Punjab Police and Hartek Foundation join forces to empower marginalized youth

In a major step toward youth empowerment and community-centric policing, Punjab Police’s Community Affairs Division (CAD) and the Hartek Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage vulnerable and disoriented youth across Punjab through skill development, counselling, awareness, capacity-building and community engagement programs.

This MoU was signed by Special Director General of Police (Special DGP) Community Affairs Gurpreet Kaur Deo and CEO Hartek Foundation Harkirat Kaur here on Tuesday. The strategic partnership was launched with a collaborative effort for the ongoing Yuva Saanjh Initiative, a youth engagement programme.

Special DGP Gurpreet Kaur Deo said that Hartek Foundation will support the Community Affairs Division to standardise the process for implementing the programme by conducting regular training and capacity building programs for the police officials and Yuva Saanjh committees through this collaboration. These steps will serve as a comprehensive roadmap for the effective and uniform rollout of the initiative across the state, ensuring a structured and impactful approach, she said.

"The Yuva Saanjh initiative aims to build a bridge of trust between the police and the youth, particularly those who feel disconnected or vulnerable. Through this platform, we seek to foster community engagement and Youth empowerment,” said the Special DGP, while adding that the partnership envisions transforming the relationship between the police and young people by creating inclusive, safe and participatory community spaces. Together, the organisations aim to promote leadership, civic responsibility and essential life skills, with a strong focus on outreach in underserved and at-risk communities.

She further informed that the first phase will be piloted in selected districts across Punjab, with implementation through local Saanjh Kendras under the guidance of the Community Affairs Division with a focus on the reintegration of vulnerable youth back into the society through skill development and employment initiatives and become positive influences in their communities.

CEO Hartek Foundation Harkirat Kaur said, "We are honoured to collaborate with the Community Affairs Division of Punjab Police. Yuva Saanjh aligns with our commitment to building resilient communities by unlocking the potential of our youth and empowering them to lead positive change."