MySpace a place for friends

Sign up for our monthly Newsletter to receive the latest news and reports about all upcoming activities in your home country and AYUDHs Europe wide events. Read inspiring articles by and for the youth and stay connected to AYUDH throughout the year.

Back issues can be downloaded from www.ayudh.eu/newsletter

What is AYUDH?

AYUDH is a movement of young people who want to lead a life based on spiritual values. Starting with ourselves, we want to help in generating a future of hope, peace and social engagement while maintaining an awareness of universal spiritual principles.

AYUDH’s main objectives are:

Personal Development
Finding out who we are and what we want in life through:
· Spiritual practices like meditation, prayer and singing
· Exchange and discussions with other like minded young people
· Activities that help us discover and develop our creativity and inner potential

Social Service
Developing compassion and respect through selfless service activities
· Caring for neglected and needy members of society
· Raising awareness about global issues

Environmental Protection
We as the future generation have the duty to restore and protect our environment. Global warming challenges us to rethink our ways of behavior and living. Starting with ourselves we wish to set an example to others.
· Planting trees
· Cleaning the environment
· Nature awareness programs
· Ecological way of living
· Sharing cars, using the bicycle, saving water and electricity etc.

Our inspiration: Amma

Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi) is one of the most respected humanitarians and spiritual leaders of this time. Through her tireless acts of love and self-sacrifice, Amma has endeared herself to millions of people around the world.
Leading a life of utter dedication to others, Amma is an inspiration for us to dedicate ourselves to the service of society, while maintaining a spiritual awareness.
Through her own life Amma has consequently adhered to the principles of equality, non-violence and religious tolerance. Through our activities we in turn wish to integrate these principles into our modern lifestyles, in practical and creative ways.
Ammas tireless efforts for the past 30 years have created one of the largest charitable organizations of India, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM, NGO with consultative status to the UN)

More about Amma and the MAM: www.amma-europe.org

Name & Symbol

AYUDH stands for Amrita Yuva Dhara Dharma, a Sanskrit term which can freely be translated as "the youth which perpetuates the wheel of Dharma (Righteousness)." In Sanskrit "Ayudh" also means Peace, which is also symbolized by the dove in our logo.
The dove also reminds one of the following allegory Amma frequently uses: The two wings of a bird represent love and compassion. The tail stands for the spiritual knowledge and discriminative intellect which are necessary to steer the bird into the right direction. All these qualities help us to fly free in life, be independent and happy.

Biography

AYUDH was founded as the youth wing of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM, NGO with consultative status to the UN) in India in 2001. In the beginning stages confined to India, AYUDH had the vision to expand across the globe, inspiring countless young persons to take up good works in the fields of social service and environmental preservation and restoration, while maintaining a spiritual awareness.
AYUDH’s activities in India include giving free food and medical aid to the poor and needy, offering free eye-treatment camps, cleaning hospital compounds, planting trees and conducting antidrug, -alcohol and -tabacco campaigns throughout the country.

Starting with a first European Youth Exchange in 2005, AYUDH has stepped onto European ground. Due to the overwhelming response to this first European event AYUDH has been making an appearance on Amma’s European Tours since 2005. Inspiring Question & Answer sessions with Br. Shubamrita, one of Amma’s senior disciples, were held frequently in most of the programme cities.
Thus, many young people became motivated to share their interest in personal development and service to society with others and slowly small regional youth groups began to emerge throughout Europe. These groups meet regularly to undertake environmental activities such as tree planting, spending time with handicapped and old people and raising money for charity, e.g. for the victims of the Tsunami in South-East Asia. For spiritual practice the young people also gather to sing, pray and meditate together.

An European Peace Concert was organised in Paris, France, in May 2006, which raised enough money to rebuilt the tin-roofs of a whole village of Tibetan refugees in Northern India. This common effort and the inspiring music of eight musical groups from across Europe gave another "boost" to the development of AYUDH Europe.

The European Youth Exchanges held yearly at the beautiful M.A. Center Germany are a great opportunity for intercultural exchange and a source of spiritual inspiration to a growing number of young people from all over Europe.
In 2007 and 2008 the exchange was supported by the "Youth in Action" programme of the European Commission DG Education and Culture.
The week long programme provoked a lot of enthusiasm amongst the young people to move ahead in the spirit of love, service and compassion.

With Amma’s loving guidance and blessings, may AYUDH be able to spread the message of love and peace to society - on the wings of a dove.

4th European Youth Exchange July ’08

Youth in Action 2008 - The Future in Our Hands - Introduction from AYUDH on Vimeo.

Youth in Action 2008 - The Future in Our Hands - Talk by Br. Shubamrita Chaitanya from AYUDH on Vimeo.

Youth in Action 2008: Talk by Bri. Dipamrita from AYUDH on Vimeo.