Youth on the driver seat

“A life changing experience” posted one out of 320 participants on facebook. “Amazing
FNF Representative with YLC participants hours” named it his friend the Young Leaders Conference 2010 in Karachi. Expressing the views of many other young men and women aged 18 to 24 from all over Pakistan a clear cut can be followed up and seen on the long run: Just after one week full of energy, experience and learning, life is not the same like before. Thrilled by high profile speakers, moderators and stakeholders youth gets a vision for life. Ministers, diplomats, artists, leaders in different domains streamed in and out catching attention. Entertained and motivated by trainers and entertainers the seed of positive energy grows in every single participant. The youngsters get a sense of what life has to offer and why it’s worth working for it.

“You are the master of your own life!” The message is simple but hard to transfer. But the School of Leadership (www.sol.edu.pk) with the skills and the know-how of many years managed to get the message across in a fabulous way. Based on liberalism YLC participants experience freedom and learn to take responsibility for themselves, their community and their country. Every day within the week has special topic and focuses on different spheres of life. After this week
Examining Pakistan’s Youth Policy: The Diplomacy Award the idea is not forgotten: In follow-up programmes the participants commit to the responsibilities they have promised.

As concept and ideas find common grounds with the perception of liberalism of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, FNF does support and sponsor the event to see this seed of responsible citizens growing in large numbers. Furthermore, FNF’s Resident Representative in Pakistan, Olaf Kellerhoff, contributed on the panel of culture and served as moderator in the Diplomacy Award session – a group task examining Pakistan’s Youth policy. There, from the various contributions and suggestion one focal idea became central: a responsible youth has its share to co-formulate Pakistan’s Youth Policy or as one out of 21 groups formulated: “Your driver is only You!”

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