UNV Pakistan is very happy to share the best three essays of the recent competition organized by UNV on the occasion of International Volunteer Day 2014. Ranking: First Place Topic: Peace, Volunteerism and Youth: Perspectives Pakistan by Nayab Mirza, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore Within the larger context of global issues Pakistan, owing to its historic progress, occupies a special position. Contrary to popular beliefs Pakistan has a history of diversity since the influx of different people and cultures has enriched this land with a valuable heritage. Even sociologically heterogeneous societies face more conflict but individuals who grow in such societies have a multifaceted, dynamic approach towards life and a deep appreciation of differences. Pakistani youth is also distinctive by the same token. I firmly believe that the nexus of peace, volunteerism and youth has been aided in Pakistan due to the system of student exchanges, social media and positive community role models. Peace is not a static state or an object of attainment rather it is an ongoing process or an attitude towards life; peace is choosing to have harmony when you have the option of fighting. Humanity has progressed way beyond Rousseau’s state of nature yet conflict is still an inherent part of our system but must this conflict always lead to bloodshed and can it not be channelized to refurbish the social system? Peacemaking does not mean to proverbially, turn the other cheek, it means to raise your voice against injustice, to educate, uplift and to have an equal chance at life; and this is precisely the type of versatile approach Pakistani youth is undertaking to build peace. Peace is never simple; our society is rife with highly sensitive issues related to religion, gender, class, politics, sectarian/ethnic violence and so on. These aren’t issues that can be resolved with table talks, guns or nonchalance; they can only be addressed through education, empathy and ultimately emancipation. Pakistani youth activists realize that change is multidimensional, subtle and like a river beating against the stone consistently and innocuously. They realize the power in numbers and the power of one single voice of change that revolutionizes the mind and breaks the status quo. The steps in which youth activism for peace has advanced is primarily through student exchange programs in which Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program has been a pioneer. It saw potential in young Pakistani minds to appreciate and understand the American culture via student exchanges and it trained them with a zest to materialize improvements in their own small communities and towns. As a resident of Peshawar and exchange alumna I have firsthand experience of the transformative power of this experience which galvanized us reach those who needed help. The exchange doesn’t teach you to love a developed country like US, it teaches you to love Pakistan. It teaches you that you don’t have to be “alike” to be happy. Following the yearlong sojourn in US, 16-17 year old alumni return to establish community service projects in their own cities. Since 2003 there have been innumerable projects related to education, culture, female empowerment, environment, technology, citizen journalism, public works, conferences etc. Young individuals all around Pakistan have effectively become catalysts for change in their own niche. Secondly social media activism has played a crucial role in mobilizing resources and people in order to participate in social affairs. Blogging, organizing protests, speaking on sensitive issues, creating NGOs to raise awareness has been facilitated vastly by social media websites. As a gift of globalization these tools have allowed Pakistanis to better interact with people from all around the world. Exchange alumni in particular have a better vantage point due to their interactions with people globally and thus running a campaign, collecting donations, seeking endorsements or simply raising a voice has at least become possible, if not easy, for a vast majority. Youth today has a more holistic perspective on issues and even if people hold very strong opinions they try to exhibit enough empathy to maintain a modicum of peace. Internal issues related to politics and provincialism which are absolutely banal for peace have also been brought under the net of social media discourse; as long as people are debating and learning they are becoming more aware of different ways to approach problems. Volunteerism through social media has become easy because it’s easier to communicate with people and to organize different projects. For instance flood relief projects, IDP donation collections, Thar famine relief projects have all been aided through social media interactions because most of these youth organizations cannot afford to run physical offices. For instance IMVolunteer, an organization in Peshawar, publicized and garnered support for its ration drive for IDPs of Waziristan through Facebook. Similarly microblogging on Twitter has been a source of funding and sponsorships for various activities. In this way participation and volunteering has been made possible. Lastly the role of community leaders has been important in aiding youth activism because youthful idealism is attracted to principles of justice, equity and peace. The rise in social entrepreneurship is one way in which young people can see the long-run impact of volunteerism. Peacemaking in this way is not merely utopia, but one can actualize it by establishing organizations which can uplift the society’s downtrodden. Organizations like Eidhi, Dream Foundation Trust, Rabtt, Ghonsala Pakistan, Sughar Women etc. are all examples of the youthful dream which spread joy in lives of millions! It is important for Pakistani youth to have the right amount of optimism in seeing that peace is a possibility and self-actualization can be attained through community service. Through positive role models of females such as Humaira Bachal and Malala Yousafzai young Pakistani women too are empowered to make a positive contribution to their society. People like Shehzad Roy employ television media and music to incite young men and women to change the map of Pakistani education and it is indeed a beautiful vision to see waves of positivity negate conflict. Peace is no longer elusive or detached from us, it is not the responsibility of our politicians or elites, we stand today more responsible and aware, awakened from a stupor into this reality where not wealth or status but intellect and ability alone can help us steer this ship of life towards the shore of harmony. Allama Iqbal said, “When an eagle’s spirit awakens in youthful hearts, It sees its luminous goal beyond the starry heavens.”
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 07:23:15 +0000
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