By Hira Nafees Shah

Surrounded by towering pine-trees and majestic hilltops, the beautiful Banjosa Lake in Rawalakot of Azad Kashmir played host to a group of excited teenagers in March 2015. These teens were part of project called “Destination Kashmir-Young Leaders Camp (YLC)” organized by Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) Alumna Lubna Noreen. Noreen was able to carry out the initiative after receiving an Alumni Small Grant from the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network (PUAN). All alumni of various U.S sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan are eligible to apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

“I initiated this project because I felt that the PUAN Azad Kashmir chapter is not very active,” she said. “So I felt that students and alumni should get together, have a positive environment and receive a good opportunity to learn.”

The opening ceremony was attended by about 100 people from all over Pakistan who enthusiastically participated in the three day event that included training sessions, group energizers, and study trips to tourist destinations in Rawalakot. The attendees came from far and wide – some even traveled 36 hours to join the camp.

“This event gives a message of peace, love, and brotherhood from the Kashmiri people to the rest of Pakistan,” said Zeeshan Haider from the Ministry of Youth Affairs at the opening ceremony.

Learning to Give Back to Community

One YLC trainer explained that the camp is aimed at teaching these kids how “to serve [their] community, look at issues within [their] community, and make a social action plan.” Topics like Community Service, Leadership, Tourism, Governance and Democracy were discussed in detail, so that the participants could realize how they could make a difference in their individual capacities.

“The panel discussion about community service was very good as it made us realize the importance of contributing for the betterment of the society,” said Khushbakhat Javad, a YES Alumna. “Now I am also planning to hold a project to help out people during the month of Ramazan.”

The speakers at the Community Service and Youth Participation session included activists Raj Kumar and Umer Farooq, Ministry of Youth Affairs Coordinator Zeeshan Haider and Leadership Trainer Nazish Karim, who shared their perspectives on community service:

“Change cannot be implemented from outside,” said Farooq. “It is not the responsibility of one person but of the whole community . . . we need to be motivated.”

Sustainable Development

An important aspect of the camp was its focus on youth empowerment in sustainable development to help preserve scenic locations in Pakistan, like Banjosa Lake. During her exchange experience, YES alumna Lubna Noreen went on a camping trip, which not only taught her some essential survival skills, but also the importance of preserving and appreciating nature. Now she hopes to pass on her knowledge to the YLC participants.

“The theme of the sustainable development session was how to keep the natural environment healthy,” said Adil Rubani, a participant from Quetta. “We talked about global warming and how to control its effects.”

The camp also included an informative and refreshing energizer by activist Zayedan Khan which left the audience in fits. A musical night and series of skits imitating politicians were the cherry on top of the experience.

The last day of the gathering, the participants visited Tolipeer. In between snow-ball fights on the hilltop, the campers held a brainstorming session on how to best serve their areas and give back to the country.

“The trainers took us from an ‘I’ to ‘We’ journey, and made us realize that we should start thinking about it,” said Mariam Batool, a student.

Overall Impressions

YLC campers overall seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and the experience. Many were just as excited by the location as they were by the lessons learned.

“A friend told me about this project and I decided to attend it,” said Hassan Sultan, a participant.

“I had never seen Kashmir before and it is a kind of a little heaven,” said Attiya Iram, a participant from Bahawalpur.  “It is good that study trips are taking place during this event, because we conduct a lot of indoor sessions and outdoor activities provide a whole different level of learning.”

“In Destination Kashmir, the focus is to bring people from all over Pakistan to these places,” said Sania Malik, a participant from District Kotli. “People learn a lot from these projects.”

As for Lubna Noreen, she says she is grateful for the way everything turned out.

“I feel very good and very responsible,” she said.

For more details on the project, take a look at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DestinationKashmir/