Exchange alumnus Saqib Javed Raja (IVLP, 2012) led a workshop on “Social Media and Citizenship” August 17-18, 2013, for 25 female participants from Mirpur Azad Jammu and Kashmir(AJK).  The workshop is part of Saqib’s Alumni Small Grant project “Young Women for Peace and Development,” which aims to increase women’s political participation in AJK.  The participants learned how to use social media (blogs, Facebook and Twitter) for community mobilization, and to empower women’s participation in the democratic process and community development.

Through the grant, more than 75 women have learned how to use social media for community mobilization.  One woman participant said, “It was a great experience for me to learn new things about social media and its use as a tool for community development.  I learned a lot about blogging and its impact in the modern era.”