By Hira Nafees Shah

Group Photograph of the participants with U.S Ambassador Richard Olson at the Women Empowerment Conference

A young Indian journalist raising her voice against an injustice that was committed against her. A Pakistani politician fighting the odds to change the system. A Bangladeshi working woman who dared to venture into an industry that few would risk. An Afghani woman making an impact on the ground. An American social activist bringing her music to prisoners, the disabled and infirm.

These are just some of the success stories that formed part of the keynote session when women from seven countries kicked off the International Women Empowerment Conference 2015 in Islamabad, organized by the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network and U.S Embassy.

(From Left to Right) U.S Assistant Cultural Attaché Jameson Debose, Mary McBride, Sharada Jnawali, Tania Aria, Syeda Abida Hussain, Aarefa Johari and Selyna Peiris-speakers at Women Empowerment-Global Challenges, Opportunities and Success Stories panel with moderator Ayesha Fazlur Rahman

Syeda Abida Hussain, Mary McBride, Sharada Jnawali, Sarah Ali, Tania Aria, Aarefa Johari and Selyna Peiris’ personal accounts inspired more than 300 U.S sponsored exchange alumni who gathered in the capital city to make women’s empowerment a reality.

The theme for the conference was “Make it Happen,” which took place in conjunction with International Women’s Day. During the three day event, the participants received an opportunity to interact with speakers (the majority of whom were females) who had reached the top in fields such as media, politics, arts, science, and sport.

“There are various models in Pakistan to draw inspiration from,” said Khawar Mumtaz, Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) while delivering her speech at the event. “I feel that with commitment and strength of character Pakistani women can achieve anything.”

Her sentiments were echoed by the Chief Guest U.S Ambassador Richard Olson, who noted that about fifty percent of participants in all U.S sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan consisted of women.

The CEO of the 60 Second Film Festival, Ibrar-ul-Hassan, also paid a homage to the power of Pakistani women by presenting minute-long videos which shed light on the different issues facing females in the country including gender discrimination, economic marginalization and lack of education.

Conference participants also showed how women can counter these challenges.  Fulbright alumna Aisha Azhar described her Alumni Small Grant project that taught poverty-stricken women in Ghazi how to sew. She felt that the conference enabled her to network with other alumni doing similar projects and said she enjoyed the sessions. Panelists discussed success from a very personal side, covering issues related to gender discrimination, divorce, and even female genital mutilation.

“The personal stories narrated at the panel discussion were really moving,” she said. “I am surprised that people are taking the initiative to discuss them so openly.”

Stimulating Sessions Draw Audience’s Applause

“I found Zeba Bakhtiar’s session to be the best because she said women have a personality and can also live without men,” said Saira Shams, an alumna of the Women with Disabilities exchange program.

Panelists Momina Duraid, Haseena Moeen, Zeba Bakhtair, Sarah Khan with moderator Anam Abbas at session on “Bringing Social Change through Film and TV”

Bakhtiar’s session, which was following with rapt attention by the audience, included legendary playwrights like Haseena Moeen, HUMTV Producer Momina Duraid and 16-year-old filmmaking prodigy Sarah Khan. There was a healthy debate among the panelists about how media should project women so as to bring about a positive change in society.

“I always made bold, self-determined girls and portrayed them as individuals,” said Haseena Moeen. “Media’s impact is slow but it’s durable and long-lasting.”

And from strong female characters on screen, the participants got a chance to interact with real-life role models like Parliamentarian Aasiya Nasir, National Forum of Women with Disabilities Chairperson Abia Akram, Young Rising Star Football Women Club Vice-Captain Faiza Mahmoud and Ex-PAF pilot Ifrah Aziz among others.

“I faced a lot of problems from men for standing up for the rights of minorities in Pakistan in the aftermath of Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder case,” said Nasir.

The other speakers also highlighted the struggles that they had to go through for working for the cause of disabled people, or showcasing the problems faced by Afghan refugees in getting citizenship in Pakistan or trying to promote sports among girls in the country.

(From Left to Right) Moderator Muniba Mazari with Samina Baig and Mirza Ali Baig-brother, sister duo who climbed Seven Summits in 2014

Samina Baig and Mirza Ali Baig, the Pakistani brother-sister dynamic duo who scaled seven summits in eight months, received a standing ovation from the participants.

“I felt most inspired by Samina Baig’s session because it showed how men and women can cooperate with each other to build better relations,” said UGrad alumnus Syed Zia Hussain.

“We climb for purpose, for gender equality and for women’s empowerment,” said Mirza Baig while presenting an impassioned speech about treating women fairly and loving one’s country.

During the conference, the participants also had a choice between attending six breakout sessions under the umbrella theme of Knowing Your Rights such as Representation of Women in Mass Media, Women in Conflict Resolution Process, Political-Civic Rights and Status of Women’s Empowerment, Exploring Entrepreneurship Opportunities, Women and Health and Socio-Cultural Trends, Changes and Question of Women Empowerment.

The gatherings drew considerable interaction with audience, who jumped to provide their thoughts and explanations for the speakers’ questions.

“Why honor is only restricted to women?” asked Dr. Munazza Yaqoob from International Islamic University during her session on Socio-Cultural Trends.

Executive Director of Mehergarh-Center of Learning Maliha Hussain also hit out at cultural norms that placed undue restrictions on females.

“No law states that women cannot leave the house,” she said. “We also don’t allow ladies in our families to laugh out loud as we live in a patriarchal society.”

Meanwhile, during the meeting on Representation of Women in Mass Media, Rakhshinda Parveen and the participants mulled over the rising instances of rape in the country, the psychology of rapists, and the importance of standing up to workplace harassment.

The Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network also recognized the contributions of 12 distinguished female alumni across the country for rendering meritorious services in their communities. SUSI Alumnus Ahmed Qazi’s mother late Tahira Qazi brought the audience to their feet by her heroic act of standing up to terrorists and laying down her life during the Army Public School (APS) attack in Peshawar.

Aside from thought-provoking panels, the event also featured an array of entertainment, including concerts by the Mary McBride Band and Pakistani pop sensation Zoe Viccaji.

A Bharatnatyam dance performance during the Women Empowerment Conference

The attendees danced to the rocking tunes by both the artists especially when Viccaji delivered classics by timeless pop goddess Nazia Hassan.  A dance performance of Bharatnatyam by the dance legend Indu Mitha and her students wrapped up the second day.

Alumni Focus on Social Uplift in Community Service Projects

With the scenic Pakistan Monument in the background, alumni huddled together as they listened to local heroes from the disabilities-rights program STEP. The special needs persons listed the problems that they faced accessing basic facilities like washrooms in Pakistan while the participants, which included many international guests, expressed concern and solidarity.

Other conference attendees made their way to Edhi Homes and spend time with Senior Citizens and children, played with them and told stories to them.

“I really like this activity because I received an opportunity to interact with a lady staying at Edhi Foundation,” said Sarah Khan, SUSI Alumna. “I also live in a hostel in Peshawar so I can relate to her feeling of being lonely and being away from home and I feel at home with them.”

Meanwhile, the orphans from Pakistan Sweet Home put on a performance for about 50 alumni who toured their facility. The participants also made a colorful poster on the conference’s theme Make it Happen.

“These community service projects encourage spirit of volunteerism among alumni,” said Maheen Salman, SUSI Alumna while speaking about the importance of the activities.

A football match was also held between alumni, Young Rising Star Women Football Club team-members and Mashal Model School students in which everyone had a ball.

As the conference came to an end, the participants pondered over the takeaways that they had received from the event.

“We can now build a network of strong women from the seven countries in order to work on future projects together,” said Fatima Jafferi, an Afghan participant.

“The male participation at this conference has been healthy . . . whatever guys learn here, they will implement it in their homes,” said Syed Samiullah Shah, a Legislative Fellowship Program Alumnus from Balochistan.

Perhaps the most important consequence of the program was the international linkages that were developed as a result of it.

“It is good to see international guests because it links the region and they also share a similar culture,” said Irsa Younas, IVLP Alumna. “The geo-political situation is almost identical in these countries, so we can get suggestions from them and replicate their success stories in Pakistan.”

“I had heard a lot of negative stories about Pakistan in the media,” said Indeewari Amuwatte, a Sri Lankan participant. “Instead I have seen a very modern group.”

“It has been an amazing experience in Pakistan,” said Aarefa Johari, the Indian speaker. “Everyone has been so warm and they went out of their way to make us feel welcome.”

To take a look at the photographs from the event, check out this link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pakusalumni/sets/72157651291160331/

By Neha Deshpande

(From Left to Right) Ariel Geist, Tom Fricke, Neha Deshpande, Rebecca Howland with Pakistani SUSI Alumnus Daniyal Hassan at the National Assembly of Pakistan

On Tuesday 17th February 2015, four members of an American delegation with the UMass Donahue Institute Civic Initiative were able to take part in various activities at some of the most important government buildings in Pakistan. Their visits were planned by Pakistani SUSI alumni Daniyal Hassan and Kashif Ali. The American delegation included Tom Fricke and Rebecca Howland from Amherst Regional High School and Ariel Geist and Neha Deshpande from the Civic Initiative.

The four Americans along with Pakistani alumnus Hassan started their day at the Supreme Court building, where they were able to sit in on several hearings. The enormity of the room was impressive, and the cases presented engrossed the group, even though the speakers kept switching between Urdu and English.

There were moments of intense debate and discussion but also those of mild humor, like when the justices were scolding the accountability board and basically telling them how to do their job. After the hearings, the group was able to meet Justice Jawwad Khawaja, thanks to the efforts of Hassan.

The group’s interaction with Justice Khawaja was supposed to be brief, but to their delight he invited them for tea, due to which the discussion lasted for about 45 minutes. The talks ranged from the future of the Pakistani Supreme Court to the books that every member of the delegation was reading, so it was quite an engaging and enjoyable experience for everyone.

(From Left to Right) Rebecca Howland, Ariel Geist, Tom Fricke, Neha Deshpande with Pakistani SUSI Alumnus Daniyal Hassan at the Senate Hall

After leaving the Supreme Court, alumnus Kashif Ali joined the group at the parliament building, and they received a guided tour of the venue. They were able to see the Senate and the National Assembly chambers as well as various other important halls.

The delegation was in awe of many of the paintings throughout the building, and took the time to read Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan from 11^th August 1947. The day ended with a photograph with the security officer who had given the tour.

The UMass delegation is grateful to Hassan and Ali for making the visits possible, and it’s clear that both the Americans and the Pakistanis had an amazing experience which they are unlikely to forget.

By Aarefa Johari, Indian Journalist

Indian Journalist Aarefa Johari at PUAN’s International Women Empowerment Conference

When I got selected for the PUAN Women’s Empowerment Conference in Pakistan, I was excited about meeting so many like-minded professionals from across Asia who all believe in women’s rights and work towards it, I was looking forward to stimulating discussions and, of course, travelling to Pakistan itself, which holds so much meaning for an Indian.

In Islamabad, I got to experience all of that and so much more. The conference, for one, was a tremendous success. It was smoothly organized, well-balanced between intense discussions and lighter, cultural interactions.

Aarefa Johari at the Pakistan Monument on the last day of the Women Empowerment Conference

And more than anything, it was the people who made it work – the panelists who shared their stories and their views were inspiring to say the least, and we were able to approach questions of women’s rights and challenges from so many different perspectives: the portrayal of women in the media, the glass ceiling at the workplace, women in conflict zones, women breaking stereotypes to make it in male-dominated fields, women in social work…the list is definitely long!

But besides the panelists, I found it so enriching just to be amidst so many alumni from across Pakistan – literally every corner – from regions I wasn’t aware of, speaking languages I hadn’t even heard of before. The diversity was so wonderful, and went a long way in giving me a wider glimpse of the whole nation even though I was just in one city.

A session that really stayed with me was the one on people with disabilities, held outside the Pakistan Monument. As so many women and men shared their stories of the obstacles that our societies throw at them, it reaffirmed my belief that the fight for women’s rights can never be for women alone – if equality is the goal of feminism, then by definition it must be a larger fight for the equality of ALL, including people discriminated against on the bases of abilities, class, caste, sexual orientation or anything else.

Aarefa Johari enjoying the sights and sounds of Islamabad at the Monal Restaurant

And finally, I cannot conclude without emphasizing how completely overwhelmed I was by Pakistani dildaari – everyone I met, both at the conference and outside, went out of their way to express their love for India and their warmth hospitality for me as an Indian. That was the icing on the cake which made the Islamabad visit truly special.

By Ashwaq Masoodi, Kashmiri Fulbright Alumna

Fulbright Alumna Ashwaq Masoodi at PUAN’s International Women Empowerment Conference

When I told a friend I was going to Pakistan, he laughed & said “Why Pakistan?” I told him I was going to attend a conference on women empowerment & that happens to be my field of interest. He laughed again and said, “So now Pakistan wants women empowerment? That sounds a little odd.” He also asked me to be careful and not get killed or kidnapped somewhere.

All these statements reminded me of how most of my friends in Delhi talk about Kashmir. Is it safe to go there? Does every Kashmiri hate Indians? Do Kashmiris identify themselves as Indians? Somehow because of the media, we create an image of a place in a way which is not necessarily what it is or even close to what it is.

Growing up in the Indian side of Kashmir, for me the idea of Pakistan was not just as a stake holder in the longstanding K-issue. It is a country which is referred as Jaa-e-Pak (Jaa=place in Persian, Pak= pure, sacred) by my people.

So, here I was listening to scary stories about agents following everyone holding an Indian passport and the pain of visiting police stations every day. I was very excited to go to Pakistan – because of the conference, because I wanted to buy pretty lawn suits and because it was Pakistan after all. Even though I kept waiting for the day I’d land there, inside my head I had a pile of worries stacking more and more as the day of departure got closer. Everyone I spoke with had a piece of advice (mostly things that scared me).

Ashwaq Masoodi at the Pakistan Monument

Finally, on March 6, I landed in Islamabad around 10:00 am. At the immigration, a fellow journalist and I went through the normal drill – signing one form after the other and answering a few questions. A woman at the immigration counter (in a lighter tone) said, “You know Indians are a little suspicious…so it takes time.” But we realized it was just a friendly banter. By 11:30 we stepped into the real Islamabad. It looked no different from India, (was definitely cleaner) – the people didn’t look any different (women were definitely prettier), hardly any stray dogs roamed around and there were no traffic snarls. It looked very peaceful and reminded me of Washington DC somehow – broad, straight roads, clean streets, tall trees on either side of the roads.

When we reached the hotel, it was time for the Friday prayers. So naturally the shops, restaurants were shut. A fast food place One Potato Two Potatoes was perhaps the only place open. The 3000 Pakistani rupees that I had converted in India, I was told, were no longer valid in Pakistan (BTW it was really difficult to get Indian rupees converted to the Pakistani currency). The guy at the restaurant declined to take it.

When my fellow journalist told him I was from Kashmir on the Indian side, he smiled. Very politely, he took the note back and said, “Get the others converted in a state bank. These don’t work anymore.” He also gave away free cheese dips. After that, free chappal (or chappli) kebabs, concessions at shopping, out of the world hospitability and extra smiles every time I mentioned where I am from, happened.

Ashwaq Masoodi asking a question during the Women Empowerment Conference

It was my first visit to Pakistan. I was a part of a group of 300 people from six countries who had come together for the International Women’s Empowerment Conference ‘Make It Happen’, organized by Pakistan US Alumni Network and the US Embassy in Islamabad.  The hall was full of people from different fields of life, from different countries and with extremely different lived experiences. But there was one thing I couldn’t not notice, everyone had a story waiting to be heard and written.

Be it the photojournalist from Quetta who at 25 has already received threat calls from Taliban, or the first Pakistani woman and the youngest Muslim woman in the world to climb Mount Everest, or the man leading the Pakistan Disability Movement. Or the female drama writers who make it a point to at least empower women on screen and try and break stereotypical roles women are expected to play in the male dominated societies. Everyone I spoke with, not just the six main speakers had a story.

Just the fact that we were all patiently listening to each other (without pulling each other’s hair as we in media news hour make it seem like) made me realize the importance of these informal conversations between common people.

The conflict resolution workshop that I attended as part of the conference stressed on the need to understand and empathize with “the other” and more importantly the need to have a dialogue. Not just India and Pakistan, I think it is extremely important for us to make our perceptions based on our lived experiences, and not heresy.

The conference was a means to bring people to share their stories of struggle towards empowerment, but what it really achieved was not just making us think of every story we heard as OUR own story, but breaking the myths, built-in stereotypes and predispositions about places and people that we all had.

(Ashwaq Masoodi is a journalist in a newspaper in New Delhi and a Fulbright alumnus)

Fulbright Alumnus Dr. Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani with Former U.K Prime Minister Gordon Brown at United Nations Headquarters on March 18th, 2015.

Pakistani Fulbright Alumnus and winner of the Pakistan’s first ever StartUp Cup, Dr. Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani has made the country proud by becoming part of a new innovative partnership, which will deliver state-of-the-art technology to promote Safe Schools in Pakistan.

The partnership was announced at UN headquarters in New York and came just three months after the school massacre in Peshawar and follows an agreement with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to support a national Safe Schools campaign.

With more than 10,000 attacks on schools over the past five years, the Pakistan project is part of a larger Safe Schools effort championed by UN Special Education Envoy Gordon Brown covering programs in northern Nigeria as well as in Lebanon for Syrian refugees.

Spearheaded by a technology contribution from Predictify.Me, a US-based data sciences and predictive analytics firm, the Pakistan Safe Schools initiative will introduce the use of simulation software to assess the level of risk preparedness of schools and generate recommendations for school and community safety plans.

Dr. Usmani has been a frequent participant in U.S. exchange program activities, from the Fulbright program to Pakistan’s first-ever StartUp Cup competition, which he won using a version of this system.  He went on to win the first ever World StartUp Cup, competing against teams from around the globe for the honor.

How the Technology Works:

Each participating school will receive a report providing a designation on the degree of risk, specific recommendations for improving the school’s set-up to become safer and recommendations for community preparedness measures and ongoing risk forecasts. UNICEF will join in the initiative and integrate the work with disaster risk reduction programming for child friendly and safe schools in Pakistan.

In the past five years, more than 1,000 schools have been destroyed in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. But now if this program is successful, it will potentially be scaled up to cover all 200,000 schools in Pakistan through the national Safe Schools Initiative, thus making them more secure for students.

Sharif and Brown Laud Efforts:

Speaking from Islamabad on Wednesday March 18th, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said:

“The Government of Pakistan is committed to rooting out terrorism and extremism from the country. Security of the educational institutions is at the core of the national agenda of the Government. We appreciate technological assistance from friends as terrorism has no boundaries and terrorists have no religion. Pakistan has been at the forefront of international efforts to counter terrorism and has rendered great sacrifices in this regard. We value the support and cooperation extended by Rt Hon Gordon Brown and all other partner organizations to make the Pakistani schools safe and secure and to improve the standard of education in the country.”

Fulbright Alumnus Dr. Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani showing the software to Former U.K Prime Minister Gordon Brown

The technologies – SecureSim and Soothsayer – are based on seven years of research and development and are designed to simulate the impact of an explosion and develop safety recommendations in a school. The software technology establishes ideal security protocols to minimize the impact and is further used to appropriate local emergency response planning and provide ongoing security forecasts.

Former UK Prime Minister Mr Brown said:

“I am thankful to the Global Business Coalition for Education and the team at Predictify.Me for agreeing to support our efforts to ensure safe schools for every child in Pakistan.  In my discussion with the Prime Minister we have agreed to do everything we can to ensure every girl and boy in Pakistan is able to go to school and learn. This initiative is a vital part of these efforts.”

The technology that will be used in the new program was developed by Dr Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani, Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist at Predictify.Me. Dr Usmani is also an Eisenhower Fellow and a scientist with expertise in simulation and modeling of blast waves in open and confined spaces.

As the youngest of 14 brother and sisters, from humble beginnings in Sukkur, Dr. Usmani said: “I know firsthand the benefit of education and I am very pleased to work with the United Nations, the Prime Minister and our other partners to ensure every child in Pakistan has the right to go to school safely.”

Fulbright Alumnus Dr. Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani at U.N Headquarters

The CEO of the company Rob Burns said: “We are thrilled to use our core assets of data sciences and predictive analytics to support the Safe Schools Initiative in Pakistan.  We have joined the Global Business Coalition for Education and agreed to donate this technology worth several million dollars because we believe we should do all we can to ensure the safety of children who want to learn.”

As part of ongoing advocacy efforts, an appeal will be made to the international community to support the Safe Schools Initiative in Pakistan.

By Hira Nafees Shah

Participants and chief guests of the Career Counselling for Persons with Disabilities Workshop with Alumna Anna Iqbal Bhatti

Intermediate student Zain-ul-Abidin was only five when he had a devastating fever which left him disabled. Although he could join his friends in running around the park, he really felt left out when he couldn’t hold the bat to play cricket.

Day to day chores were also difficult to manage without him being able to use his hands properly. But with sheer resilience and willpower, Abidin was able to build a normal life for himself, and even placed first among the 500 students in his sixth grade class.

When he reached college, he was looking for his next step – and found that a Career Counselling Workshop was organized by Anna Iqbal Bhatti in Benazir Abad for people just like him.

MIUSA Exchange Women with Disability Training Alumna Anna Iqbal Bhatti

“I decided to arrange Career Counselling Workshops for people with disabilities so that they can choose the subjects that they like,” Bhatti said. “In this way, they will be able to serve their country better.”

The Women with Disabilities alumna sought the help of an Alumni Small Grant so that she could fulfill her goal. All alumni of various U.S sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan can apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

Special Persons Discuss Individual Challenges

Bhatti and her team of volunteers conducted three workshops on career counselling in different hotels of Benazir Abad, which included between twenty and thirty people in each session who had been chosen in collaboration with the National Disability Forum.

During the session in the Gymkhana Hotel, the participants had a candid conversation about the difficulties that special people face in Pakistan, especially due to the lack of ramps in public places throughout the country.

Male participants during the Career Counselling Workshop

They also spoke out against the harsh treatment they sometimes received and the difficulties they face in getting an employment adding to their financial hardships.

“The society thinks disability is our weakness but we think it is our strength,” said one participant during the discussion.

“We want social inclusion, we are not children,” said another attendee. “We should be given confidence and we require empathy not sympathy.”

The trainers also agreed that the environment added to the hurdles faced by special people.

“Our disability is not from inside but from outside factors,” said Bhatti while heading a session about UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. “The disability comes from the environment, the society and by not giving facilities to special people.”

The participants appreciated the workshop for opening up new avenues of thought and job opportunities for them.

“I learned important things during the workshop, like the benefit of learning English and computer skills,” said Asma Muneer, a handicapped intermediate student. “I also found out that I can even go abroad, if I become competent in these two subjects.”

Workshops Improve Job Prospects

The organizers taught the participants how to create their resumes and how to prepare themselves for interviews. They also learnt that it was necessary for them to acquire a certificate for persons with disabilities, so that they can show it to prospective employers.

After one training, the audience members also applied for vacancies in the Social Welfare Department which had assigned a separate quota for special persons, with the help of the management.

“The workshop was very productive because everyone spoke confidently and special people received guidelines about how to get jobs,” said Ghulam Nabi Malik, a participant who managed to get a private job despite having special needs.

Female Participants during the Career Counselling Workshop for Persons with Disabilities

For Razia Bibi, she felt that the session enabled her to find out what her rights were as a special person. She also said she would try to apply what she had learned at the event in the future.

“I would try to find out what kind of abilities I have and polish them further,” she said. “Through this process, I will try to become independent and self-reliant and get a government job.”

A closing ceremony was also held at the occasion which included important personalities from the region, like Higher Secondary School Teacher in Jamshoro Mohammad Saleh Memon and the PUAN Sukkur President Bruner Newton.

“The Persons with Disabilities should not feel disappointed because their handicap is not only a test for them, but also for us and the society is at fault if it does not provide them with amenities,” said Memon.

As for alumna Anna Iqbal Bhatti, she says that the Alumni Small Grant is responsible for all the success that she has achieved in her project.

“The Alumni Small Grant helped us to sit down together and gain a solution to our problems,” she said.

As for the next step, Bhatti says that she will keep giving career advice to her participants to help them to overcome any gaps that they might have in their training. And from there onwards the sky is the limit for these very talented, resilient people!

By Hira Nafees Shah

Pappu Saeen drumming the dhol in his unique style accompanied by his band and dancers at Day 2 of Music Mela 2015

The open air grounds of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) hosted a exceptional event April 17-19 in Islamabad.

Music Mela 2015 featured ground-breaking performances by local and international artists who demonstrated the power of music to create bonds between people across physical and cultural boundaries.

Two members of the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network (PUAN), Arieb Azhar, Center Stage alumnus, and Zeejah Fazli, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus spearheaded the mela in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.  Together, Azhar and Fazli formed an organization called Foundation for Arts, Culture, and Education (FACE), which seeks to create a creative space for musicians and other artists in Pakistani society.

“I have never seen so many Pakistanis sitting together in the open air and believe this is my best night in Islamabad,” said James Cerven, Assistant Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, while giving his opening remarks.

The chief guest at the festival was U.S Ambassador Richard G. Olson who also lauded the organizers for putting up a brilliant initiative.

Origins of Music Mela:

The Music Mela started in 2014 with an Alumni Small Grant from PUAN to FACE to organize the extravaganza.

“PUAN is one of the founding organizations for this project,” said Fazli. “Without PUAN, we would not have come to this phase and now the U.S. Embassy has signed a two-year contract with us.”

Chief Guest U.S. Ambassador Richard G. Olson enjoying Music Mela 2015

After the tremendous success of the first Music Mela in 2014, the U.S. Embassy and FACE decided to keep the affair going on for two more years, as a result of which the conference took place last weekend.

Music Mela 2015 was staged on a much larger scale with local and international representation and drew an audience of more than 20,000 people over three days, Fazli says.

“I am happy because the event featured Mary McBride, Grace McLean, and other international, regional, and folk artists,” said Azhar.  “It was a balance of many genres regional, urban, and rural and the music workshops also went really well.”

Strong Performances Captivate the Audience:

The first day of the festival was carefully planned and featured Pashto, Punjabi, Seraiki, and Balochi folklore by different artists.  The concert by a Polish singer Maria Pomianovska was also a delight and was lauded by the audience.

“The Polish performance was best because it was a beautiful blend of music,” said Hajra Wasif, an attendee at the concert.

“When international artists come to Pakistan at a time when no one else wants to come, then it’s an achievement for the country and portrays us in a better light,” said Abdul Rehman, a student.

The Music Mela featured workshops on day two and day three with senior professionals in the field for budding musicians and artists.

These included a guitar workshop by Coven sensation Hamza Jafri, a song writing workshop with American singer Mary McBride, a successful music projects showcase by musician Xulfi and a musicians’ union conference which included the likes of a legendary rock star like Ali Azmat among others.

The musicians’ union conference with musicians Arieb Azhar, Aaron Haroon Rashid, Ali Azmat, and Lawyer Omar Sheikh

Azmat, Arieb Azhar, and pop singer Aaron Haroon Rashid resolved to do something concrete to revive the ailing music industry in Pakistan.  And the concerts at music mela were definitely a step in the right direction.

Maestro Pappu Saeen and his band notably put the crowd in a trance by drumming his dhol in his traditional style and managing the ebb and flow of music with great expertise.

Meanwhile, the Naujawan All Stars presented an interesting fusion of eastern and western music, Shaan Khan delivered refreshing Pushto rap songs, and Coke Studio sensation Asrar mesmerized the audience with hit songs like “Ishq Hawa Mein.”

An Ode to Pakistani Culture:

The Music Mela also featured cultural performances in which the dancers represented all provinces of Pakistan.

“I found the cultural dance to be the best because it gave the message that all Pakistanis need to be united,” said Syed Dawar Hussain, a B.Com Student, “I also felt that through this initiative, the United States has showed that it is with us and that all Americans are like us.”

The final day of the concert featured a band called The Envoys, which included the Australian High Commissioner and the Japanese Ambassador among others.

American Musician Mary McBride and her band performing ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ at Music Mela 2015

Other international artists included American singer Mary McBride whose rendition of the Pakistani ballad “Dil Dil Pakistan” was a hit with the audience in addition to American composer Grace McLean’s unique style of singing.

But it was probably local singer Sanam Marvi who carried the day with her Sufi songs, as the audience went wild with excitement.

“Sanam Marvi’s performance was the best because she carried the crowd with her and knew how to handle it,” said Mubarak Ali, a journalist.

The jam-packed venue was a testament to the ability of PUAN members Arieb Azhar and Zeejah Fazli to revitalize Pakistani music through the festival and create a soft image for the country by reaching a global audience.  They were able to bring some much needed entertainment to Islamabadis.

“The Music Mela is a good event because I felt life coming back to Islamabad because of it and some of the sadness in the air disappeared,” said Zeba Haider, a college teacher.

To take a look at the photographs from the event, check out this link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pakusalumni/sets/72157652185136555/

By Ayesha Fazlur Rahman

(From Left to Right) Pulitzer Prize winning Author Paul Harding, Theatre Wallay Director Fizza Hassan, Fulbright Alumna Ayesha Fazlur Rehman and US Embassy’s Cultural Attaché Judith Ravin

I was asked by the US Embassy to moderate the session on Art and Cultural Diplomacy at the Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) 2015, since I often moderate sessions and make announcements at PUAN events.

It all began in 2007 when I was a graduate student on a Fulbright scholarship, in the US. My advisor Sally Schwager, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, once rightly pointed out to me that the only way to get over my fear of public speaking was to do public speaking – not read about public speaking or talk about it, but just do it.  And to this day, I have been stepping forward to volunteer for tasks that involve a live audience. Taking her advice, I went on to enroll at the Kennedy School of Government in a public speaking course that promised a lot of opportunity to practice, and Professor Tim McCarthy took care of the rest.  And that is how I ended up moderating this session.

There were four panelists on this session. In order of seating, from right to left: US Embassy Cultural Attaché Judith Ravin, author of The Scatter Here Is Too Great Bilal Tanweer, ‘Theatre Wallay’ Director Fizza Hassan and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tinkers Paul Harding.

Fizza, my once long-time colleague from middle school-teaching days, brought a whiff of nostalgia, while Judith from the Embassy was a reminder of my post-Fulbright life, a more varied and multi-cultural experience. Bilal spoke to the budding writer in me; meeting a Pakistani author gave me hope that I may one day come out with my novel too and go beyond the newspaper blogs that I have contributed to, or the accidental short stories that I had published in my student days.  And then there was Paul.

Fulbright Alumna Ayesha Fazlur Rehman moderating the session

A bit of my background before I go on. I come from a family of writers, which can mean many different things: My mother loves writing letters to the editor; my father wrote a book on Islam; my maternal grandfather left behind a manuscript on Sufism, yet to be published.

So writers, especially award-winning authors and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, have special meaning for my family. While we pooh-pooh wealth and power, education and the written word hold a world of glamour for us, a world to admire and aspire to. Paul was an embodiment of that world for me. I feel humbled to not only have been able to meet these distinguished folks, but to have the opportunity to share the stage with them and pose them questions.

For this and for many other reasons, a note of thanks before I continue with the narrative. J. William Fulbright, for coming up with the idea of the Fulbright Program. US Embassy Islamabad, for creating PUAN, with its vibrant network that holds us alumni together, and channelizes and nurtures our potential through variegated exposure. Shahid Waseem, for having faith in me and always approaching me for tasks that I wouldn’t dream of offering my services for on my own, thinking I may not be capable to do them full justice. Not to be forgotten, thanks to my friend ‘Supportive Salma’ for turning up at the event and for her lovingly constructive feedback, and to my cousin ‘Reassuring Rukhsana’ for giving me her necklace and earrings that I donned for the occasion!

On the morning of 26^th April I tweaked the stage setting and checked the microphones. I noticed that the number of audience participants probably ran in single digits. It was Sunday morning, after all, and ours was the only session scheduled at that time, I consoled myself. The next time I turned around after rearranging the chairs on stage, I saw a hall that was almost full! Later on, I happily noticed some big names sitting in the audience, including Madiha Gauhar!

And so the session began, introductions were made and the questions rolled out. We wrested with the nature of truth and what it means for an artist, be it author or theatre producer. The thoughts that flowed out are now a kaleidoscopic mesh in my mind. It was said that truth has to be pried out subtly, much as a beloved would be approached. That truth is not a concrete mass but an amorphous entity that comes into being during the creative process and that surprises even its creator; there is no single truth, no single narrative that can claim supremacy over other narratives. That is what Fizza Hassan’s then-ongoing play, Voices of Partition, did: it gave a voice to the multiple perspectives on the 1947 Partition.

Judith spoke on the pervasive nature of all art and how it seeps into places where other forms of diplomacy run into dead-ends. Hence the power and reach of cultural diplomacy; it unites and informs, pulls down barriers and builds bridges. The recent Music Mela event by the US Embassy saw Pakistanis enjoy contemporary American and Polish music, as both Pakistanis and foreign visitors swayed to Pakistani folk and Sufi rhythms.

Panelists agreed that art cannot be a tool used to change people, but it does impact its consumers; the power of that impact stems from how authentic it is.  While one writer may choose to make his characters introspective, as did Paul in Tinkers, with the socio-political milieu providing the backdrop only, for Bilal the topical reference to terrorism in Karachi was the center-piece around which he carefully clustered the tales of several characters depicting the different segments of society in the metropolitan.

(From Left to Right) Fulbright Alumna Ayesha Fazlur Rehman, Pulitzer Prize winning Author Paul Harding, Theatre Wallay Director Fizza Hassan, Bilal Tanveer Author ‘The Scatter Here is Too Great’ and US Embassy’s Cultural Attaché Judith Ravin during the session

Either way, it all has to come together and take the audience with it. Fizza shared the powerful moment during a performance when all are swept up in a theatrical wave, when the characters and the audience all feel as one, that brief elusive moment when the truth of the drama resonates with the truth of the audience.

As the discussion rolled on, discreet Oxford University Press volunteers in their red T-shirts flashed time-reminders, telling me when it was time to take questions from the audience and when there were just five minutes left. These helpful little gnomes positioned themselves cleverly where only I could see them!

The session was over, thanks were exchanged all around and a group photo was taken and there it came to an end. Or did it?

As I stepped out with my friend ‘Supportive Salma’, I came across the Desi Writers’ Lounge folks. Here it was, a space for me to fill with my words, my written word. I bought their magazine ‘Papercut’, chatted a bit and continued browsing the stalls. I came across Shandana Minhas’ Survival Tips for Lunatics, which I bought. Every night as I read the refreshingly original book about a magical world of dinosaurs in Balochistan, I feel the author in me just might get past the budding stage and actually dare to bloom, as did the public speaker hiding inside me.

Thank you, Sally. Thank you, Tim.

By Daniyal Hassan, SUSI Alumnus

SUSI Alumnus Daniyal Hassan receiving an award from Legal Expert Ahmer Bilal Soofi during the moot at LUMS

Mooting is something that I wasn’t familiar with before I started law school in 2012. Now that I am in my final year at the school and have participated in 5 moot court competitions, I think I know a little more about this skill. Mooting is an art which is developed over a period of time. More than debates and model UN conferences, it requires logical thinking and knowledge of law.

Mooting has been one of the most charming aspects about law school for me. A moot court, in simple terms, is a mock court where two opposing teams representing their clients argue before a bench of 2-3 judges. During the arguments, like a real court room, there is rigorous questioning from the judges. Sometimes the questioning leads the counsel to concede a legal argument and it gets difficult for him to argue the point successfully.

Audience at the LUMS Moot

The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) hosted a moot court competition in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from March 5-8^th, 2015. About 18 teams took part in the competition. These teams came from all across Pakistan, including two teams from Azad Kashmir, three from Hyderabad and multiple teams from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I was a part of the team from Capital Institute of Law (CIL) Islamabad. It was good to see law students from all across Pakistan gathered at one platform. This was the biggest moot court competition in the country as far as the number of participating teams was concerned.

The moot problem was based on international humanitarian law (IHL). Law studies in Pakistan generally do not cover this law in detail, and hence it was a challenge for all the teams to do thorough research on the four Geneva Conventions and two Additional Protocols.

The preliminary rounds were conducted on March 6th and 7th, with each team competing against two different teams. The top 8 teams qualified for the Quarter Finals and from there onwards, it was a knock out till the Finals. The knock-out rounds were held on Sunday, March 8^th, so it was quite a rigorous process for all the qualifying teams involved including our own.

I was the only member of our team at LUMS because of some last minute changes. This meant that I had to speak for the entire 30 minutes in addition to the five minutes assigned for rebuttals. No one thought it was possible for one person to argue before a court continuously for such a long period of time. Honestly, even I didn’t think that I could pull it off. But it just happened.

SUSI Alumnus Daniyal Hassan arguing during the competition

I went to the quarter finals, then to the semis and then through to the finals. I don’t know what went through the judges’ minds during the matches. But what I did get to know is that after the final some of the judges had named me ‘The Gladiator’ because I was alone from our team.

Our team stood Runner Up in the competition and I won the award for the Best Orator. It was an achievement for me but more importantly it was an experience that I enjoyed and learned from. This competition has encouraged me to take up mooting as a career after graduation. My dream now is to organize an annual moot court competition in Pakistan and make it an international event within a couple of years. This will give a great exposure to the law students of this country and will help them polish their practical legal skills along with their studies.

By Hira Nafees Shah

Students at a government school in Liaquatabad, Karachi participated in theater workshops conducted by Seema Zahid, Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute (PELI) alumna.

It was a hot day in February in Karachi, but the playground of the public high school in Liaquatabad was packed with female students, despite the fact that the exams had recently concluded. Giggles broke out from time to time as two audacious students made their way to the stage and performed a skit in front of the audience.  One of them impersonated a maid and the other portrayed the maid’s employer.

The catalyst behind the project was Seema Zahid, an alumna of the Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute (PELI).

“I decided to pursue this project because I saw that government schools do not have drama competitions and there is a lack of emphasis on the arts in the curriculum,” she said. “I want the arts to enliven the educational environment for students and keep them in school.”

Students role-playing a situation in front of a live audience at the government school in Liaquatabad

The organizers held five workshops in four different government schools in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nazimabad, Jamshaid Town and Liaquatabad. The total reach for the program was 1,800 students.

Workshops a Breath of Fresh Air:

“The show today was very nice, we enjoyed it. The theater team helped us to perform well,” said Bisma Abdur Waheed, a seventh-grade student who attended the performance at the school in Liaquatabad.

The activities were interactive to bolster the students’ confidence, including improvising in front of a live audience, positioning oneself on stage, body movements, and carrying out vocal exercises.

On by one, the pupils from across grades lined up and came forward to take part in the acts, as the host called out their names. One of these situations, stressed the importance of education especially for girls in rural areas.

“I was a village woman in the act. I learned that spacing between actors on stage can affect the audience’s experience,” gushed Fabiha Abdul Aziz, a student.

The participants also highlighted the significance of holding such extracurricular events in government schools in Sindh.

“These activities should take place so that students feel motivated,” said Umm-e-Shaista, a tenth grade student. “The government students also have energy and skills to put to use in this positive way.”

The teachers also stressed that public school students often come from impoverished backgrounds and need extracurricular activities even more to provide creative outlets for self-expression.

Students watching the acts during the theatre workshop at the government school in Liaquatabad

“When the students take part in these extracurricular activities, they also excel in the classroom,” said Rubina Rafiq, a high school teacher in Liaquatabad.

Benefit of Arts Integration in Studies:

As for Seema Zahid, she says she learned the value of arts integration during visits to different schools in the United States and then applied it to her home community in Pakistan.

“My PELI exchange experience was the beginning and this workshop is the next step,” said Zahid. “Without the Alumni Small Grant program, we could not have engaged so many children to create this kind of artistic environment.”

As a result of the success of the project, the four schools each formed drama clubs and produced  a mega performance of their own at the closing ceremony of the program.

Zahid also said she would visit the schools every two months to measure the progress of the theater groups.

The students are also excited about the new opportunity that is now available to them. “The organizers taught us how to act,” said Iqra Mustaqeen, a sixth grade student. “Now, I would like to be a part of the theater team at our school.”

Organizers and volunteers at the close of the theater workshop at the government school in Liaquatabad

The teachers at the government schools have already noticed a positive change in their students. Their attendance has not only improved, but they are also more eager to come to study every day.

These developments left Zahid with a great sense of achievement.

“I feel very satisfied when I see the happiness and motivation in students to act in plays,” she said. “It also gives me encouragement to develop bigger projects in the future.”

To find out more about this ASG project, check out this link:

https://www.facebook.com/theateredu?fref=ts

UGrad Alumnus Sarwan Kumar with students of Government Boys Primary School Parha Colony Mithi, after conducting an activity with them during the seminar

“Education is the only tool that can bring about a change and exchange programs boost the confidence of the students. I am proud that Sarwan Kumar who is from Tharparkar was selected for the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program and got an opportunity to study in the United States. He is a role model for us.”

These were the words of Aijaz Ali Babar, District Education Officer (DEO) Tharparkar while addressing an awareness seminar, “Women Health and Child Education” held at Government Boys Primary School Parha Colony Mithi, on 11^th March 2015.

The seminar was organized by Global UGrad Alumnus Sarwan Kumar, facilitated by Skill Enhancing and Research Home of Children (SEARCH) organization and sponsored by the State Department. During the session, Babar also stressed that health and hygiene is the primary right of every individual.

UGrad Alumnus Sarwan Kumar conducting an activity with students of Government Boys Primary School Parha Colony Mithi, in which they are writing down the problems faced by the residents of Tharparkar

Meanwhile, Executive Director of SEARCH organization Partab Shivani said that Thar has been suffering from drought for the last three years which has led to the death of thousands of children. He also asserted that without education or health it will be difficult to mitigate this problem.

Shivani also said that such awareness sessions are necessary in remote and under-privileged areas like Thar and also appreciated the efforts of the organizers.

Doctor Harchand Rai from Mithi’s Civil Hospital said about 90 percent of the population lives in the countryside out of an estimated 1.5 million inhabitants of Tharparkar. As a result of this, women don’t have access to proper health care centers and suffer heavily because of cultural restrictions imposed on them.

Rai also talked about abdominal diseases which have been spreading among the residents due to the polluted water that is available in the area.

Meanwhile, Express News Correspondent Sajid Bajeer stressed that there was a need to spread awareness among the masses and the seminar was a step in the right direction and should be replicated in the villages.

(From Left to Right) Sajid Bajeer (Express News Journalist), Partab Shivani (SEARCH Organization CEO), Aijaz Ali Babar (District Education Officer DEO Tharparkar), Sarwan Kumar (UGrad Alumnus) and father of one of the participating students after the seminar.

Lastly, UGrad Alumnus Sarwan Kumar also spoke on the occasion. He talked about his exchange experience and advised the students of the area to concentrate on their studies. He also thanked the guest speakers, SEARCH organization, school staff and the US State Department for helping him in arranging the seminar.

By Hira Nafees Shah

Photographs of chapter activities from the 12 local chapters celebrating PUAN Peace Week

The Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network celebrated the importance of peace, tolerance, and harmony through a series of community service events held nationwide for “peace week” from May 25^th to May 31^st. More than 3,000 alumni, students, and leadership of the twelve local chapters of the network enthusiastically took part in more than 30 community service activities including mural paintings, candlelight vigils, debate competitions, plays and online postings. “I think all 12 chapters did incredible work during the PUAN Peace Week,” said PUAN Country President Faisal Malik, who spearheaded the country project. “Issues related to peace were highlighted through their activities [with an] emphasis on tolerance.” Alumni led projects included the following service activities. For photos follow the PUAN Facebook page and the Twitter page. https://www.facebook.com/PakAlumni https://twitter.com/PakUSAlumni

Islamabad/Rawalpindi Chapter: More than 53 students volunteered to speak on the theme of Education and Peace before a crowd of more than 500 students. The local chapter of the twin cities also held an Arts Session with 100 children from the Mashal Model School and an original theatre performance written, directed, and performed by members of the local troop Theater Wallay.

Gilgit Baltistan Chapter: About 100 students from 25 local government and private schools took part in a poster competition centered on the themes of peace and tolerance. Competition winners were also invited to speak about their projects on a local radio station.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chapter: About 30 participants including alumni and school children took part in one big session comprising a candle-light vigil, a football match, an arts competition, an outreach and a meditation meeting to find peace in Mirpur. Meanwhile, more than 50 alumni and non-alumni also took part in an arts competition on peace in Muzaffarabad.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa/FATA Chapter: A 100-person conference was held on the theme of inter-faith harmony at Fast University Peshawar organized by the local chapter. Five speakers led a seminar each during the conference and there were also other interactive activities and a question & answer session. The students of the university also enacted a play on inter-faith harmony at the end of the conference.

Karachi Chapter: About 150 alumni and non-alumni took part in an inter-faith peace dinner organized at the Pakistan-American Cultural Center, with representatives from the Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Parsi and Christian communities. The guests shared their experiences and then joined together for a candle-light vigil to remember the victims of the Safoora Chowrangi attack. The local chapter also held a “Peace Bird” competition in which alumni and school children enrolled in summer camps at the Indus Valley School of Arts drew peace symbols onto sheets of paper and the top three participants won cash prizes. They also created slogans celebrating tolerance.

Jamshoro Chapter: More than 500 participants took part in five outstanding activities organized by the local chapter including Aao Pyar Bantein (Lets Spread Love), Aman Ke Rang (Colors of Peace), Aman Sawari (Peace Vehicles), Aman ki Baatein (Peace Talk).  The chapter also held an online challenge called “Pass the Peace.” In “Aao Pyar Bantein,” about 20 alumni spent a day at a school for handicapped children where they printed messages of peace on PUAN T-shirts and distributed gifts. In “Aman Ke Rang,” PUAN Jamshoro organized a harmony-themed arts competition at a government school.  Alumni gave out bumper stickers with peace slogans to motorists, laborers, and drivers on the streets of Hyderabad in “Aman Sawari.” The organizers also spoke about their experiences on Radio Pakistan in “Aman ki Baatein: Peace Talk.” Finally the Jamshoro chapter organized the brilliant “Pass a Peace Challenge” online campaign.  Participants in the campaign wrote about what peace meant to them on a piece of paper, shared their photograph on social media and passed the challenge on to five more alumni from different chapters, who did the same. The challenge was shared over 50 times on social media.

Sukkur Chapter: Members of the PUAN Sukkur chapter organized a “Peace Walk” from the Sukkur Press Club to St. Mary High School. The students of the school also performed a tableau on the song ‘Heal the World’ and paid tribute to victims of the December 16 Peshawar Army Public School attack, advocating that education should not be stopped due to terrorist incidents.

Lahore Chapter: More than 50 people took part in a project called “Art Travels through Faiths” in which nine canvases were taken to four communities in Lahore — Ahmadis, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians.   Members of each community contributed to the paintings and shared their perspectives about religious co-existence. PUAN Lahore also held an exhibition of the completed paintings along with a video showing their journey across Lahore and explaining the purpose of the project.

Bahawalpur Chapter: More than 70 people helped to paint a mural next to a local bus stand with the peace theme “flying colors.”  Despite high sometimes scorching heat, the participants won praise for painting the entire 220-foot-long section of the eight-foot wall over the course of five days.  Local television interviewed the chapter president and general secretary about the wall who explained the reason for the activity.

Multan Chapter: Alumni visited a church, a Hindu temple, a mosque and a shrine of a famous saint to celebrate themes of religious harmony and respect for Pakistan’s diversity. The Multan Chapter also help an inter-faith harmony conference at La Salle High School, in which more than 150 people took part, and held a poster competition with English Access Microscholarship students.

Quetta Chapter: More than 300 people took part in four activities organized by the Quetta PUAN chapter.  A panel discussion was held on the subject of Peace and Interfaith Harmony at Quetta Press Club in which the participants shared their opinion about violence and threats in society and the importance of tolerance and brotherhood to resolve conflict. About 100 students and alumni took part in a Peace Walk organized at Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University and more than 30 people then took part in a candle-light vigil at the Quetta Press Club. The local exchange alumni also visited children at SOS Village Quetta and held a session on peace, co-existence, and tolerance.

Gwadar Chapter: More than a 100 men and women took part in a peace walk from Bilal Masjid to the Gwadar Press Club to promote civil society and mutual respect. A public dialogue was also held with the community stakeholders on the theme of “Peaceful Lasbela and Our Role.”  The talk covered challenges being faced by Lasbela in maintaining law and order and how individuals could make a difference in this regard. PUAN Gwadar also held a seminar for nearly 200 people on the theme of “Our Responsibility to Promote Peace in Our Society” at the Makran Institute of Technology in Turbat.

By Hira Nafees Shah

Participants of Destination Kashmir-Young Leaders Camp with the organizers

Surrounded by towering pine-trees and majestic hilltops, the beautiful Banjosa Lake in Rawalakot of Azad Kashmir played host to a group of excited teenagers in March 2015. These teens were part of project called “Destination Kashmir-Young Leaders Camp (YLC)” organized by Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) Alumna Lubna Noreen. Noreen was able to carry out the initiative after receiving an Alumni Small Grant from the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network (PUAN). All alumni of various U.S sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan are eligible to apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

“I initiated this project because I felt that the PUAN Azad Kashmir chapter is not very active,” she said. “So I felt that students and alumni should get together, have a positive environment and receive a good opportunity to learn.”

Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) Alumna Lubna Noreen

The opening ceremony was attended by about 100 people from all over Pakistan who enthusiastically participated in the three day event that included training sessions, group energizers, and study trips to tourist destinations in Rawalakot. The attendees came from far and wide – some even traveled 36 hours to join the camp.

“This event gives a message of peace, love, and brotherhood from the Kashmiri people to the rest of Pakistan,” said Zeeshan Haider from the Ministry of Youth Affairs at the opening ceremony.

Learning to Give Back to Community

One YLC trainer explained that the camp is aimed at teaching these kids how “to serve [their] community, look at issues within [their] community, and make a social action plan.” Topics like Community Service, Leadership, Tourism, Governance and Democracy were discussed in detail, so that the participants could realize how they could make a difference in their individual capacities.

“The panel discussion about community service was very good as it made us realize the importance of contributing for the betterment of the society,” said Khushbakhat Javad, a YES Alumna. “Now I am also planning to hold a project to help out people during the month of Ramazan.”

The speakers at the Community Service and Youth Participation session included activists Raj Kumar and Umer Farooq, Ministry of Youth Affairs Coordinator Zeeshan Haider and Leadership Trainer Nazish Karim, who shared their perspectives on community service:

“Change cannot be implemented from outside,” said Farooq. “It is not the responsibility of one person but of the whole community . . . we need to be motivated.”

Breakout Session on Leadership and Governance being held at Banjosa Lake

Sustainable Development

An important aspect of the camp was its focus on youth empowerment in sustainable development to help preserve scenic locations in Pakistan, like Banjosa Lake. During her exchange experience, YES alumna Lubna Noreen went on a camping trip, which not only taught her some essential survival skills, but also the importance of preserving and appreciating nature. Now she hopes to pass on her knowledge to the YLC participants.

“The theme of the sustainable development session was how to keep the natural environment healthy,” said Adil Rubani, a participant from Quetta. “We talked about global warming and how to control its effects.”

The camp also included an informative and refreshing energizer by activist Zayedan Khan which left the audience in fits. A musical night and series of skits imitating politicians were the cherry on top of the experience.

The last day of the gathering, the participants visited Tolipeer. In between snow-ball fights on the hilltop, the campers held a brainstorming session on how to best serve their areas and give back to the country.

“The trainers took us from an ‘I’ to ‘We’ journey, and made us realize that we should start thinking about it,” said Mariam Batool, a student.

Overall Impressions

YLC campers overall seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and the experience. Many were just as excited by the location as they were by the lessons learned.

“A friend told me about this project and I decided to attend it,” said Hassan Sultan, a participant.

Brainstorming underway at session on Education for Sustainable Development at Banjosa Lake

“I had never seen Kashmir before and it is a kind of a little heaven,” said Attiya Iram, a participant from Bahawalpur.  “It is good that study trips are taking place during this event, because we conduct a lot of indoor sessions and outdoor activities provide a whole different level of learning.”

“In Destination Kashmir, the focus is to bring people from all over Pakistan to these places,” said Sania Malik, a participant from District Kotli. “People learn a lot from these projects.”

As for Lubna Noreen, she says she is grateful for the way everything turned out.

“I feel very good and very responsible,” she said.

For more details on the project, take a look at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DestinationKashmir/

By Hira Nafees Shah

Chief Guests, Teachers, Organizers and students of the ‘Mashal-e-Rah’ project at its closing ceremony

Anxiously, tenth grader Faiza Maqsood walked in to the room and took a seat across from a Sargodha university student. Although Faiza’s classmates had reassured her, the idea of sitting next to a complete stranger to discuss her career prospects was nerve-wracking.

“The team asked us questions and we gave answers,” explained Faiza. “They basically counselled us about what our future plans should be and how many marks I should get to enter a specific field.”

Faiza was just one of nearly a thousand students in grades eight to ten who participated in career-counseling workshops conducted by psychology students from the University of Sargodha. The project, dubbed “Mashal-e-Rah” was led by Global UGrad Alumna Maryam Gul, who helped arrange the career counselling workshops in twelve low-income schools of Sargodha through an Alumni Small Grant from the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network. All alumni of various U.S sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan can apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

UGrad Alumna Maryum Gul

Maryam’s objective in developing this project was simple: “I wanted to get rid of the philosophy that students can only be doctors or engineers,” she said. “I also wanted to serve humanity and make my career [more] human-oriented.”

A Sargodha teacher echoed Maryam’s beliefs, noting that students in Sargodha, and Pakistan in general, often only study the subjects that their parents wanted them to. This trend is even more common in public schools.

Assessing Interest through Psychology

Mashal-e-Rah kicked off with a confidence boosting session to make the students feel comfortable.

Then, the university students administered the RIASEC test which measures students’ career interests by determining their personality “type”: Realistic (Doers), Investigative (Thinkers), Artistic (Creators), Social (Helpers), Enterprising (Persuaders), and Conventional (Organizers). After the assessment, students were provided a list of relevant careers they could excel in along with information on over 300 different fields of education.

During the event, the organizers gave prizes to high-achieving pupils from the area to encourage them in their educational pursuits. There was also a Skype session with U.S Consulate Lahore’s Public Affairs Officer Rachael Chen who praised Gul and her team for carrying out the initiative.

A mentor asking a series of questions from a student at Merry Rose School

“The organizers came and encouraged our students,” said Qamar-un-Nisa, a teacher at Government Girls High School. “Even we didn’t know that our students could speak so well. Kids have talent and just need to be groomed this way.”

Now, many students are happily looking forward to the future. “Maryam and her team told us that we should continue studying and not be afraid or hesitant,” said Ujala Habib, a ninth grade student at Bright Model School.

The closing ceremony of the project was a successful affair with the students, teachers and principals of most of the participating schools in attendance including the DCO Education of Sargodha.

Reviews and Future News

Overall, Mashal-e-Rah received positive reviews from students, teachers, and school administrators.

“The project was very useful for finding out the hidden potential of the students,” said Kanwal Hassan, the Principal of Harvard School.

Many students especially appreciated learning more about the required marks needed to earn a higher degree in a particular subject. Some students offered suggestions for future programs and requested follow-on sessions to further-promote the concept.

Students from Harvard School performing at the closing ceremony of the project

“I think there should be a follow-up program in which they should train one or two of the teachers,” said Saad Hassan, an eighth grade student at The Harvard School. “The school should form a partnership with them, so that they can continue to give guidelines to the students.”

UGrad Alumna Maryam Gul feels that the success of her Alumni Small Grant project is owed to her exchange experience.

“If I hadn’t gone to the U.S, I would not have been able to initiate this project,” said Maryam. “Thank you to the U.S for changing my life and now I am able to achieve my dreams.”

As far as sustainability of the venture is concerned, the alumna happily reports that there are plans to replicate her project in the KP/FATA and Jamshoro chapters of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network, thereby paving the way for benefiting the student body in these places.

To find out more about ‘Mashal-e-Rah’, take a look at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/MeRsgd?fref=ts

By Hira Nafees Shah

Instructor Waleed Hashmi and his participants communicating with each other through sign language during the workshop

A young man stood in front of a room full of students with his arms extended towards them. Silently, the students all gestured back as they watched the non-verbal cues and concepts displayed on the projector screen behind the man.

For a person endowed with the gifts of speech and hearing, learning sign language might seem a bit unusual, but for the instructor, Near East and South Asia Undergraduate Exchange (NESA)   Alumnus Waleed Hashmi, and the participants it was a routine fact of life.

Hashmi taught the workshop “Introduction to Deaf History and Deaf Culture in America” to motivate students with physical and mental disabilities to achieve success.

“I am doing these workshops because one of my American teachers made me promise that I would try to raise the standard of living for deaf people in Pakistan,” Hashmi signed. “America helped me and now I am helping my own community in Pakistan.”

Near East and South Asia Undergraduate Exchange (NESA) Alumnus Waleed Hashmi

This extraordinary spirit of community service motivated Hashmi to conduct three workshops to date for persons with disabilities in Lahore. One workshop held at the Inayat Foundation Academy for the Deaf attracted nearly 100 people, while another at the Hamza Foundation received close to 50 participants.

In the latest presentation held at the Deaf Reach Training Center, Hashmi gave examples of various deaf people throughout history who achieved extraordinary feats such as Doctor Lisa Woolf and actor Charlie McKinney. Hashmi encouraged the participants to look to these examples as evidence and motivation that they too can achieve success in life.

Students were excited to learn of these examples, and took Hashmi’s message to heart:

“I learned that deaf people can do anything and can also become doctors and lawyers,” Zain Nadeem, a student from National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore who communicated through sign language.

“I learned that deaf people are working at the level of normal people in America and it was an eye-opening experience for me,” expressed participant Saima Moeen, who studies at a government school.

Other participants appreciated Hashmi for organizing and conducting the workshops and for also shedding light on the plight of people with disabilities in Pakistan.

“The biggest problem facing special people . . . is that they are not taught science or mathematics,” said participant Irfan Ahmed. “The only training that they receive is in skilled labor.”

Participants at Waleed Hashmi’s Workshop on
“Introduction to Deaf History and Deaf Culture in America”

Despite the enormous challenges facing people with disabilities in Pakistan, there are still many, like Hashmi, who have not let their disabilities limit their potential.  Hashmi earned a Master’s degree from the National College of Arts (NCA) and currently works in advertising.  He is proud of his achievements, but believes that helping others with disabilities in Pakistan is the most important objective in his life.

The NESA alumnus hopes his efforts will inspire these students to take action at the national level – to propose and pass effective laws for persons with disabilities and achieve representation in Parliament. “Deaf people in Pakistan should rise and improve their conditions,” he said.

But for now, Hashmi is satisfied by his grass-roots initiative to create change.

“I feel happy and satisfied and hope that maybe something will get better someday,” he said. “I am not thinking about myself, but want my community to prosper . . . . Conveying the message is most important now.”

To learn more about Hashmi’s community service activities, check out this link:

www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Service-by-Waleed-Hashmi/1528695087399391?fref=ts

By Hira Nafees Shah

Tauqeer Foundation’s participants of the ‘Aghaaz-e-Ravvish’ Workshop with UGrad Alumnus Syed Zia Hussain Shah

On a hot Saturday in May over 20 students made their way to a special class on the porch of the Mashal Model School in Lahore. The class began with an educational cartoon. The students paid close attention as a cartoon explained the importance of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. After the show, a young instructor introduced himself and proceeded to ask students about the program and its contents.

The instructor was part of a team of students from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) that hosted a series of workshops dubbed ‘Aghaaz-e-Ravvish’ at the private Mashal Model School. Global UGrad Alumnus Syed Zia Hussain Shah is the brains behind the project which aimed to be the first low-cost tech-based distance learning program in Pakistan.

“After the Peshawar school attack, the whole country was in a state of shock and this is exactly what needed to be done,” said Shah. “Therefore, I decided to initiate this project in different schools to highlight the importance of tolerance, empathy and conflict resolution.”

Global UGrad Alumnus Syed Zia Hussain Shah

Aghaaz-e-Ravvish took place with the help of a $5,000 USD grant from the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network. All alumni of various U.S government sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan can apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

“I applied for the Alumni Small Grant because of the access and ease associated with getting a grant as an alumnus,” said Shah.

Opening Up a New World to Pupils

Aghaaz-e-Ravvish consisted of seven sessions, three to four hours each, and were held in four different private schools with about 110 pupils from Grades 7 to 9. The sessions covered different topics like Grammar, Reading, Writing and Global Engagement through Skype sessions with people from different countries including the United States, United Kingdom, India, China, Germany, and Afghanistan. These sessions taught the participants about empathy, how differences can lead to conflict, and how it is important to co-exist peacefully.

“I really liked the workshops because we found out what people do in other cultures . . . their lifestyles and about what they ate and drank,” said Sana Aslam, a grade 9 student.

“Before I attended the workshops, I used to say that being a Muslim I should not eat food from a Christian plate, but now I don’t judge people from the prism of their religion,” said Esha Ashiq, a grade 9 student.

“I really liked the Skype sessions as I found out about people from different cultures,” said Adnan Ali, a grade 10 student. “For example, one participant from India said she liked waking up to the sound of the Namaz in the morning.”

Organizers and participants enjoying a light moment during a role-playing activity at an ‘Aghaaz-e-Ravvish’ workshop at Mashal Model School

The participants were also full of praise for the workshops aimed at improving their English comprehension.

“I had knowledge about grammar in the past but now I am able to apply its principles much better,” said Rida Bashir, a 10^th grade student. “I have been able to improve my English, while before I could not even understand it!”

Advancing towards a Better Future

The last module of the workshops involved a computer literacy session where the pupils learned how to use email, how to use Google to search for information, and how to work on Microsoft Word. The students also received certificates in the graduation ceremony, so that they could feel a sense of pride at having attended the sessions.

The students appreciated the Ravvish workshops, and many felt they should be a recurring feature instead of taking place only once.

“Such events should take place after every two months as they break down important information for us in a simple language,” said Haroon Mushtaq, a student.

As for his next step, Shah is working on a project with the U.S Consulate Lahore and is also further developing his curriculum in order to pitch his concept to private schools. He attributes all his success to his exchange experience in the U.S.

Some participants of the ‘Aghaaz-e-Ravvish’ project at Tauqeer Foundation

“My UGrad exchange experience gave me the push to work on my project and encouraged me to conduct basic groundwork,” he said.

For now, the alumnus is relieved and happy that all his efforts have borne fruit.

“I would sometimes feel that my project is falling apart, but the result turned out to be far better than I had expected,” Shah said. “This initiative has also given me hope to do more in life.”

To find out more about Aghaaz-e-Ravvish, take a look at these links:

http://ravvish.com/

https://www.facebook.com/projectravvish?__mref=message_bubble

By Hira Nafees Shah

Organizers and participants of Young Leaders Scouts Camp 2015 with U.S Ambassador Richard Olson

Tenth-grader Aimen Gul laughed as she tried to balance on top of her teammate to create a human pyramid – an unusual sight in Pakistan, and not only because of the activity, but also because Aimen was taking part in a co-educational camp sponsored by the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) and the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association.

“I really liked forming the human pyramid . . . it was great fun!” Gul gushed.

The 2015 Young Leaders Scout Camp featured three days of fun and excitement as well as practical lessons in how cooperation, leadership, and inclusion can build something substantial.  More than 120 participants between the ages of 14 and 17 took part in the event, which included both scouts and alumni.

Benjamin Franklin Institute Alumnus Faran Ali and English Access Microscholarship Program Alumnus Kamran Javed jointly organized the project which took place with the help of an Alumni Small Grant from PUAN.

English Access Micro-scholarship Program Alumnus Kamran Javed and Benjamin Franklin Institute Alumnus Faran Ali with U.S Ambassador Richard Olson at the camp

“Last year, I went to Denver to take part in an event organized by the American Boy Scouts Association,” said Javed. “When I came back, Faran and I decided to hold this project to pass our additional learning on to the Pakistani Boy Scouts and to Access Alumni so that we could motivate them further.”

U.S Ambassador Richard Olson, an American eagle scout and life-long scouting proponent, was the chief guest of the occasion. “This project brings together two organizations committed to Pakistan–the Boy Scouts Association and the Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network,” he said.

Camp offers a Range of Activities

“I found Ambassador’s Olson speech quite inspiring as he was also a Boy Scout at a very young age,” said Syra Basharat, a student.

“I really like the camp because we had not campaigned with Ambassador Olson before and this was very important for our motivation,” said Ibrahim Khan, a Boy Scout.

On day one, the organizers divided the attendees, which included several young women, into 12 teams (“patrols”). Each patrol then competed in a range of competitions including tent-pitching, tree plantation, archery, table-tennis, volleyball, and football. Participants also attended a number of sessions on First Aid Training, Leadership, and Scouting, to help the participants develop important life skills.

The organizers and students also made a series of drawings under a theme called the “Messengers of Peace.”

“I think the best way to promote peace was through the drawings,” said Mawiya Abbasi, a BBA Student. “This is because not just one mind worked on them, but a lot of people collaborated together to transfer their ideas about peace onto paper.”

Some Female participants of the Young Leaders Scouts Camp 2015

“It my first experience working with scouts, so I had a lot of fun,” said Mehreen Abbasi, Access Alumna. “I was also able to develop friendships with people from different areas who had come to Islamabad to attend the camp.”

Learning and Fun Take Place Together

The sessions were a huge success. A speaker showed a video about Pakistani child prodigy Arfa Karim in a meeting titled “Go Perpendicular” and induced the participants to think carefully about what they wanted to do with their lives.

Meanwhile, First Aid practice session stretched for three hours and the attendees learned how to deal with many different emergency situations, from setting broken bones to dealing with a household fire.

“The camp is a very good initiative as it involves a number of physical activities which are very good for mental growth,” said Arooj Iqbal, an Access alumna.

Finally a team from the United Nations conducted an exercise with the participants to find out what their future goals were while a communication and media relations expert stressed upon the importance of conveying one’s message properly to reach the right audience.

But the icing on the cake for the attendees was a bonfire and cultural night, where they represented their home cultures through dance, dress, and music, while experiencing the life of boy scouts.

Speaker M. Jawad holding an activity with the participants during the session ‘Go Perpendicular’

As for Kamran Javed, the alumnus is grateful about the outcome of his project.

“I am happy and satisfied with the success of my project,” said the Access Alumnus. “As for the next step, I want to do this event on a bigger scale with a higher number of participants next year, so that its impact can be greater.”

To find out more about his Alumni Small Grant project, take a look at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/YLSC15?fref=ts

By Hira Nafees Shah

Truck artist creating his magic at Natasha Jozi’s exhibition

Inside a cubicle a man solemnly stands on one leg while a young woman applies mud to his body. Occasionally she stops to apply the mud to herself, in a process that continued for over an hour.

What was taking place wasn’t a mud-masque spa treatment, but an art performance piece depicting how the impressions human beings form about each other affect their perceptions.

In a nearby performance space, a middle-aged man stands on a stool with a paintbrush in hand as curious on-lookers gather around.  He starts to paint an eagle on the wall before him with skill acquired through many years of practice.

This combination of traditional and unconventional forms of new media art were part of an exhibition titled “We Are All Mad Here,” which was held in Islamabad from May to June. The event was curated by Fulbright alumna Natasha Jozi and revolved around the theme of women’s empowerment. Audiences were promised an experience, which Natasha and her artists delivered.

Fulbright Alumna Natasha Jozi presenting her Alumni Small Grant project ‘We Are All Mad Here’

“I decided to hold this initiative because I wanted to engage different parts of the community in an art project,” Natasha said. “As a fresh alumna, I [wanted] to stay associated with the Fulbright family, as it is my first project since coming back from America.”

The Pakistan-U.S Alumni Network funded the project through a $5,000 USD  Alumni Small Grant. All alumni of various U.S sponsored exchange programs in Pakistan can apply for the grant to enable them to give back to their communities.

“I feel that this is an excellent exhibition because it depicts new ideas and presents a new approach to art and thought,” said Riffat Noureen, a housewife and a visitor to the exhibition. “For example, the two students who are coloring themselves are conveying a message through it.”

“I love this exhibition because it is something that I haven’t seen before,” said Maira Tanveer, a visitor. “I felt new media is a different way of expressing thoughts which are subject to interpretation and it is more visual and daring.”

Workshops Introduce Students to New Media

Natasha kicked off her project by holding two workshops on new media. One was held at the Fatima Jinnah Women University with about 70 student participants. The other workshop was held at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) and included about 40 students from NUST, COMSATS, NCA and Hunerkada.

During the workshops, students developed four art projects of their own which were also included in the exhibition. In addition, nine national artists from across Pakistan and a few of their international counterparts participated in the final event of the exhibition, which drew more than 500 people.

Fatima Jinnah Women University’s students’ performance piece called ‘The Game’

“At the opening night, there were twice as many people in the gallery than in the reception,” said Natasha. “I thought oh my God! This is what I had wanted for people to come and see the work.”

Responses to the exhibition varied, as most visitors had never seen such performances and concepts, it was a lot for many to process.

“I liked the Game of life piece because it is like catharsis,” said Maryam Syed, a doctor referring to a performance in which four people were playing chess wearing masks. “I think new media is needed to make people think outside the box.”

“I prefer Amina Rizwan’s technique because it is hard to understand how she embellishes jewelry and how she creates art from items of everyday use,” said Mohammad Irtiza, an NCA Student.

Traditional Art in a New Medium

Meanwhile, painters working in traditional Pakistani forms, such as truck artists and rickshaw makers, were given a place at the event. The Fulbright alumna wanted viewers to see these artists creating the work in front of their eyes, so that it would become performance art and the role of the artist would not be diminished in the final pieces.

After the successful culmination of her project, Jozi says she can attribute her achievement to her exchange experience.

“My Fulbright experience transformed me and opened me to work I had not experienced before,” she said. “I went as a painter and came back as a performance artist.”

Two female visitors look on as performance artists present their exhibit ‘Rang-e-Khaak’ at “We Are All Mad Here” exhibition

She believes that giving back to Pakistan is her goal now and the Alumni Small Grant was a step in the right direction.

“The organizers of the Alumni Small Grant gave me 100 percent freedom with how I wanted to use the funds as an artist,” she said. “This encouraged me to give my 200 percent in the three months, that the project was underway.”

For her next step, Natasha plans to start an international residency project for artists in Pakistan so that they can come and live in the country and introduce new mediums of art. She also hopes to work with the BBC in the future, so that they can interview Pakistani artists and bring attention to their installations on the international stage.

But for now, the Fulbright alumna is taking it one step at a time as she completes a performance art exhibition in Switzerland.

“I really feel energized and can’t wait to come back and start my next exhibition”.

To find out more about ‘We are All Mad Here’, take a look at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/waamhere?fref=ts

By Hira Nafees Shah

Group Photograph of the U.S.-Pakistan Professional Partnership in Journalism (PPJ) Alumni with trainers and organizers of the ICFJ Alumni Summit

Negotiating time off is never easy for a news professional, but for senior journalist Awais Hameed, attendance at the alumni summit in Karachi at the Center for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) was a “couldn’t miss” opportunity to enhance his media skills.

“I have worked in electronic media for eight years and today was the first time that I have ever held a camera,” he said. “Working as a journalist in Pakistan, I really feel that we don’t invest in research and training of our journalists.”

Awais’ training was part of a unique four-day journalism conference organized by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), the newly-established CEJ at the Institute for Business Administration (IBA), and the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN).

More than 120 journalist alumni of the U.S.-Pakistan Professional Partnership in Journalism (PPJ) attended the event.  The PPJ is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to allow U.S. and Pakistani journalists to see how each other’s newsrooms function.  Since 2011, 13 batches of Pakistani journalists have visited the United States on the PPJ program, with a fourteenth group scheduled to depart later this year.

“The purpose of this ICFJ alumni summit was to bring [together] all journalists under one roof who went on the Journalists Exchange Program to the U.S. in different batches,” said Babar Taimur, Program Director of Pakistan programs at ICFJ.  “We also wanted to integrate CEJ as a space for professional training for working journalists.”

The conference was held in Karachi from July 23 to 26.  U.S. Consul General Brian Heath delivered the opening remarks and emphasized the role that journalists can play in making the world a better place.

“The U.S. exchange programs in Pakistan are amongst the largest in the world,” he said. “Through [the PPJ], exchange participants work side by side with American journalists and find innovative ways of contributing to Pakistan.”

Training Sessions Draw Praise from Participants

Over the course of four days, each of the nearly 120 participants attended six breakout sessions on a variety of topics, including “Social Media for Journalists,” “Investigative Reporting”, “Multimedia-Interactive Storytelling,” “Journalistic Ethics,” “Digital Security for Journalists,” and “Data Journalism.”

“On social media if you have to choose between being first or being right in breaking a news, always choose right,” said Wajahat Ali, an Al-Jazeera America journalist, during his session on Social Media. “Also ‘sharing is caring’ so make sure to promote others’ good content on social media as well.”

A participant conducting a mock interview from another attendee about creating the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich during the Multimedia-Interactive Storytelling session

The smaller groups of alumni had an opportunity to participate in each of the six training sessions.  “I found the storytelling session very useful because I learned how to tell my story through five different video shots,” said Hasan Raza Zaidi, a reporter from Lahore.

“After attending the data journalism session, I feel I can [better] work with datasets in the future and experiment with the different tools,” said Mohammad Irfan Haider from Dawn Media Group in Islamabad.

“The digital security presentation was very good because before I did not know that secure data can also be transmitted through Wi-Fi,” said Umar Farooq, an Express Tribune Correspondent from Peshawar.

ICFJ Vice President of Programs Patrick Butler used interactive sessions and lectures to make participants tackle difficult ethical situations and practice in-depth reporting.

International Managing Editor at Bloomberg Ethan Bronner delivered the keynote session, and spoke about the upheavals facing the journalism profession, and the way newsmakers should ideally respond.

“You should embrace the democratic nature of journalism,” he said.  The summit also featured two panel discussions entitled “Future of News” and “Conflict of Interest.”

International trainers during the ‘Conflicts of Interest’ panel discussion

Veteran journalists Badar Alam and Kamal Siddiqui spoke about how print, broadcast, and online news were adapting to the convergence of media forms and how social media has affected the traditional modes of conveying information.

The “Conflicts of Interest” panel drew many comments and questions from the audience, ranging from how to report about friends who turn into sources and how to remain objective and neutral when a journalist has a strong personal opinion about a story.

Towards More Polished Story-telling

During the event, participants also reflected on how the PPJ had opened up new avenues for them and how their impressions of the United States had changed.

“The best thing about the exchange program is that it has a follow-up,” said Dawood Tareen, a filmmaker from Balochistan. “We live in Pakistan but we receive access to the best facilities because of our exchange experience.”

“I became a multimedia journalist after going on my exchange program,” said Samreen Ghauri, a participant from Hyderabad. “Now while living in Pakistan, ICFJ has provided an opportunity for us to interact with international level journalists and learn from them.”

The American journalists were just as affected by their time in Pakistan.

“I got a better understanding of the circumstances in which Pakistani journalists work,” said Lam Vo, an Al-Jazeera America journalist. “It also established a higher bar of respect for them.”

“My trip to Pakistan has made me aware of the privileges that we share in America and it has been a very humbling experience,” said Wajahat Ali, an Al-Jazeera America journalist. “The journalists in Pakistan have to navigate a unique set of challenges.”

The event organizers were just as pleased with the turn-out and success of the summit.

Female participants at the ICFJ Alumni Summit

“I am thrilled about the success of the event,” said Christie Marie Lauder, Program Manager at CEJ. “It has been tremendously gratifying and the collaborations with PUAN and others have brought a new sense to what this event could be [and] new ideas to the table.”

Many managers expressed their appreciation to the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) for selecting high quality Pakistani media personnel to participate in the exchange to America, and looked forward to a continued partnership in order to improve journalism in both countries.

“I have met every single group of journalists here and feel quite energized,” said Patrick Butler. “As for the next step, we would encourage the journalists’ alumni, to apply for PUAN grants and continue to involve them in the CEJ.”

To take a look at the photographs from the event, visit:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pakusalumni/sets/72157656022811178

Salma’s Exchange Experience

Are you an alumnus of any USG sponsored exchange programs? Did you return in 2015? Do you have a special story to share from your time in the U.S? If you have answered yes to at least 2 out of the three questions, then we would like to hear from you! This is your chance to be featured on the Pakistan-US Alumni Network blog and social media pages. Drop us an email on pakusalumniblog@gmail.com