The Young Facilitators Journey to YLC

Screaming on the Volley Ball court, landing with a twisted ankle, not realising what to do next, was when the thought occurred to me again. I was yet again in a similar situation surrounded by young people in their early and mid twenties, all energized trying to play a sport which they knew not much off. But, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were involved. Meeting new people, new faces, and accommodating anyone and everyone who had the passion to play. They didn’t care whether someone was worse that amateurs They were all there to support each other and help everyone pick up their game.

Similarly exactly a month ago, I had found myself in an exact situation, while attending the 10th Young Leaders Conference, 2011 organized by the School of Leadership. I was surrounded by some 400 young individuals as the whole hall was vibrating and glowing with energy. Though there were students and young professionals all around, the Sheraton Hotel, Karachi was buzzing with young people from all corners of Pakistan.

Most of the focus was on the participants. Everyone was speaking to them, Session speakers, media personnel and whoever wanted to know more about the conference, wanted to hear the participants out. But as I would walk down the halls, any one of the Young Facilitators (YFs) would smile and walk down with me. Giving me the royal treatment. It would be the YF’s on call whenever I needed something, or any student needed an advice, or help with anything. It was the YF’s running around for all the work, Session Speakers, facilitating them, helping and guiding them. The Young Facilitators to me were the true pillars holding the Fortress called “Young Leaders Conference.” It was them, who were tested to their greatest abilities and strength. They were the soldiers in shining armor, keeping things calm and composed and not letting the participants feel any less important.

In those 6 days, I did manage to speak to a few YF’s myself, only to find out more about them, and their love story with School of Leadership, mostly trying to understand their chain of thought to a journey they will surely never forget in their lifetime.

Surprisingly, most of the YF’s at the Young Leaders conference are previous YLCians. It’s the whole culture, heart to heart connection with anyone and everyone who wants to bring a change in themselves. Bilal Nazar Sibtain, Maalik Khaskhely the duo champ team who got acquainted with the world of YLC and SoL family in 2009, and nothing makes them give up their love for the YLC family. They love to touch more lives, and share hands with SoL in changing paradigms and mindsets for the youth.

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Maddi Murtaza a Young Trainer and a successful entrepreneur feels no different about the magic of YLC. Someone, who took a jump start in their academic life with engineering and leaving it midway knows now exactly what intrigues and moves him. Maddi himself feels, once becoming a part of YLC was a realization to his “method to the madness.” He felt much closer to a world similar to him, wanting to change lives and improve upon the lives of others. Lost in the mediocre mindset that majority of our youth shares; it’s a sole mission for Maddi to eradicate all kinds of negative thoughts and replace them with constructive madness.

The queen thinker behind the Idealistic theme of the 10th YLC is none other than Namreen Akhtar. She herself being a part of YLC in 2009, has been fascinated and inspired by the people who run the show. Namreen who had recently attended an International Youth Conference in Turkey, had returned all charged up with renewed energy to find her country in the midst of the worse floods the nation would ever encounter. There was a lot of energy and hope, and form while planning ahead for the upcoming YLC. She knew that the theme had to be Big and Strong. Thus, Emaan, Itehad & Tanzeem – Inqilaab came into existence. Even though her education was her main priority, this young graduating student has never said ‘NO’ while helping the YLC team organise themselves.

Zainab Haider another YF who was a participant at the 2009 YLC too has never looked back since her first interaction with the SoL. Being a participant of YLC, it had touched & moved her to such an extent, that she flew to Lahore to attend the TTYT (Train the Young Trainer) at the very next chance.

What amazed me is that these young individuals were so passionate about YLC and empowering their fellow youth members, they are more than excited to volunteer for 6 days at the conference and not only that, they go through a rigorous 5 day Boot Camp just before the conference commences.

After being around these extra energized young lot of YF’s, I have still to feel any less motivated and less energized. The drive and passion to make things happen not only for themselves but to help improvise things around them is absolutely spectacular.

Since the end of YLC, I have noticed numerous youth & skill development training, Public speaking & confidence building workshops conducted by these same Young Facilitators adamant to change the world. I would like to wish all these young individuals the best of Luck in their endeavors to change the world around them.

Signing out till the next YLC: Asma Inayat 

YLC’11 – What are the Young Leaders saying?

The Young Leaders’ Conference 2011 has come to an end after 6 action packed days of non-stop learning and development. The participants will remember the words “Emman”, “Ittehad”, “Tanzeem”, and “Inqilaab”, the theme of the conference, for a long time to come. After many months of hard struggle for sponsorships and other methods of financing, the participants came to the conference with a lot of excitement and expectations. We talked with a few participants and facilitators about their aspirations and expectations from the YLC’11.

Sagar Malik from Khairpur was one of the participants we got a chance to talk with. Sagar is also the current president of the Rotaract Club of Khairpur.  “YLC is a platform that will enable me to develop into a confident professional, a team player, allow me to make new friends, and will teach me how to deal with tough life situations. I have already made a few friends and looking forward to make many more”, said Sagar when asked about his YLC experience.

Nosherwani Mazari from Sadiqabad expressed his views on Day 1 of the conference: “It has been a great experience so far. We are having a lot of fun and learning new things. I further expect to open up my mind and look at the world in a new way. When I go back home after the conference, I want to take back with me leadership skills. We expect everything to be done by the government, by the president, or the prime minister. But the fact is that we need to play our own individual roles for the betterment of the society”. When asked about the diversity of participants from all over the country, he said, “I have met people from Swabi, from Kohat, and even from Waziristan…it’s truly amazing”.

Another participant we got a chance to catch up with was Hamna Qureshi from Islamabad. “It’s been a great experience so far, I’ve met a lot of people and I’ve made new friends. I’ve interacted with people from places that I didn’t even know existed in Pakistan, so I feel great that I’ve got a chance to learn about the different kinds of people, cultures, and traditions that exist in our country. The diversity I’m witnessing here has opened up my mind” she said. When asked about what she expects to get out of this conference, she said, “I hope to learn leadership skills, gain confidence, and public speaking skills”. About the rest of the participants at the conference, she said, “I have found them to be very cooperative and friendly. They’re easy to talk to, down to earth, be it people from different cities or villages, they’re all very accommodating and helpful”.

The kind of talent we saw at the YLC’11 from all over the country, gives Pakistan great hope for times to come. Witnessing the Young Leaders of 2011 debate on different complex issues that exist in today’s Pakistani society and hear them talk about their hopes and aspirations about their country was truly heartening. Surely, the future of Pakistan is in good hands.

 

Written By: M. Athar Ali Khan

YLC’11 so far

We’re more than half way through the Young Leaders’ Conference and it has been a very enlightening experience so far. Participants and young leaders from all over Pakistan and a few other countries including Indonesia and Mexico, have gathered on a single platform to exchange views and learn from some of the top leaders and sharpest minds in the country.

Day 1 started off with an inaugural session, after which representatives from the sponsoring companies were introduced and expressed their opinions and hopes about the conference. The participants divided into teams and were engaged in ice breaking activities so that they could be introduced to each other. There was a session on Life Coaching by later in the evening followed by Dinner by Bank Alfalah. The day ended with a session on identifying your own potential.

Day 2 and 3 were just as exciting and intense and included breakout sessions by different renowned personalities. The highlight of day 3 was the Power of Expression series where different breakout sessions were conducted on dance, theatre, music, film and street power.

It was an interesting turn of events when the participants reached the Countryside Chalet from Sheraton Hotel on Day 4. The participants encountered some problems with the facilities at the venue and had to be moved back to Sheraton Hotel for Day 5.

It has been an exhilarating experience so far and young leaders from all over Pakistan and abroad have put forward their diverse points of view. We have witnessed some heated debates on gender equality and discrimination on Day 5. Mr. Javed Jabbar, in his session, encouraged the youth to believe in an alternate world, to take full advantage of the explosive growth in information technology and media, and equip themselves for the future. He also talked about believing in Global Humanism and universal tolerance.

There’s surely much more to come in the remaining day and a half of the YLC’11. Please stay up to date on twitter by following us @DawninEducation and through our Facebook page http://Facebook.com/Dawnineducation

10th Young Leaders Conference Inauguration

The 10th Young Leaders Conference Kicks Off Today!

This is the time when our country seems to be in need of its people to unify a voice that can reach out to the world and improve the global image of Pakistan. We are relying on our youth to take this challenge upon them and be the ambassadors of change.

DAWN in Education believes in empowering the Youth, educating them and making them aware of their Eman, unify the Youth for a better tomorrow Ittehad, while they transform themselves Tanzeem as better human beings. The country is in need for a revolution Inqilaab. So is the theme of this year’s 10^th Young Leaders Conference, taking up on a challenge to discipline the youth of Pakistan’s energies and guide them to a direction which will help them realize their responsibility towards their country.

Our Quaid had complete faith in the youth of Pakistan, and in a meeting with the Organizing Committee of the First Pakistan Olympic Games held at Karachi from April 23 to 25, 1948, the Quaid said to the first President of Pakistan Olympic Association Mr. Ahmed E H Jaffar, “Dedicate yourself to sports promotion, for when you and I are gone, leadership will go into the hands of Youth, and Youth is our wealth, a raw material, that must be hammered into shape, into burnished steel to strive and smite in defense – the defense of the integrity and solidarity of Pakistan – the defense of the ideology of Pakistan.”

Dawn in Education believes in its people, especially the youth of Pakistan to be the true leaders of Pakistan. This is the time for you all to believe in yourself and carry the spirit of the Quaid. Make it Happen!

Good Luck to the YLC Team!

Meet the Young Facilitators @ the 10th YLC Conference

 Meet the Duo Champs who will greet you, meet you and shake every    spirit inside you for the coming 6 days conference.

The Duo are former YLC champs, and Young Leaders Conference Leads.  They will be with you, around you, behind you, watching over you,  spying on you and clicking pictures of you while napping. But, they will  surely be your best friends, during, at and after the conference.

 

Meet Champ 1:-Bilal Nazar Sibtain 

President – Nawabshah Youth Organization

Conference Lead -Pakistan Youth Conference 2nd Edition

A computer science student lives in Nawabshah, loves to innovate bright ideas. He Inspired by the 6-days Young Leaders Conference 2007. He increased his experience when he started Nawabshah Youth Organization (NYO) by motivating young blood of Nawabshah, working as a president in NYO & organized such events like Art Mela with special children.

A one day event for all the youth to identify our culture, “I Clean Nawabshah” and one of thePakistan’s biggest youth conferences named as Pakistan Youth Conference (PYC 2009). He has been a trainee in different training programs. He also attended the 1st Pakistan Youth Congress. 

After being trainee he is now giving trainings to various institutes of Nawabshah. After inspired by his hard work The Rotary Club offered him to lead the Rotaract Youth Club in Nawabshah. He recently led youngsters in Young Leaders Conference 2009 as a Youth Facilitator, and now He is the Conference Lead of Pakistan Youth Conference 2010 with the theme of YUVA – The Future.

A certified trainer fromSchoolofLeadership, he gives trainings to Rotary Pakistan, RotaractPakistan, WWF-P, SZABIST, andFoundationPublic Schools, PYDN – Pakistan etc. As a personal interest and love for communication skills He is also working with Sachal Hot FM 105 Nawabshah as a RJ. He was awarded as a ‘Top 30 under 30’ youngster ofPakistan. Bilal holds the honor to representPakistanat “World Youth Congress 2010” where He represented his country inTurkeyJuly 2010.

Meet Champ 2:- Maalik Khaskhely

Maalik is a business student, who loves to keep his teachers busy in multiple and generative questions. He thinks that when teachers work as a sleeping pill then questions work as an antidote. He experiences life fully and concludes that “if you want a happy life then start loving all those things which you are doing to live”.

As a facilitator, he electrifies his participants with high volts of energy and transforms their anger into positivism. He aspires to magnetize the globe by trainings globally. Currently he trains fromSchoolofLeadership, Indus Resource Center (IRC), Young Students’ Welfare Association (YSWA) and Youth Empowerment Network (YEN).

Having participated in YLC 2007 as a participant and later as ‘Young Facilitator’, Maalik is currently leading the 10th Young Leaders’ Conference as a Co-Champ. Maalik aspires to dive into politics.