By Rimsha Ali Shah

Sunil Kumar, a student of social work at University of Sindh, had never truly appreciated the power he wielded as a part of the youth demographic in Hyderabad, and particularly, the impact that social work could have on community development and support of marginalized populations.  So when he enrolled in the workshops under the project “Promotion of Rule of Law as Good Citizens through Youth Civic Engagement,” he did not anticipate how the interactive discussion would pique his interest in the relationship among youth activism, social work, and community development.

“The purpose of the workshop series and follow-up radio and television programs was to encourage an interactive dialogue on the role of youth, the principals of democracy, and the spirit of community service with the youth of Sindh,”

said Nasrullah Thahim, an alumnus of the Legislative Fellowship Program and the man behind the project.  The project continued from September to November 2015 engaging a multitude of stakeholders including students, media, and activists.

This project was made possible with the help of $5,000 USD grant from the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).  All alumni of various U.S. government sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan are eligible to apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

More than 50 participants, including social activists, students studying social work, media, and development professionals attended the project workshops and radio/tv shows.  The structure of the workshops enabled interactive dialogue and the focus was on ‘keeping it simple’ while simultaneously imparting key rule of law information on the constitution, human rights, international covenants, the use of digital media and community engagement indicators and best practices.  The trainers included Nasrullah Thahim, Development Professional and Legislative Fellow 2013; Ms. Bilquis Rehman, CEO Council for participatory development; Dr. Asho Thama, District Coordinator HRCP Hyderabad; and Mr. Amar Faraz, ICT professional at Sindh Language Authority.

“Our purpose was to move towards the basic understanding of the constitution, democracy, rule of law and relevant tools.  As trainers, we avoided using complex jargons in order to maintain the ease of understanding for the students attending the session.”  This was the consensus among all the trainers for the workshops.

Dilip Kumar, a student of social work at University of Sindh mentioned how his ability to comprehend the constitutional and legislative framework improved after attending these workshops.  This resonated with many of his peers who were also a part of the workshops who recounted that they now felt they could be effective change makers in their local community as social workers and youth activists.

“I was also among the participants who were interviewed for the radio show.  That experience really helped strengthen my own understanding while also educating the multitude of youth who tuned in and listened to our show.  Through this exercise we not only overcame our hesitation but also had a small peak in to how we can help others through different platforms,” said Ayaz Raja from Umerkot, who attended the project in Hyderabad.

Through this project, Nasrullah Thahim has evoked a sense of responsibility in the youth of Hyderabad and equipped them with the basic tools to energize others on the importance of rule of law, role of youth in community development, and the essence of activism for a productive and progressive society.