AREDS organised youth to work collectively to find solutions to the common issues that block their basic rights in the society in specific to the problems faced by youth. Youth are encouraged to form themselves into sangams and have regular meetings to discuss and discover ways and means to develop their village. Trainings on concepts, leadership, issue-based actions, Panchayat Raj, Govt., schemes etc are given to take up leadership and to involve them in serving their community. Social consciousness of youth helped in building solidarity focusing on issue affecting their rights and to take collective leadership and collective action to fight for their rights. Youth sangams are federated, strengthened and formed as a movement called PDM (Peoples Development Movement). PDM is a youth movement that helps the youth in villages to take initiatives in village developments and on problem of human rights.

Action for the Promotion of Human Rights
The youth sangams are federated into Peoples Development Movement. This enables them to participate in the issue-based struggles. As a result, there is an increased participation of public in the village development actions and struggles.

Some of the events in which these youth sangams participated in recent times are:
• PDM extends its solidarity for justice and protest against dalit atrocity inThinniam Village.
• Federation leaders took part in mass protest against globalisation through AsianSocial Forum Conference held
in Hyderabad.
• Participation in Parallel conference to WCAR - Durban.
• Actively protested against the illegal sand mining in Cauvery river and participated in hunger fast and
road roko organised by Federation for Protection of Water and Livelihood resources

Human Rights Day Celebration
Peoples Development Movement organise conferences and public meetings on human rights on the International Human Rights Day every year for the benefit of the leaders and members of PDM. These Conference and meetings serve to sensitise the public to the issues that directly affects the basic rights of marginal people such as leasing out of waste land, privatising public sector industries and undertakings, unconstitutional nature of anti -conversion bill of Tamil Nadu Government, the hike in the prices of essential commodities like rice distributed through Public Distribution System.

There are 154 groups with 1954 members in PDM. The saving amount has been recycled among the members. The members, who get credits for running economic activities, have regular income that assures their livelihood.

Many of these rural youth have enrolled themselves in the unorganised labour registration with the District labour office. The youth federations also are benefited credit through SGSY scheme from district DRDA. Thus these groups and federation are involved in socio economic development of their village and of the district.

Training
Training programmes are conducted (Conceptual training, Leadership training, Issue based training, Panchayat Raj Training and, Training on Government Schemes) to develop leadership capacity amongst the rural people to tackle the issues faced by their communities. 35 members of PDM - 35 contested in the 2001 elections held for local panchayats and 13 of them were elected. Follow-up training on PRI (Panchayat Raj Institution) and importance of grassroots democracy, practical procedures and strategies are also being given to the elected members. Elected members from people's organization greatly support the community development programmes carried out at Village Panchayat / Union / District level.