDP [Growth Domestic Product].”
The 1857-founded National YMCA in a press release noted that the consultation was being organized this year “which marks four decades of the Internet, 19 years of the World Wide Web, ten years of the king of the net, Google, and 60 years of the adoption of the Indian Constitution.”
One of the objectives of organizing the consultatio on the theme “Role of YMCA in communicating a new India,” was to share experiences and best practices, and to lay out a direction in communicating a “vibrant India of 1.03 million people across the length and breadth… through our 900 strong YMCAs.”
“Indian YMCA movement accords high priority to communication in general and dissemination of information and knowledge management in particular in this knowledge-based society of ours,” Mr Anjan Mukerji, YMCA’s national secretary for media and communication noted.
Dr George Varghese, a director of Prasar Bharathi and the treasurer of the National YMCA said that “Social networking is emerging as a major shaper of the future of the media industry.”
Making a presentation on the theme of the consultation, he said that the power of social networking is evident from the amount of time people spent on sites like Facebook.
Mr John Tomas, journalist, urged the YMCA members to accept and adopt new technology at all levels of their work.
“The facility of the world wide web is the most cost effective for all communication needs, he told the consultation, which was attended by some 100 participants from different YMCA in India.
Dr Mahesh Joshi, a media expert in his keynote speech noted that, “Every blog, twitter, facebook or websites available to you can become excellent tools in propagating the right message to right target groups.”
The consultation recommended the creation of national thin-tank “to enrich and equip the YMCA movement in India with clarity of vision and accuracy of ideas.”
It urged all local YMCAs to function as a resource and information centre to “effectively address social and other issues.”
The consultation called every YMCA to adopt Jesus Christ as the role model for effective communication with the world.
One of the recommendations of the consultation was to make the official website of the national YMCA more effective and communicative, and to update regularly with relevant information.
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