Kriya Youth Community – space for new youth housing thanks to you!.pdf
Thanks to your solidarity, the City of Dawn now hosts 26 new housing units for Auroville’s youth, all built on new Auroville land that was purchased with your land donations to Acres for Auroville! The new plots that host this recently-completed housing project are known as the Kriya community. Responding to an urgent need for affordable youth housing, it provides 14 single units, 6 family houses, 6 couple units, and a community kitchen for up to 50 residents.
As part of the Youth Habitat Program, these new accomodations are being allocated to young people between the ages of 20 and 35 who are working full-time for Auroville and do not have the financial means to afford their own homes.
Kriya members are actively engaged in the diverse activities of the larger Auroville community. Available to Newcomers and Aurovilians, it is a particularly welcome opportunity for second-generation Aurovilians who mostly do not have financial resources outside of their AV living stipends. Since the construction costs were contributed by the Government of India, residents only need to pay a minimal monthly contribution for the maintenance of the buildings.
We thank the Government of India for its support – and all the land donors whose solidarity has given this needed housing its space! There are plans to build additional units on the new plots by the end of the year !!
Built by the Housing Service and the Auroville construction group Sumark, the housing units come with full infra- structure, including an advanced wastewater recycling system. They are designed to be semi-permanent, with the possibility of being moved if needed. Sumark is known for its work in building Invocation 4 and also the ongoing Vibrance Youth Housing project. Kriya’s new land also provides the needed space for Sumark’s office, workshop, and watchman’s hut, and space for the workshop of TreeCare, the activity of a group of young Aurovilian arborists.
Kriya residents have written their appreciation:
« I’m writing to express my deep gratitude for providing decent, accessible housing for us youths in Auroville to start our lives, to grow and contribute integrally. I feel much blessed – through this experience, I feel it is possible to live a life with a true community spirit, and indeed we are a youth that never ages! »
« I would like to take this opportunity to express my immense gratitude for giving me a place to experience Kriya and indeed to make Kriya happen in reality. It surely has taken off some burden from the shoulders of us young and fund-less new Aurovillians who have to face a housing need. »
« It gives the opportunity to stay in AV and so all treasures that come out of it plus freedom to change work activities but keep staying at the same place. »
The new plots made it possible to provide a space for a thriving new community, full of energy and youthful enthusiasm – potluck dinners, movie nights, fence reinforcement, gardening, even building a prototype of an Earthbag House!
This is a shot from the recent Cashew Harvest held by Kriya youth & older AV friends in the cashew forest that came with the new Kriya land :
And here’s one more testimonial to the role of this new community built on Auroville land thanks to YOU:
« Kriya has been a priceless gift for me. Thanks to Kriya, we have been able to work very hard on our life project, while being very close to Auroville Center, living in a very decent place, and having the feeling to contribute for more people to come. There should be more places like Kriya, and more of these places must grow in Auroville! »
Your donations bought the Kriya plots that are helping an enthusiastic new generation of Aurovilians to build their lives in the City of Dawn, supporting it to grow towards a joyous, inspiring and dynamic future – with a youth « that never ages »!
