Youth Social Entrepreneurship Training Workshop was held in Islamabad on 30th April for the principals and faculty members of eleven leading technical institutions

Youth Social Entrepreneurship Training Workshop was held in Islamabad on 30th April for the principals and faculty members of eleven leading technical institutions. The workshop was graced by Chairman TEVTA AJk. Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman TEVTA, Mr. Raja Muhammad Arif Khan appreciated the efforts of YES Network Pakistan for introducing the concept of Youth Social Entrepreneurship and training the representatives of technical institutions. He also expressed thanks to British Council for supporting the initiative.

YES Network Pakistan is in the process of establishing Service Academy in collaboration with Catholic Board of Education, Lahore to promote the concept of youth service in the country

YES Network Pakistan is in the process of establishing Service Academy in collaboration with Catholic Board of Education, Lahore to promote the concept of youth service in the country. The Service Academy will be the hub for coordinating, facilitating and training teachers of youth-serving institutions operating under Catholic Board of Education, Lahore. The Service Academy will impart trainings to the teachers of the schools with a view to develop their capacity, professional competency and ethical standards for efficient dispensation of teacher's knowledge and skills in schools. The Service Academy will provide a very cost-effective way to low-performing schools to enhance their capacities and overcome their challenges. The Service Academy will design and deliver comprehensive courses and trainings to staff members of Catholic Schools throughout the year (especially in summer vacations) for the realization of the Strategic Plan.

Ali spoke at the International Conference on youth social entrepreneurship in London

Ali spoke at the international conference on youth social entrepreneurship in London. The conference was attended by the representatives of 24 countries. Ali spoke at the panel discussion on the opening day of the conference. During the first panel discussion of the conference, three models of youth engagement were featured. YES Network Pakistan’s model was one of the featured models. The conference was organized by the British Council. The conference was attended by the representatives of the technical institutes and private sector. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to delegates to share, learn and build new partnerships.

Ali spoke at the National Workshop on youth organized by Ministry of Youth and RSPN

Ali spoke at the national workshop on youth organized by Ministry of Youth and RSPN. The workshop was attended by the Ministry of Youth and Secretary of Youth as well as several representatives of public and private organizations. During the workshop, five models of youth development were presented to the audience. YES Network Pakistan model of youth engagement was also featured at the workshop. Speaking at the occasion, the secretary of Youth Ministry appreciated the efforts of YES Network Pakistan for designing and implementing innovative youth service programs and expressed his desire to work together with YES for promoting its pro-active model of youth engagement in Pakistan.

Service Learning Course Manual Developed

YES Network Pakistan has developed first ever Service Learning Course Manual for the educational institutions of Pakistan. This Service Learning Course Manual is developed in the light of successful experience of implementing first-ever service learning program in leading Catholic Schools by YES Network Pakistan. This first-ever Service Learning Course Manual is developed with the perspective of integrating the concept of service learning into the curriculum and cultivating positive values among students as well as to mainstream students into the development process of Pakistan. It is a big step forward to connect children learning to practice. It is for the first-time that service learning program has been formally launched in the leading educational institutions of Pakistan. It has been a very successful year for YES Network Pakistan as it has introduced and institutionalized the concept of service learning in the leading Catholic Schools. Over 200 service learning projects were designed and implemented by students of all ages. Over 8,000 students participated in the project. Each student spent 20 hours in providing service to others. This Service Learning Course Manual will inspire many other educational institutions to enrich learning process of students and to enable them to acquire positive values such as empathy, compassion, caring and respect. This manual is divided into three sections. The first section explains the need and significance of service learning program in Pakistan. The second section explains the process of bringing service learning to classroom. The third section explains the impact of service learning program on teachers and students. It will also present a wide range of service learning ideas implemented during the first year. Please visit the following link to view the Service Learning Course Manual.

Open Sessions Held in Mirpur on Youth Service

YES Network Pakistan in-partnership with British Council organized two open sessions in Dhudyal and Chakswari locations of AJK. The purpose of the open sessions were to sensitize the local community members about the need of engaging youth in addressing local developmental issues and to identify areas for youth social action. Despite of the fact that the weather conditions were not good and it was raining most of the time, still a large number of people of all ages participated in the sessions. Around 200 people attended the open session in Dhudyal and around 130 people attended session in Chakswari. At one point, there was no space available for seating in both the sessions. People were so excited to participate in the program. They were so keen to start the program in their communities. YES Network Pakistan received several requests from the nearby villages of these locations to organize and start youth service program. Surprisingly, many people who are living in U.K also attended the event and showed a lot of enthusiasm to participate and contribute in the program. The events were attended by all segments of the population.

Following is a snapshot of the proceedings of the sessions:

• The stage secretaries of both the sessions were local youth (male and female youth).
• During the sessions, key community stakeholders shared the opportunities and challenges being faced by the communities.
• A case study of a young girl living in Kashmir (working as a social entrepreneur in YES Network Pakistan) was presented at both the sessions’ program to inspire and motivate male and female youth.
• An orientation was provided on the concept of youth service (youth engagement in re-building communities) by YES Network Pakistan.
• A question and answer session was held at both the sessions after the sharing of the youth service strategy.
• Information material and handouts regarding the submission of ideas were distributed among the people.
• Feedback was taken from the participants of the session on a feedback poster. Participants expressed a lot of joy and excitement. They showed their great interest in participating in the program.

The outcomes of the sessions:

• Over 330 people were sensitized about the concept of youth service as a strategy for youth development and community development.
• A community-based committee has been formulated to facilitate and supervise the future activities in the communities.
• The sessions helped the local communities to identify areas for action in future with the help of local youth.

Next Steps

• Submission of ideas by local youth
• Selection of youth (in-consultation with local committee) based on their ideas
• Youth Organizing
• Youth Training
• Oath-taking of Youth
• Transfer of Funds
• Youth Engagement

Service Learning Exhibitions

Service Learning Exhibitions were held in the leading Catholic Schools to display the service projects of students to general public. The service learning exhibitions were attended by a wide range of stakeholders such as parents, businessmen, community members, political leaders, etc. During the Service Learning Exhibitions, 210 service projects of students were displayed. These projects focused on addressing critical needs of the school, community and the society. Please visit the following links to see the picture galleries of the service learning exhibitions.

Service Learning Projects of St. Anthony's High School, Faisal Town, Lahore

Service Learning Projects of Sacred Heart Cathedral High School (English Medium), Lahore

Service Learning Projects of St. Anthony's High School, Lawrence Road, Lahore

Service Learning Projects of St. Anthony's High School, Lahore Cantt.

Service Learning Projects of Saint Mary's High School, Nishat Colony, Lahore Cantt.

Service Learning Projects of Don Bosco High School (English Medium), Lahore

Service Learning Projects of St. Joseph's High School, Satellite Town, Gujranwala

Service Learning Projects of St. Dominic's Convent School, Johar Town, Lahore

Service Learning Projects of Don Bosco High School (Urdu Medium), Lahore

Service Learning Projects of St. Joseph's High School (Urdu Medium). Gujranwala

Winner Announced for the National Enterprise Competition

The winner of youth enterprise award held at national level has been announced by YES Network Pakistan and British Council. The winner of the competition is the team of young people from Government College of Technology Multan. The winning team will participate in the regional enterprise competition organized by British Council in March 2010. The winning team will be provided with a cash reward of One Hundred Thousand Rupees and a digital camera for documenting and sharing their project activities. Our best wishes for the winning team and we hope that they will perform well in the next round.

YES Network Pakistan organized a wide range of activities to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009

YES Network Pakistan organized a wide range of activities to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week in Pakistan throughout the month of November. A wide range of activities were carried out to stimulate and promote Youth Social Entrepreneurship. The major events which were carried out during the GEW include Youth Social Entrepreneurship workshop, Enterprise Challenge, Induction Workshop, Poster Competition and a series of indigenous events at the community based outlets of YES Network Pakistan.

British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley and his wife graced with their presence Youth Social Entrepreneurship workshop in Mirpur

British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley and his wife graced with their presence Youth Social Entrepreneurship workshop in Mirpur organized by YES Network Pakistan and British Council. The workshop was held from 11th to 13th November 2009. The workshop was organized to train and equip young people with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills as well as to enable them to participate in the enterprise challenge competition during the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009. During the workshop, an innovation market place was also organized to showcase the projects of seven selected teams of AJK. Speaking at the occasion, British High Commissioner appreciated the efforts of YES in promoting youth social entrepreneurship in the country.

Sensitization Sessions held on Youth Social Entrepreneurship with the Principals of the Technical Institutions

YES Network Pakistan in collaboration with British Council and NAVTEC organized two sensitization and training sessions with the Principals of 60 technical colleges. The workshops were held in Lahore and Mirpur on 10th November 2009. During the workshops, principals/lead teachers were provided knowledge and skills about youth social entrepreneurship. The participants were also provided training in designing and implementing youth-led projects. All the participants were very enthusiastic to learn about youth social entrepreneurship. The participants ranked the workshops very high and strongly recommended to others.

YES Network Pakistan held nationwide open sessions on the topic of "Youth Social Entrepreneurship".

YES Network Pakistan held nationwide open sessions on the topic of "Youth Social Entrepreneurship" for the principals/lead teachers of over 400 technical colleges in collaboration with British Council and NAVTEC. The purpose of the sessions was to sensitize the principals/lead teachers about the concept of Youth Social Entrepreneurship and to share with them Enterprise Challenge Award 2009. The sessions were held in Islamabad, Karachi and Quetta. The sessions have created a lot of enthusiasm among principals to integrate Youth Social Entrepreneurship program in their institutions. Please click on the below link to view the pictures of the sessions.
Open Sessions Pictures

Ali speaks at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on "Youth Social Entrepreneurship".

The Social Entrepreneurship Forum for Youths (SEFFY) was jointly organized by NUS Business School's Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy (CSEP) and NUS’ University Scholars Club (USC). The event was attended by youths aged 17-25. The event was organized to introduce the topic of youth social entrepreneurship to youth and to promote entrepreneurial spirit among youth. Three young entrepreneurs were invited to share their programs, stories and accomplishments with the young people for inspiring them to embrace innovation and imagination in addressing issues that are affecting the world. The speakers included:
Mr Ali Raza Khan (Pakistan): YES Network Pakistan
Ms Reeze Fernandez (Philippines): Rags2Riches
Mr Tong Yee (Singapore): School of Thought