By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: The National Youth Volunteer Network (NYVN) Punjab Chapter, in collaboration with VSO, organized a one-day training workshop at the Bargad Head Office, Lahore.
The workshop brought together 30 selected youth participants from across Punjab to engage in interactive learning and capacity building on key themes including climate change, social inclusion, social accountability, and peacebuilding.
Participants included youth from marginalized backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, transgender individuals, and religious minorities highlighting the workshop’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity. During the session, participants painted cloth bags as a symbolic pledge to eliminate single-use plastics from their lives and to play an active role in combating climate change while spreading awareness among fellow youth.
The NYVN team conducted detailed sessions on Global Volunteering Standards and Social Accountability, equipping youth with practical knowledge through role-play exercises and group activities.
Speaking at the occasion, Sabiha Shaheen, Executive Director of Bargad and Focal Person for the upcoming National Adolescent and Youth Policy, said that this workshop is a significant step toward empowering youth for social and environmental change. She highlighted that a comprehensive national policy is being developed to address the needs and aspirations of adolescents and young people across Pakistan. Built around the 4Es framework Education, Employment, Engagement, and Environment , the policy will be developed “for youth, by youth” through an inclusive, consultative process at both federal and provincial levels.
Members of the National Youth Council (NYC) Zainab Iqbal, Asad Ullah, and Bakhtawar Ahmed also engaged with the participants. Zainab Iqbal introduced the Digital Youth Hub and its benefits, while Asad Ullah encouraged youth to participate in government-led youth initiatives. Bakhtawar Ahmed informed the attendees that NYC is a representative platform for talented youth aged 15 to 29 from across Pakistan. He noted that NYC operates under the patronage of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and is chaired by Rana Mashhood, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme. The workshop concluded with the distribution of certificates among youth.
