By Rimsha Ali Shah.
It was the morning of August 20, 2016, and despite the long overnight journey from Hunza to Skardu, there was not a trace of exhaustion on Amin Zada’s face.
The reason behind it was simple: he had been selected from over 300 applicants to attend the inaugural Gilgit-Baltistan Youth Summit (GBYS) high in the soaring mountains of Pakistan’s north.
“This is a very prestigious opportunity! How could I not attend?”
This three-day conference was organized by Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders (SUSI) alumnus Habib Hasan. Having attended and organized multiple international Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) conferences, Hasan wanted to organize a similar conference in his region. “The purpose of this summit is to enhance the leadership skills of GB youth, give them a forum to share their ideas for socio-economic development and pave way for collaborative efforts for greater impact,” said Habib Hasan.
His dream materialized into a reality on the weekend of August 19 – 21, 2016 with 100 young leaders from across the region, converging their energies to work for the development and progress of their communities. This was made possible with the help of an alumni small 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 of up to 5,000 USD to enable them to give back to their communities.
Deputy Chief of Mission, Jonathan Pratt, who joined the participants virtually, applauded the accomplishments of youth from the GB region and stressed the importance of enabling Pakistani youth. “Today’s event should remind all of us that communities and countries need the full participation of youth in all aspects of society.”
Participants Gain Key Skills from Workshop Sessions
Muhammad Asif Hassan had applied to equip himself with skills that would add to his academic understanding. “Proficiency in academics is not enough in today’s fast-paced world. We need to be fully equipped to face the evolving nature of challenges before us.”
When he attended Saad Hamid’s session on “Basic Design Thinking” he was not only absorbing knowledge by listening, but by doing. The group activity of designing a wallet, as part of design thinking for heuristic problem solving, gave him a different perspective to approach challenges.
Saad Hamid, Curator of TedxIslamabad and a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum (WEF), while reflecting on his experience at the summit, was all praise for the energy and enthusiasm of the GB youth.
“I never imagined that the most amazing debate that I’d ever have on ‘form vs function’ would be with the youth of GB.”
The three-day summit included skill-building sessions from industry specialists on a diverse range of topics: blogging, digital media, photo-journalism, political empowerment, environmental protection, advocacy, design thinking, entrepreneurship and leadership development
Kashif Khan, an alumnus of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) and President of Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Pakistan, gave a session on entrepreneurship and personal branding. “My experience of interacting with GB youth has been very encouraging. The youth of GB is very focused and want to bring positive change in their community,” he added.
Danial Shah, an Emerging Leaders of Pakistan fellow and a photo-journalist, spoke to the participants about photo-journalism and the importance of following their passion.
“The potential and talent of the youth coming from the remote areas of GB have impressed me,” commented Danial.
Youth Voice Solutions to Community Problems
On the last day of the conference, participants sat together to identify challenges that were prevalent in their districts. 100 young men and women from nine districts of GB collectively brainstormed problems and possible solutions to counter dominant issues such as access to education, infrastructure, pollution and youth empowerment.
Najia Zehra, a civil service officer from GB and a speaker at the summit, found the active participation of women in the conference a heartening sight. “I can see future role models in this group of youth.”
Maria Akbar from Ghanche, currently enrolled in Quaid-e-Azam University, believed that such events should be regularly conducted. “It’s a great way to gather ideas and work in cohesion for the progress of GB.”
Roheena Ali Shah believed the networking opportunity provided at the summit was very useful. “We were able to work together on how to solve issues of GB and I am positive that the impact of this conference will be visible through our efforts.”
For Habib Hasan, pulling off this conference would not have been possible without the support of the GB Chapter Leadership. “From last minute logistical changes to the smooth execution of the program, the GB Youth Summit was a testament to the enthusiasm and commitment of the exchange alumni in GB.”
