Peace Education And Development (PEAD) Foundation organized an Open Forum in collaboration with the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) for the students of the Open Minds Project in Peshawar on the 29th and 30th of September. The Open Forum was organized to assess the impact of the project on the participating students. The two day event was attended by male and female students from selected government schools and madaris. Various media personnel also attended and interacted with the students during the event. The Open Forum was chaired by Mr. Shaukat Khattak, bureau chief SAMAA on the 29th and by Mr. Shameem Shahid, President Peshawar Press Club and bureau chief of the upcoming newspaper Pakistan Today on the 30th of September.
The Open Forum provided a platform for the students to express what they have learned and gained form the Open Minds project and share it with their peers. Students were gathered at a venue in Peshawar, where they delivered speeches, held discussions and debate, and participated in question and answer sessions. Students also shared stories from their personal lives and from their communities as well.
The students gave presentations on various topics which were assigned to them such as the role of women in the development of Pakistan, difference between Jihad and Extremism, Floods in Pakistan and role of media, and conflict resolution. Students were not only able to speak publicly in front of their peers and panel of experts sitting in front of them on the topics assigned to them but were also able to take questions from the audience and answer them with great confidence and authority. The Students are now more aware of their surroundings and are in touch with the global community as a result of this project.
The two chief guests shared their experiences with the students and encouraged them to pursue journalism as a career. The entire event was a welcomed initiative which was appreciated by all the participants as well as the panel of experts.
Imran Afzal
