South Asian Youth Conference 2012: Interactive sessions, rock concert mark third day

The six-day conference features 120 delegates from eight countries.

ISLAMABAD:

The third day of the South Asian Youth Conference revolved around education, with delegates engaging in thematic sessions, workshops and various interactive activities.

As delegates waited patiently for keynote speaker Member National Assembly Dr Nafisa Shah to arrive, some of them came up on stage to perform songs, with one delegate giving background music with his guitar.

As the MNA arrived, students handling social media were quick to pop up their laptops for twitter updates and arrange for her speech’s live streaming on the internet.

Shah discussed the challenges faced by South Asian countries, focusing mainly on the economy and natural disasters.

“According to a UNESCO study, over half of the world’s illiterate people live in four countries, three of which are in South Asia,” she said.

The MNA also paid tribute to Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old Pakistani activist who was injured in an assassination attempt by the Taliban last month for raising her voice for education.

“Without education, we cannot develop a peaceful, tolerant society that respects diverse opinions and promotes multiculturalism,” she remarked.

She also discussed the effect of terrorism on the state of education in the country. “With over 700 schools damaged in militancy-hit areas, we face a huge challenge in rebuilding the education sector.”

As the social media team furiously typed every word she spoke, the compère announced that the conference’s live updates had become the most discussed topic on twitter in Pakistan. The announcement was received with a round of applause and cheer from the delegates.

“It has been an amazing experience so far. It feels as if one has come back home after a long time. Such interactive sessions should be held regularly to clear the misconceptions we have about each other,” said an Indian delegate as he stood up to thank Shah.

The delegates also enjoyed a rock concert by underground bands in the evening. The six-day conference is being organized by HILA, a non-partisan Pakistani organisation working towards developing leadership skills among the youth.

As many as 120 delegates from eight countries are attending the event. All the entertainment events are taking place at Ibex Club, while the discussions and other activities are being held at the National University of Science and Technology. The conference will end on November 10.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2012.