Schoolchildren take tour of history

Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), a non-profit organisation, arranged online interaction between students of four culturally diverse schools for discussion on the creation and formative years of Pakistan.

School Outreach Tours is an educational initiative launched by CAP in 2009. Over the years, CAP's educational programming has reached over 10,000 college and school students across Sindh and Punjab through School Outreach Tours, a press release said.

"We focus on maintaining cultural inclusivity and curating diverse educational oral history workshops. In July 2021, CAP adopted a digital model, connecting schools across Karachi virtually; SOT looks at Partition through personal narratives, bringing into focus our shared histories, cultures, and heritage sites. In this cycle, we have been able to connect with over 600 students from Dawood Public School, The Citizens Foundation, Kiran Foundation, and Education Trust Nasra School," said CAP President Amean J.

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Overall, the programme comprises six workshops, and aims to explore new ways through which students can engage in conversations regarding Pakistan's history, viewing it from a personal lens. CAP's workshops are designed to transport students back in time, where they experience life in Pakistan during the 1940s and 1950s. Through these tours, CAP hopes to initiate a dialogue about Pakistan's past and present, utilising the material within the archive such as photographs, letters, newspapers or official correspondence and interviews in order to bring history to life for these schoolchildren.

Our organisation has three main goals: to preserve and provide access to our archive, to build and support educational programs, and to develop educational products based on the testimonies collected.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2021.