By Hira Nafees Shah
18-year-old Abdullah Nasir stood in front of the teacher with bated breath. Although he had memorized his speech, words failed him when he noticed the eyes of his professor and class fellows on him. The fear of public speaking is a common affliction, but Nasir overcame his fear by enrolling in a summer camp that provided training for public speaking in a class that was part of a summer camp.
“I would get very nervous in class and used to be a backbencher at school,” he said. “But now after attending the public speaking course, I can speak on any given topic and also am ahead in college.”
Dubbed “Rabtt”, this summer camp, the brainchild of Fulbright alumni Imran Sarwar and Aneeq Ahmed Cheema, aims to inculcate critical thinking, empathy, confidence and creativity among government school students like Nasir.
Besides public speaking, the three week intensive camp also included courses like world history, arts, theatre, thinking skills, English and mathematics. Rabtt is a non-profit established in response to Sarwar’s work with students from the National Outreach Program at LUMS, and Cheema’s experience with the Seeds of Peace exchange program. The program is funded in part by a grant from the South Asia Institute at Harvard University.
“Rabtt encompasses building connections, so we wanted to allow students from public and private schools to have a dialogue,” said Sarwar. “We wanted to break the divide between them, enable them to talk to each other and work towards the development of a more empathetic society.”
The young men were able to further polish their vision after completing their studies in the U.S on the Fulbright program.
“My Fulbright exchange experience provided me the confidence and audacity to undergo a venture like Rabtt,” said Sarwar.
Summer Camps Begin
In 2014, the Rabtt summer camps took place from Monday to Saturday on the premises of the government schools, with about twenty ninth-grade students taking part in each class. Classes were taught by Rabtt fellows, who worked for the program for one year. The fellows strove to make the classes activity based and discussion oriented.
“I used to be quite aggressive and would fight over little things,” said Haider Abbas, a participant. “But after reading world history, I learned that it is necessary to respect each other’s viewpoint.”
Another student claimed he had gained admission at Government College University, only on account of his communication skills, which he improved through his studies at Rabtt.
To express his gratitude, he also started volunteering at the NGO and believes that a positive change has occurred in him through his experience.
“My family says I have become more responsible and confident since attending the summer camps and am also able to represent myself in a much better way,” said Khizer Mehmood.
The camps have not only benefited the students, but also the mentors who have taught there.
“My experience with Rabtt was very real and practical,” said Aaleen Mehboob, an undergraduate student. “I am working at the organization for a year, so going forward I will be able to better gauge how people from different backgrounds react in different situations, and will be able to plan something with hiccups in mind.”
March towards a More Empathetic Society:
Rabtt has grown by leaps and bounds since it was first launched in the summer of 2011. It started out training 30 students, but reached out to 300 government students from seven schools in 2014.
Not everything has been smooth sailing for the organization, which depends entirely on the dedication of its volunteers who work free of charge, and donations and grants which keep it financially afloat.
To help meet the school’s needs, Sarwar and Cheema launched a massive crowd funding initiative on Indigo to raise 10,000 dollars for the organization in 60 days.
“About 150 donors participated in the crowd funding drive and contributed funds ranging between 5 to 60 dollars, so we were able to meet our objective,” said Cheema. “The money keeps on coming, so I can’t remember any major problems that we have encountered along the way.”
But the Carnegie Mellon University graduate still believes that if Rabtt achieves long term financial stability, his team will be able to focus more on quality and offer more varied courses to its students.
Despite the challenges, the founders also say that there are substantial rewards that make it all worthwhile. For example the graduation ceremony was a grand event attended by more than 800 people including families of the students. Each class received an opportunity to perform at the function and art exhibits of the pupils were also on display.
“I went to Alhamra for the first time in my life for my graduation ceremony and performed a play in front of so many people,” said Summaiya Shaukat, a participant.
“The graduation ceremony was very good and I gave a speech and performed in a play on the occasion,” said Haider Abbas. “My brother told me that he was proud of me and my mother showered me with affection, so I was very happy.”
Rabtt also offers workshops for its students who want to build upon the subjects that they have learned in the camps. Sarwar noted that to achieve this objective, his non-profit conducted 66 workshops from September 2013 to February 2014, which left him with a deep sense of contentment.
“It is quite satisfying when we receive feedback from the students that Rabtt has created a difference in their lives,” said the Harvard University graduate.
As for the next step, Sarwar and Cheema are striving to consolidate gains that they have made and also hope to conduct future projects in South Punjab.
To find out more about Rabtt including how to volunteer, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/Rabtt
