The Need

In ISKCON Youth Forum, we are very fond of preaching to youth. When we see so many young students joining colleges, we wonder how we can come closer to them and preach to them. How will they take to Krishna consciousness? So to introduce ourselves to the youth community and to create awareness amongst the student community about how ISKCON is scientifically presenting the timeless Vedic wisdom and its practical application in the modern times, with spiritual professors who are also stalwarts in the academic field, this one time program is conducted usually once in a semester.

Benefits

1) Attracts attention of the students. They become aware of existence of Krishna conscious philosophy and that there is a spiritual side to life./p>

2) The one-time program can be viewed as a seed-sowing program for further preaching.

3) ISKCON Youth Forum receives mass propaganda through these programs. Everyone comes to know about IYF activities (see IYF pamphlet in appendix)

4) Can help us to locate the `gems' (students who are serious seekers of Absolute Truth) who can be further cultivated to form the serious devotee group.

Topics

We can give presentations on various topics such as Art of Mind Control, Life After Death, Stress Management & Mantra Meditation, Self Management, Time Management and A Tryst with Eternal Beauty. For most of these topics, ISKCON Youth Forum has published pocket books. These books are printed in several thousands and distributed at the end of one-time programs to help students carry the wisdom home with them. Also for most of these topics there are color slides available, which are very impressive and anybody can quickly grasp and appreciate the spiritual subject matter.

Venue & Audience

1) The program can be conducted in the college if the college authority is favorable and the auditorium (capacity 500-600 students) is available.

2) Holding class to class (or department-wise). This will attract a smaller audience (one class at a time) but we can have better attention of students. Many students can come to know us thoroughly and we can answer many more questions.

3) If college auditorium is unavailable, we can fix up a community hall or a public welfare hall or some student's flat or terrace opposite to the college where we can invite all the students living in the neighbouring hostels/flats.

The last option can turn out to be more beneficial than holding in the college. This is because many of the college students are localites, who never come to our weekly programs even after coming to the one-time program. Our target audience is students living in hostels/flats who want to attend our weekly program regularly.

Timing

1) Can be conducted during college hours - this will ensure maximum audience, but may be slightly difficult to get permission from college authorities. Also, both hostelites and localites can attend.

2) Immediately after college-hours.

3) For programs arranged outside college, in case students have tuition after college hours, then we can arrange just after dinnertime. E.g. 9.00PM onwards. The late night hours are found to be the most convenient time for the students as they generally don't go to bed before midnight.

Frequency

We usually hold one 1-time program (for a given topic) in a college every semester. For the next semester, it is better if the topic is changed, as the college authorities also like new information being given to the students. Generally, a topic should not be repeated for at least 2 years.

Permission for organizing one-time program from college authority

1) If IYF approaches directly, it is like a foreign institute entering the college, and our proposal may not be taken seriously. It is always better to approach not as an organization (IYF/ISKCON) but as a group of students (from the same college). These students (wonderful if they are devotees) can take help from the local college cultural committee (useful, as the authorities know the cultural committee), who are usually interested in holding such kind of seminars (student development / cultural programs). These students should request the authorities to hold the one-time program conducted by IYF. Alternatively, if there are no devotee students, we can directly try approaching the cultural committee students.

2) Approaching the highest authority (such as principal/director of institute) for permission directly is not advisable (and risky) as if he/she refuses then we have no further entrance into the college. Better to approach the lowest authority first and then his senior, if he so requests or even denies (e.g. the teacher - HOD - vice principal - principal).

3) We also have to take permission for a subsequent 6-session program to be held in the college. We can explain that simply one lecture is not enough to explain this topic properly and many sincere and inquisitive boys demand a proper course.

4) If we are organising opposite to college, we only need to book the hall.

Enclosure: Permission Letter for one-time program

Propaganda

This should start about 4 days in advance. We have to ensure that practically every student knows about the program, either through charts or announcements.

1) Make attractive charts giving details of 1-time program and put up on college notice boards, mess, college gate, hotels and all other prominent places (at least 25 charts).

2) Announce in all classes at least 2-3 times, especially on the day of the program.

3) Volunteers should "get" students for the program. Class teachers can be requested to personally guide the students to the hall/auditorium to ensure mass attendance. Attendance of students for the program can be made mandatory through authorities.

4) In case program is conducted in a hall, we should print thousands of leaflets and distribute to students while they are going in/out of college.

5) We can distribute pocket books in the students' hostels/flats and note down name and address of anybody who buys the books. These can become future regular candidates of the 6-session / weekly program.

6) Also go around the hostels and flats enrolling candidates for the 6-session course.

Requirements

1) Volunteers - at least 6 to 8

2) Color slides and color slide projector

3) Pamphlets / Charts

4) 1000/2000 copies pocket books

5) Banners

6) Address slips

Enclosure: Checklist, address slip

Quiz

A quiz can be conducted at the end of the lecture, if time permits.  This quiz involves very little written work for students, may be a few words, to test their understanding.  The answers for the quiz are written by the students on the backside of address slip, so that immediately after correction, shortlisting the toppers becomes easy.  The quiz can be neatly typed on a transparency and shown on an OHP, or a color slide or at least dictated with good clarity. Through this, we can identify good boys from the mass.

Enclosure: Quiz question paper, answer paper

Announcements at the end of One-time presentation

1) Introducing the preacher (can be done either in the beginning or end)

2) Details about the 6-session course (date-time-venue)

3) Details about future weekly course

4) Prizes for toppers in Quiz

5) Thanksgiving to the college, others who helped organise the program

6) Prasadam

7) Short information about IYF activities (this can be even in the beginning of the program)

8) Local IYF students address and class for further contact with IYF

Screening and Follow-up

Interested students can be screened out as follows

1) The toppers of the quiz (the quiz is generally for 5 marks. First rank goes to 5 out of 5. Second prize to 4.5 out of 5. Third prize to 4 out of 5) may be 30 or 40 out of a crowd of 300 or 400 students. These are special students. Prizes are packed (basically Srila Prabhupada's books, Hare Krishna Dhun tapes, ISKCON Youth Forum pamphlet, a covering letter encouraging and inviting them to take a active role in ISKCON Youth Forum activities) and distributed in class rooms within a couple of days. The prize list should be made neatly in computer and displayed in all the department noticeboards. This has a twin advantage - prize holder students feel overjoyed and identify with ISKCON Youth Forum, as they will be glorified by their friends; ISKCON Youth Forum will become famous amongst the students.

2) Those who give favorable comments (e.g. want to learn about spiritual life, BG, etc.)

3) After program those who crowd around the preacher, asking questions. Preacher must intelligently ask them their name, class etc and somebody can discreetly note it down. (They may get poor marks, but they have spiritual inquiry)

4) Intersection of 1,2 and 3 are the best boys for follow up. They can become potential leaders for the program.

5) Groups of these boys can be allotted to volunteer devotees who can then later on do follow-up.

Role of Co-ordination Committee

Co-ordination Committee (CC) consists only of BTGs (Brahmacari Trainee before Grihastha) who are either students or working youth. These people act as a bridge between ISKCON brahmacari youth preachers and college authorities.  The Committee is responsible for all managerial aspects of the program, starting with getting permission from college. They must provide volunteers with proper training. CC organizes the whole program and brahmacari preaches.

Miscellaneous

1) Know dates, venue, time etc of 6-session before holding 1-time.

2) Decide about Prasad - wet or dry, quantity, etc.

3) Gifts for HODs, teachers, principal

Conclusion

The 1-time not just a seed sowing program. It paves way for getting the attention of the boys and inducting them into the six-session program. If properly managed combined with a good follow-up, it can give tremendous results and can lead to establishing a good six-session and thereafter a weekly program.