Out of the box: Young minds act as catalysts of change within communities

Students interview members of their communities, raise funds and make projects

KARACHI: A large number of students aged between 12 and 25 came up with ideas on how to redress issues affecting their communities and prepared models as part of the 'Kar Dikhao' campaign.

Eighteen of these models were selected for final exhibition on Sunday at Regent Plaza Hotel, where awards were given to winners.

In December 2015, around 30 different schools and universities were given the task of bringing change through students in their communities. The 'Kar Dikhao' campaign, a joint venture of Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) and 'I Am Karachi', challenged students every week to approach an issue in their communities. During these months, students interviewed different community members, raised funds, spread awareness and made a final project pertaining to the issue they selected.

According to the campaign facilitator from FESF, Farah Zamin, students needed only a small push of encouragement and they came up with brilliant ideas and methods. "For funding, for instance, some students set up food stalls," said Zamin. "Others went door to door checking blood pressures, collecting a nominal amount for their awareness campaign."



As the students pooled in their resources and designed models with proposals of how to best address problems, they were able to identify issues that were intrinsic to particular communities. For example, students of Dream Model Street School, Baldia Town, conducted a survey on 500 households and their means of income. Students found out that the women living in the area were skilled in embroidery, sewing and stitching and while the craftsmanship was simply brilliant, their products do not get the market value they deserve.

In the near future, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture will be conducting training sessions for these women and serve as a bridge in promoting their work's worth. "All these products are identified as cultural products," said a class-nine student, Muzammil. "We want it to attain the market recognition that it should."

Students of Rehnuma Academy focused on Sherpao Basti in Dhoraji where they started a teaching campaign for the stay-at-home women of the community. "These are married women who have never been to school," said Danish, the coordinator of this campaign. "We started with simple alphabetical lessons as they have never had any schooling." The model showed young students teaching burka-clad women sitting on desks.

Similarly, Umer Gul of KMA Boys Secondary School conducted an awareness campaign for the cleanliness of Lyari. "The walls have been dirty as people habitually spit chaliya and paan everywhere," he said. The students pooled in some money, bought paint and wrote messages of keeping the area clean on the walls.

Among the winners of the campaign were Dream Model School in the young children category while Metroville School won in the older children group.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2015.