Pakistani Young Leaders Conference held at Oxford University
Oxford (APP): Over 150 Pakistani students from around the UK attended the Pakistani Young Leaders Conference (PYLC) organised at the Oxford University with an objective of greater understanding of their roles as national ambassadors.
The Conference was an initiative by the UK-based National Union of Pakistani Students and Alumni (NUPSA), an organisation aimed at bringing together Pakistani student societies and Alumni onto one platform so that together, they may address the issues that Pakistan and its youth currently face.
According to NUPSA spokesman Faizan Rana, PYLC is a leadership development program that aims to bring outstanding young people from around the country and help them build critical leadership skills which help groom them into successful leaders of the future.
“This program gives the participants a greater understanding of their roles as national ambassadors and serves as a platform for the youth to think about problems facing Pakistan and propose possible solution,” he said. The conference followed the huge success of the original Pakistan Young Leaders Conference which took place in Islamabad in August 2009.
This year, it was hosted by the Oxford University Pakistan Society. The delegates were split into 7 committees: Foreign Affairs, Interior Affairs, Legal Issues, Education, Finance, Environment and Youth Affairs. Each committee was chaired by individuals with expertise in their area of deliberation.
Over the course of 2 days and 4 sessions, each committee came up with a series of resolutions and proposals that were presented to the Joint Assembly in the Oxford Union.
These were then discussed in a panel discussion chaired by the journalist Talat Hussein, in which four politicians representing their respective political parties were subjected to questions from the audience.
One of the main highlights of the conference was the address by Foreign Minister Shah Method Qurush who spoke on the various issues facing Pakistan and the Government policy on these matters.
The Islamabad edition of the PYLC will be held in the second week of the current month. Rona said throughout history, the youth of a nation have played a crucial role in positive change. “Conferences such as these are a testament that Pakistani Students are deeply concerned about the state of their country.
This growing level of activism is a symptom of the fact that the youth of Pakistan are not only ready for change, but ready to be a part of implementing it. This is merely a small milestone in a much wider movement, but it’s a step in the right direction and gives immense hope for the future.” |
