The Power of Compassion: Inspiring a New Generation of Leaders

One of my dreams has been to see the youth of the world become the torchbearers and leaders of compassion, and as I reflect on the first ‘Compassion in Action’ Youth Retreat held at Bal Ashram in the last week of December, I am filled with hope and joy. This event brought together passionate young individuals who are dedicated to spreading the message of compassion.

A Beacon of Hope for the Future

The retreat was attended by five participants – Shreya, Shloka, Kian, Mila, and Sid – who travelled from various corners of the world to learn about the transformative power of compassion. They were joined by four of our youth leaders – Tara, Payal, Lalitha and Kalam.

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All the young people visited the Banjara Education Centre in Neemdi and one of the Bal Mitra Grams, ate delicious meals cooked by members of the communities, played with the children at the Ashram, had heartfelt conversations with them, danced to Rajasthani folk music and immersed themselves in the positive energy of the place.

Inspiring Stories of Compassion

Before the youngsters left for Bal Ashram, they all had a conversation with me over dinner in Delhi. These bright young people shared their inspiring stories, and I was convinced that they are a beacon of hope for the future.

Sid, an entrepreneur from the United States, narrated how his experience working with an orphanage in India solidified his resolve to help the most marginalised and vulnerable individuals. He told me that interacting with our youth leaders filled him with confidence. “I don’t have role models,” Sid remarked, “but Tara, Payal, Kalam, and Lalitha have become my role models.”

Adopted when he was six months old, Kian’s first visit to Bal Ashram during Holi a few years back sparked a powerful sense of responsibility and compassion. He connected deeply with the children at the Ashram, who, despite their traumas, welcomed him with open arms. “That was transformative for me and I yearned to come back,” said Kian, who works with an organisation dedicated to raising awareness about deepfake videos.

Witnessing her father face discrimination due to his Serbian roots, Mila became drawn to community service during college. She shared that she wants to contribute to social development in India.

Shreya expressed, “Meeting young leaders at the Youth Retreat who have defied the impossible left me in awe – children as young as eight and ten years ending child marriages, advocating for education and breaking cycles of child labour. Their courage and achievements are a lifetime’s worth of inspiration.”

Shloka, a law graduate who chose to pursue advocacy and research over legal practice, emphasised that India, with its diversity and evolving educational policies, can serve as a model for integrating compassion into curricula, shaping a generation equipped to tackle complex global issues. I was amazed to hear such young minds have such clarity of thought and speak so enthusiastically about positively impacting their communities.

The retreat also taught everyone about the journeys of Payal, Tara, Lalitha, and Kalam. Payal, for instance, stopped her family from getting her married off when she was just 11 years old. All of them have overcome adversities with such strength, and it gives me great pride to see these children use their voices to speak against social evils like child labour and child marriage.

The Retreat: An Immersive Experience of Compassion

On the final day of the retreat, I sat down again with the participants to discuss their experiences, and they were eager and full of questions. I could see how moved they were by the stories of the children and the youth leaders. When they asked me how one can become a leader, I told them that the accurate measure of a leader is not in the number of followers they have but in how many others they inspire to become leaders themselves and carry forward the legacy of the cause.

I could tell these young minds were already thinking about what it means to lead, so I emphasised that when compassion guides your decisions, it builds trust, and transparency and helps you solve problems meaningfully.

The youngsters wanted to know how they could contribute to the movement, and I encouraged them to take everything they learned from this retreat and return to their communities and make people aware that compassion is not a weak emotion. Use social media platforms like WhatsApp to engage with people, to start conversations, and to inspire change. I was impressed by the ideas that all five of them shared about how they will return to their homelands and gather their friends, families and members of their communities to be part of this global movement.

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The Power of Compassion

Reflecting on this retreat, I am confident that the world’s youth are ready and willing to make a difference. The youngsters from around the world came together and felt each others’ joys and problems as their own, and I saw the circle of compassion growing bigger and bigger. This is a testament to the power of globalisation of compassion. This retreat is also a stepping stone for more such avenues of experiential learning, wherein people from different communities, backgrounds, and experiences can unite to ignite their innate spark of compassion to solve their personal and societal problems.