50 report
by emanuel sarfraz The delegates enjoying the pakistani countryside
The goal of
global citizenship
H
alf of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30. This means that to secure the future of Pakistan’s youth, they need to be shown the right direction so that they may contribute to the country’s development. Young people if provided guidance can become the driving force to bring positive change in the country. It is heartening to note that zest for bringing change among the youth knows no bounds. They have started contributing for change each in their own way. This was witnessed when during the Global Citizenship Conference held at a hotel in Islamabad young people from across the country and 20 participants from different countries came together to share their vision and experiences about bringing change in their communities.
Young people if provided guidance can become the driving force to bring positive change in the country. It is heartening to note that zest for bringing change among the youth knows no bounds. Conference was the climax of second International Study Visit (ISV) organized by the British Council under its programme Active Citizens from February 10 to 15. Twenty young people from different countries visited Pakistan for intercultural dialogue and to develop understanding of global issues. Active Citizens Sunday Plus March 04, 2012
promotes community cohesion and improvement through civic engagement in around 30 countries. It aims to increase the contribution of community leaders towards achieving sustainable development both locally and globally. The programme links civil society, community leaders and other networks in Pakistan, UK and 22 other countries across the globe. The four-day ISV programme was tailor made to provide the visiting delegates an overview of Pakistan’s socio-political situation and the state of economy at the grass root level. The first day was the day of exposure in Lahore. The delegates were taken to Saddar area, a locality where the lower middle class people live. The delegates took keen interest in listening to the problems of people, how they bravely face all the challenges and how they on their own have started solving the problems. The people of the area shared their views on the political situation of the country especially the turbulent situation in Balochistan. The second day was dedicated to group discussions. The main issue discussed was the need to improve literacy rate in Pakistan. All the delegates were of the view that Pakistan should declare education emergency. The delegates were shocked to learn that school dropout rate between grade 1 -5 is 45 percent. During the following days the delegates were assigned different tasks. For cultural
cohesion the delegates were engaged in Mushaira (poetry recitation sitting). They were given tour of Pehchaan, a centre in Lahore where street children and runaway kids have been given refuge. Many delegates were in tears to hear the stories of children. The ISV’s last main event was the Global Citizenship Conference, which was held in Islamabad. Over 200 young people attended the conference. The speakers at the conference included Head of Programmes of the British Council Shazia Khawar, Secretary General Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation and Saudi Arabia’s first female to be the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador Ms Muna AbuSulayman, Director Global Networks Adrian Greer, Vice Chancellor Lahore University of Management Sciences, documentary filmmaker Samar Minallah and Global Vice President Hunger Project Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar. The conference was an opportunity for the delegates to interact with young Pakistanis. They shared their experiences and learnt how Pakistani youth showing activism had started social action projects. The dialogue led all the participants to understand what global citizenship meant and how important it was in their lives. Global citizenship is an idea of tolerance, social justice and respect for all kinds of people. splus@nation.com.pk