India Youth For Society (IYFS) was established under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2001 (Regd. No. 331/2011) with headquarters at Visakhapatnam. The Society has grown from a few nominal members to 34 active and efficient group members along with volunteers and interns. Today, the society runs its awareness campaigns in Visakhapatnam as well as Hyderabad.

We aim to take a proactive approach towards empowerment of youth, protection of the environment and providing employment opportunities. We spread awareness by demonstrating waste reprocessing to achieve a plastic pollution free India, and facilitate employment opportunities by providing vocational training.

Objectives

• Teaching students about conservation methods.
• Spreading environmental awareness in all areas.
• Implementing plastic pollution preventive measures through campaigns, cleaning activities and mechanical scrap handling.
• Working towards water conservation and restoration of polluted water bodies.
• Providing mentorship, assistance and growth opportunities for a secured livelihood to the unemployed youth.
• Promoting traffic safety and assisting accident victims.
• Aiding drug de-addiction and providing mental support.
• Promoting peace and non-violence among the citizens.
• Encouraging handicrafts and promoting local heritage.

Campaigns

Plastic Free India: India Youth For Society (IYFS) is a committed organization for awareness about hazards by plastics waste and to educate residents, tourists and the stakeholders involved in urban bodies. 

India is the second most populated country. Throughout the country, improper handling of solid waste and indiscriminate disposal in open spaces, road margins, tank beds, and etcetera, give rise to numerous potential risks to the environment and to human health. Direct health risks mainly concern those working in the field without using proper gloves, uniforms, and etcetera; a high percentage of waste workers and individuals who live near or on disposal sites are infected with gastrointestinal parasites, worms, and related organisms. For the public, the main risks to health are indirect and related to poor water, land, and air quality. In addition, infrequent collection of waste provides an attractive breeding ground for flies and rats. Consuming food wrapped in coloured plastic has adverse effects on health; municipalities routinely receive reports of death of cows and other animals from ingesting plastic bags.  

In this light, India Youth For Society (IYFS) launched ‘Plastic Free India’ awareness campaign with the following objectives: 

1. Awareness about the hazards created by discarded plastics; the team defines ‘awareness’ as behavioural change of plastics consumption (plastics consumption to be reduced). 
2. Available Alternatives to the disposable plastics would be highlighted through various activities involving citizens and enforcement agencies. Cloth bags, paper bags, wooden tooth brushes, wooden pens, wooden toys, and steel items to be available and promoted.
3. Action: Collection and proper handling of plastic waste, recycling process & production of new plastic items. 

Plastic Reprocessing Unit and Waste Management Training Centre

‘Plastic Free India’ campaign gradually led us to establish a recycling plant in collaboration with local government. Currently, we handle 2 tons per day and 11 people employed directly. Urban Local Body provided warehouse and Rotary Club donated machinery for handling more plastic waste. 

Handling Municipal Plastic Scrap through a mechanical recycling process known as extrusion in order to improve the local environment and offer continuous employment to individuals from socially and economically disadvantaged groups. We use the following methods to do so –

1. Segregation at source
2. Doorstep collection
3. Washing & drying
4. Milling
5. Floatation
6. Contaminant separation
7. Crushing, shredding, processing
8. Extrusion
9. Cooling & Cutting
10. Molding

It is a service to the environment & public health. At the same time, it is revenue generate model. The unit creates a source of livelihood initially for about 8- 12 women (indirectly) who are under poverty line and help rag-pickers as well. In addition to this, any number of Self-Help Group women can be a part of this project.

MESSAGE

MESSAGE is ‘Make Each School Student Aware of Green Environment.’ IYFS began this initiative to teach the students in schools about conservative methods and create environmental awareness in all aspects. Our purpose is based on “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.” Secondly, the Society helps the students in public schools with crafts, alternatives to the plastics and the other basic necessitates for arts.

Clear Coasts Campaign

Clear Coasts Campaign aims to raise awareness about littering and its impact on the environment by cleaning the coastline in Visakhapatnam. Beach clean-up drive is one of our regular activities. People pitch in to collect beach trash to make the beach a more pleasant and safer place for everyone. Appala Reddy Yendreddi, a LEAD India Fellow who heads India Youth For Society (IYFS), a civil society organization that has expertise in marine litter control and plastic pollution. Local Municipal Corporation, youth groups, colleges, schools, residential welfare associations will be engaged, staff will also be engaged during weekly and holidays. The campaign is supported by Australian Consulate in India under Direct Aid Programme (DAP).

Peacekeeping

Based on SDG #16, this is a campaign developed to spread ‘Gandhian Ideas’ in theory and in action. Diffuse full knowledge and create awareness on its utility to the present and future generations. How true it is! “The earth can satisfy every need of man but not the greed of the man.”

SMART

Safety Means Alert on Road in Traffic. This project is targeted to reduce the amount of traffic accidents in the city and their consequences by following the road safety measures. It aims to increase the safety level on local roads, encourage walking and bi-cycling in the city and improve the urban space. It focuses at reducing number of deaths and injuries caused by traffic and consequently decreasing the number of road accidents. Frequent accident data studies and analysis happen in IYFS to identify safety actions that are necessary to achieve improvements. Road safety implementation plan will be laid out and will be presented in the most effective way.

Projects

Humanitarian-aid for Employment & Livelihood Project(HELP)

Unemployment is an increasing problem in India. The society conducts surveys to recognize industries that have a demand for manpower. It then facilitates training programs to up-skill the unemployed population and provides them with jobs. The Society is helping unemployed youth with the following jobs –

1. Jute/cloth bags manufacturing
2. Security Guards
3. Cab-driving 
4. Nursery Maintenance
5. Waste Management

These jobs provide a stepping stone for the unemployed youth to start or restart their careers. With a stable income, these excluded members of society find some semblance of a normal life and can therefore develop their skills to be able to practice upward social mobility.