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Youth & Inclusive Citizenship: Approaches to Realize Demographic

Dividends in Asia-Pacific

Saima Fayyaz 8 – 10 September 2014, New Delhi, India

Demographic Profile of Pakistan

Pakistan: Some Facts:• Area: 796,095 sq. km. • Admin Division: 4 provinces, Gilgit Baltistan

FATA• Population: 180.44 million • Literacy: 58% • National Language .. Urdu • Poverty: over 35% pop. below poverty line

• Source : World population statistics

Youth in Pakistan • Young Person : between the age of 15-29 • Youth is 65.1% of the total Pakistani

population.37% youth is illiterate

Source: According to the recent projections made by US Census Bureau

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Key Issues … Youth & Inclusive Citizenship

•Lack of education & Illiteracy ( 10+population)

lack of opportunities, such as education, employment and recreation, have created a sense of frustration among the young people

Poverty ... leads to not register births in Union Councils/ National Identity cards

Policies

National Youth Policy in 20091Youth Policy... On 6th June 2012, the Chief Minister of Punjab launched Punjab’s very first youth policy

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Department of Youth Affairs, Sports, Tourism and Archaeology, Punjab

3Adolescent strategy and

strategic plan 4

30 million 10+ illiterate Literacy & NFBE Department Govt of Punjab is trying to cater

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Making Young illiterate females ..Literate.

Initiatives Beneficiaries

Literacy/AE 147591 Skills 36666 Livelihood 165515 Health/1122 182707Birth registrations/CNIC 176049 Empowering teachers/leader ship dev.

38752

Community dev 84711Kitchen gardening 1500 families

Continued ....Initiatives Beneficiaries

Livestock dev. 21181Higher education 7000Peer education 3223Women empowerment 371155Career counselling /job placement

35000

AdvocacyOML 11400Mobile literacy 2800

Bunyad’s Success Stories • Bhagwal Awan Collage (a Degree College for

Girls)

• Girl student working in UC office as LHW

• Girl student working in a bank • Student after completing MA English

running his coaching centre • Around 300 students now serving as

teachers in Bunyad’s literacy centers • Moving onwards & upwards, Approx

60%

Opportunities Needed • Review of citizenship education in primary and secondary schools• Develop youths' understanding of themselves and their culture• Continuing education/Distance learning to improve level of education • Mobile literacy for CE/Access to new information & technology • Equip youth with the knowledge, skills and qualities needed for leadership • Special technical/skill training for rural women near their door step• Youth collaboration /Capacity building of youth to form committees to tackle the

problems Build youth leadership through meaningful engagement in real community issues

• Meet the needs of youth by developing fun and relevant experiences designed by youth and adults (Sports, Skills, Excursion)

• Use a variety of research-based learning processes and resources to engage youth in a variety of hands-on activities.

• Recognize the value of volunteer and professional staff and support them through a well-coordinated system of professional development opportunities

• Citizenship education through extra curriculum activities• Empowering communities thousands self depends • Small business / enterprise development opportunities • Linking youth to Line Departments

Role of Youth • Peer education • Awareness raising about law, legal meters, health &hygiene• Advocacy • Awareness raising & Lobby for birth registration /CNIC/Voting• Seek out charitable grants and public funding to support

citizenship, leadership and service programming• Serve as volunteer • Involvement of youth and adults as partners existing at all levels

of program design, implementation and evaluation and through shared knowledge and activities have reciprocal leading, teaching and mentoring roles.

Pictorial View

Thank You