CULTIVATING HOPE-FOSTERING LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE

Mr. Jahangir has also shown his concern for the human, emotional and psychological toll taken by episodes of terrorism on the citizens of Pakistan. In recent years, the war on terror has had an immense impact on the global scenario, none more so than Pakistan where the social fabric of the society is threatened by nefarious terrorist activities of Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban. This has resulted in deteriorating local and foreign investment, worsening security situation and most significantly a death toll of more than 2000 citizens of Pakistan in 2009 alone. In many parts of the country there are whole communities that have directly witnessed death and destruction or experienced the loss of family members and friends. For the survivors and the general public each such traumatic event causes severe distress and psychological suffering.

To address the nation’s need to remain united and positive in these challenging times, Amir initiated a national campaign titled “Cultivating Hope”. This new and first of its kind initiative aims at empowering and educating the youth against extremism and instilling leadership qualities in them. Mr. Jahangir firmly believes that cultivating hope in the youth is the only way to counter the agenda of a terrorist which is to uproot hope and optimism. “Cultivating Hope” is a joint initiative with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and aims at engaging more than 600.000 students across Pakistan on a subject that is no longer an international or political call but a prevailing element which is now affecting all citizens of Pakistan.

The project includes a national inter-university documentary competition against the theme of extremism. This program focuses on empowering the youth to look into the measures, impact and results of extremism and play their role in educating their peers and surroundings on the horror of terrorism. The winning documentaries will be showcased on International film festivals providing a platform for the winners to showcase their talent globally. Mr. Jahangir has envisioned the program as a solution to Pakistan’s growing need for bold thinking and to produce future journalists that will raise Pakistani media’s performance against international benchmark.

The ‘Cultivating Hope’ initiative has also been lauded by educational institutes as an impetus to promote the visual and liberal arts in the country’s educational sphere as a form of creative expression and ideas. To further promote the debate on terrorism, the Cultivating Hope team has been visiting universities across Pakistan to engage the youth on the issues and challenges of terrorism. The students are provided a platform to meet stakeholders from the Government, Armed Forces fighting the war and also a hands-on interaction with victims of extremism. These discussions are held in an informal and interactive atmosphere and maximum emphasis is placed on the feedback by students. The young leaders are encouraged to voice their concerns, answer their questions and be sensitized towards the menace and human loss in terror and extreme acts. State of art technology is also employed to bring these discussions to educational institutes around the country through the use of video conferencing. Amir has personally participated in each of the panel discussions and debated on the role of the media and the important role the youth needs to play in safeguarding the nation.