During my work here at the the #134thIPU I had the privilege to meet and talk to Vinay Nayak .He was brought in as a Speaker for the Youth at The #134th IPU Young Parliamentarians Global Conference that was held at Mulungushi International Conference Center.We talked about his work here in Zambia with the UN Youth Envoy and also with the IPU.He is an Inspiration to the youth and his messages are profound.Rhodes Scholar Vinay Nayak, A Senior at Yale and an expert in using the Internet for citizen engagement, talked about his achievements.Through our talk I learnt a lot about him and what he is doing in his life right now and got inspired to strive to do work harder to be where I want to be.Though Politics is not what he intends to venture in as a career he is an advocate for the youth to venture into politics and level the playing field .
Here is a short Bio about him-
Fighting hard to overcome his shyness, Vinay Nayak plunged into debates and other activities at his high school in Oak Brook, Illinois. He also made very good use of the digital media.
“I gave myself a voice,” said the newly announced Rhodes Scholar, one of the 32 Americans bound for Oxford University next year. “And that is when I began to think of using the digital media to give voice to people who have no voice, get them to work for their rights, get them to vote.”
A senior at Yale where he majors in political science, Vinay’s academic work has focused on how the Internet can be used to enhance citizen engagement in elections, government and policy-making.
He has used this expertise in political campaigns including the Obama 2012 re-election campaign, where he managed national digital programmes and social media accounts.
He also managed the social media presence for the Sandy Hook Elementary School parents whose children lost their lives.
Vinay has won many Yale prizes, and was chosen as national oratory champion.
He plans to pursue a master’s degree in public policy at Oxford. Among other things, he hopes to learn “more on how we can use online tools to help those who are voiceless in the political process here in the US and in countries around the world. If harnessed well, the Internet can be a very transformative tool. Even in small towns across the world, people are able to connect and share information with the push of a button.”
During his time on the Obama campaign, he engaged with different groups online, including Young Americans, People with Disabilities, People of Faith, and environmentalists.
“Through that experience and others since then, including interning at the White House this past summer, I have come to believe that politics and government, at their best, can bring people together and ensure that every voice is heard,” he said. “I want to spend my life committed to this ideal.”
He graduated in 2010 as co-valedictorian from Hinsdale Central High School, and the Chicago Tribune gave him an all-state academic scholarship as selected by an independent panel.
So inspiring and motivational.Its the Youth time lets seize this opportunity that has been given to us in the 21st Century.
#YouthEmpowerment #Inspire #Leveltheplayingfield
