Aiming to bridge the gap between the young and the old regarding their understanding of democracy, the Youth Parliament of Pakistan (YPP) will hold a national symposium on December 12.
The symposium will offer youth an opportunity to develop linkages with veteran politicians and social and democratic activists, say the organisers.
The Intergenerational Democracy Symposium will be organised in collaboration with the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) and hopes to offer an opportunity to young activists to directly interact with pro-democracy and human rights activists, said YPP Executive Director Bilal Ahmad Rana.
Rana told The Express Tribune that he said the initiative would mark the concluding activity of the YPP project, Youth Action for Democracy - Strengthening Democracy by Empowering Youth. The project launched in collaboration with the UNDEF has so far educated almost 8,000 individuals in human rights and democratic values all over the country.
“Our focus is on enabling the youth to develop linkages with the older generation that will help them understand democratic values and encourage an environment of discourse on issues specific to democracy and human rights,” he said.
The national project has managed to form Youth Democracy Teams (YDT) in 18 districts. Having almost 25 to 30 members, each YDT operates in a specific district where it educates people in democratic citizenship.
Speaking about the event, Rana said it would be the first of its kind under the banner of the YPP. “Developing linkages is vital for the youth to understand the challenges veteran activists faced in promoting democracy in our country,” he said.
The one-day event will run from 9am till late night. It is expected to run three thematic sessions on topics that deal with media, youth and their roles in a democratic system.
Rana said each session would be addressed by four to five people including politicians both young and old along with veteran political activists who would share their experiences with the young. He said Aitzan Ahsan and Asad Umar might address the event. But it was too early to announce the speakers, he said.
With almost 1,000 applications received from across the country, the YPP teams are currently engaged in shortlisting the participants. Targeting 18 to 35 year olds, the event had opened its online registration in which the applicants were asked to fill in a questionnaire. Selected participants will be called in for interviews. As many as 25 YPP members, with 10 from their head office in Lahore, are engaged in shortlisting the applications.
“Only 200 participants will be selected out of an approximate 1,000 entries. We want a vibrant youth who actually understand the theme democracy and are not participating just for fun,” said YPP National Programme Officer Amjad Zafar Ali.
He said it was a must that the youth are serious about the event. “You get a fair idea of their attitude and level of seriousness by the way they answer our queries,” he said. To add the element of seriousness, the YPP has put a fee for participation (Rs 2,500 for locals and Rs 5,500 for those out of the city who will be provided accommodation). “When it’s free of cost, the attendance is great, but people usually are not actively participating,’ said Ali.
“There has to be a stake involved for the participants to take it seriously and that comes with the fee,” he said. “Of course, we have to ensure that the young people can afford this cost. Considering what is being offered to them, we think it is priced very appropriately,” he said.
The YPP hopes to inform all the 200 shortlisted participants by November 30.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2012.
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