On lane 61 in Regarpura, stands Ideal Academy – a learning centre for various college graduates of the Karol Bagh Region. As we entered in their small 2 room office yesterday, there was culpable excitement already. This opportunity to learn was like something these young adults had never before experienced. Their lives revolve around their homes, offices and colleges – no one has bothered to tell them that it is possible to bring change even within the four walls they sit in, every afternoon.

So what better than to make them realise the importance of their dreams! Suddenly it wasn?t just about environmental education – it was about instilling self esteem and confidence in them.

We started our session with quick introductions – some nodded with monosyllables while others stood up with gusto to tell their names. We were then joined by Anurag Maloo (who is described by his friends as ?The Garbage Boy? for his efforts on environmental issues). He spoke to the audience for the next one hour – beseeching them to work towards a sustainable future. He recounted touching incidents and spoke about his experiences in Antarctica. 
It took us a while to get everyone to open up but soon questions came whizzing at us and answers were listened to intently. Our team then explained the concept of Climate Change with examples from everyday life and conducted an activity on designing an e-base based on the concept of renewable energy.

Much to our surprise, we also had our own little tryst with AAP when the AAP?s district coordinator dropped in to see our session and offered to help organise our project on a larger scale! 
And if this weren?t enough – we manages to extract pledges from the students. While some promised to never waste electricity and never use a motorcycle to travel less than 2 kms, others promised never to be lazy!

All in all, the session taught us about the struggle for basic needs that are still faced by young Indians – something that we often take for granted?