From July 11-13, 2025, at the New Godruma Dhama Farm outside Kuala Lumpur, 45 youth from Malaysia’s MySkills Foundation experienced something rare: a spiritual retreat grounded in love, simplicity, and purpose. Behind this heart-transforming event stood the husband-and-wife team of Rasa Parayana Das and Rati Gopika Devi Dasi, who have quietly spent the past decade transforming the lives of “at-risk” youth through Krishna consciousness.
Their “Welcome to Vrndavana” Outreach Retreat, an ISKCON Pandava Sena and Kaisora under Sri Jagannath Mandir Kuala Lumpur (SJMKL) effort, is part of a larger initiative to bring hope to youth often overlooked by mainstream society.
A Decade of Devotion in Action
The couple’s journey with MySkills Foundation began ten years ago, rooted in a simple question: “How can we serve the youth beyond our temple walls?” Rati-Gopika, a legal professional, made the first move by visiting MySkills, a vocational institution for school dropouts, many just 13 or 14 years old, who had been exposed to broken homes, violence, and social instability.
“MySkills caters to ‘at-risk’ youth,” she explained. “Many of them come from dysfunctional families. Without intervention, they’re likely to fall into the gang lifestyle or end up in prison.”
Weekly Bhagavad-gita classes soon turned into mentorship, spiritual counseling, and eventually, full-scale inclusion in SJMKL’s annual retreats.
“This wasn’t just a preaching strategy,” Rasa Parayana added. “This was Krishna’s desire manifesting. Nobody was doing it at the time, so we stepped forward.”
Read More https://iskconnews.org/from-at-risk-to-awakened-youth-retreat-sparks-lasting-change/
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