Blinck International Youth Day

Whenever the youth of Pakistan is in discussion, the only thing which comes in mind is energy. They are filled with passion to do what they love and their liveliness sets them apart. And yes, this energy has to be channelized in the right direction for optimum output and the youth needs to be guided and motivated to stay on the right track. This was the theme of Blinck International Youth Day event held in association with U.S Consulate on August 12, 2011, marking the International Youth Day which falls on the same date.

It was an invitation exclusive event where more than six hundred enthusiastic individuals applied to be part of this event, and the top hundred were selected to experience what was considered to be a “youthful occasion”. These invitees were development enthusiasts, community-work activists, cultural performers, photographers, artists and journalists; young and aspiring minds belonging to a diverse background but with a single-minded aim, to do something for Pakistan.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The proceedings of the day were started off with the recitation of the Holy Quran, which was followed by a speech by Mr. William J. Martin, U.S Consul General in Karachi. His speech was acknowledged by the youth participants for he was excited to be amongst the most aspiring and promising of individuals. He shared his views about student exchange programs, and that they must be held regularly so students, particularly, the youth of both the countries can learn from each other’s ideas.

Later in the event, a panel discussion was held, presided by Sidra Iqbal where she had invited five of the most amazing Pakistanis who have taken Pakistan and its name to highest levels of admiration around the world. The esteemed panelists included Former Mayor Karachi, Mustafa Kamal; Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a renowned journalist and documentarian, the first Pakistani to win an Emmy Award and the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists; Palwasha Bashir, who is currently the highest ranked female badminton player of Pakistan; Farhad Karamally, an international management consultant and a social entrepreneur and Komal Rizvi, who made Pakistani music famous across the border with her voice and lyrical delight.

The theme of the day was “Idealism + Energy + Action = Youth” where the panelists discussed the secrets for their success, their most challenging moments in life and they also replied to questions put forward by the youth participants as well. It was an action-packed session, for the panelists, youth icons themselves, have achieved success at an early age, and therefore, they were attuned with the vibrancy which the youth participants carried with themselves.

The interactive nature of the event made the participants and the panelists speak their heart out in exchanging views, sharing ideas and expressing their thoughts about what needs to be done in Pakistan and how it can be achieved. Blinck has provided a platform for the youth to come together, learn from those who have created a difference and take inspiration and guidance from them to move forward towards their dreams and to bring a change in their country. Yes, this change will not come overnight and it would take hard work and a dedicated team effort to do so, but with these kinds of events and platforms, the youth’s energy will surely be channelized in the right direction.

Article Written By:  Omar Iftikhar

Photo Credits: MaanSal Studios & Dawn in Education Team

Kalaam: Intercultural Dialogue

An Intercultural Dialogue with the Ambassadors of Change, and boy was it surely an eye opener as a morning session dialogue/ session on a Sunday Morning.

We had guests from across various fields and each one of them are captains of their own ship,sailing it to a point where they want to take it, and how they want to take it is surely not decided by the winds of tide,but by their own inspiration, passion and the common sense which keeps knocking on everyone’s head.

A very dynamic panel starting off with Ms. Sidra Iqbal. She need not require much introduction. A famous face in the Media Industry with her eloquent talk shows, especially in the field of business and management. Sidra is also known to others as an internally acclaimed public speaker, who was and still is a passionate debater since her school days. She held the honor of being the youngest finalist amongst 167 participants from all over the country at the Prime Minister’s Shield 1999; the most coveted All-Pakistan Debating Championship.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(Picture Credit Masood Akbar from Zsuzsanna Fajcsak DrZsu Album)

We had the pleasure of Mr. Deepak Parwani, who needs no introduction, is known as one of Pakistan’s well-reputed and brilliant fashion designers. He is more famous for men’s dress designing and is amongst those who established men’s fashion in Pakistan. His most claimed statement is his Signs that represents Power and Men’s confidence; but in a stylish way. He never follows the traditional or ongoing Fashion statement of the country; rather he makes his own.  He tells people ‘what to wear’ and ‘how to carry’ what they wear.

Dr Zsuzsanna Fajcsak is the founder of ALIVE™, that aims to build entrepreneurs, applied health practices; provide executive coaching services and is involved in several developmental projects in Pakistan.
Zsuzsanna has been schooled in Europe and the USA, and holds a Doctoral degree in nutrition, as well as Master’s degrees in Teaching Physical Education, Exercise Physiology and Clinical Nutrition. She is a Certified NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and Time Line Therapy™ Coach, Certified Nutrition Specialist (Member of the American College of Nutrition), Certified in Functional Diagnostic Medicine, who is passionate about the human mind and its power over physical health and performance.

And not to forget our very own notorious Khalid Malik of the Breakfast Show at City FM89. Khalid started off his career at a very early stage, and in his very young age, Khalid Malik has made huge strides. He is an actor, presenter, RJ and producer. His achievements include acting in movies like Superman Returns, Shanti, Love and Ice Tea, and Me and on TV for MTV and several other dramas and comedies. As an RJ, he has been on the Indian Link Radio in Sydney and currently hosts the Breakfast Show on City fm 89.

Among the celebrities he has interviewed are Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Lara Dutta, Ayesha Takia, Javed Jaffery, Pooja Bedi, Manisha koirala, Kabir Bedi, Arbaaz Khan, Meera, Shiamak Dawar, and many many more. Also amongst Khalid’s success stories have been his involvement with Chalo Australia and MTV Pakistan on World Music Chart shows and breakfast shows.

The session was moderated by none other than Mr. Abbas Husain, who is an M.A. in English Literature and M.Ed. (Teaching English to speakers of other languages) from Manchester University, UK. Abbas Husain received professional training at the Universities of Toronto, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Chicago. He served as Lecturer and Assistant Professor from 1981 to 1992 in Department of English at Karachi University. He is one of the founder members of SPELT and has participated in all national and international conferences from 1987 to date.

Abbas Husain is a corporate trainer and has been a guest speaker at the National Defense University, Islamabad, Pakistan Navy Staff College; Pakistan Air War College, at NIPA, Karachi. He has been a consultant for UNICEF at the Regional Conference in Khatmandu, Nepal.  He has presented on GEO TV, Indus TV, NewsOne, PTV and DAWNNEWS in educational and religious programs. As Director, Teacher’s Development Centre, he has conducted Master Teacher’s Courses and has so far reached over 35,000 teachers all over Pakistan and contributed 320 teacher trainers to the national pool of trainers. He is recognized as a source of original thinking in education and has been invited by several education institutions as a speaker across the country and internationally.

For more details logon to our Facebook Page