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LUMUN SRP Successfully Concludes 'Redesigning Tomorrow'
June 24, 2012
 completes the 'Redesigning Tomorrow’ project funded by the US Consulate General.&message=LUMUN Social Responsibility Programme(SRP) completes the 'Redesigning Tomorrow’ project funded by the US Consulate General.&redirect_uri=http://www.lums.edu.pk/)
The LUMUN Social Responsibility Programme (SRP) initiated a project ‘Redesigning Tomorrow’ with the purpose of educating the masses and spreading awareness. This project was designed by LUMUN SRP’s Director, Hafsah Rehman and executed with funding from the US Consulate General Lahore to create a platform where the students could engage in constructive debate with the country’s leading names on significant social issues and reach a conclusion which would be acceptable to everyone. The five workshops conducted under the umbrella of this project were (i) Blue Gold: A Natural Treasure, (ii) A Healthy Nation Equals a Progressive Nation, (iii) Media: A Weapon of Mass Deception or An Important Source of Information, (iv) Terrorism: An Invisible Threat, and (v) No Rights Without Rights of Women: Promoting Women Empowerment and Gender Equality.
Blue Gold: A Natural Treasure (February 26, 2012)
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Blue gold is a wealth few have and is precious enough to be at par with oil. Keeping this in mind, this workshop highlighted how this precious commodity has been labeled as a prime cause for future wars and how it has affected India and Pakistan’s bilateral relations, especially with regard to Kashmir. This workshop also focused on the wastage and conservation of Pakistan’s water resources.
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Guest Speakers:
• Justice (R) Mrs. Nasira Iqbal, a retired judge of Lahore High Court. She has served as a Member of Pakistan's Delegation Human Rights Commission, Geneva, Member Supreme Court Bar Association, Member Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan and is also a former president of Lahore High Court Bar Association. |
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A Healthy Nation Equals a Progressive Nation (February 27, 2012)
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Poor governance and ineffective ways to prevent the spread and reduce the severity of an epidemic, which costs lives and drastically drops the country’s economic and progressive chart reading, have hampered Pakistan’s health system. The prime focus of this workshop was the lack of awareness among the local populace about common health problems and the role of media in this regard. Also discussed was an individual’s role in creating awareness and solving health issues. An enthusiastic interactive session that marked end of the workshop. |
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Guest Speakers:
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Media: A Weapon of Mass Deception or an Important Source of Information (April 1, 2012)
| This workshop debated whether Pakistan’s national and international image has been tarnished by the country’s media and how it is slowly dragging the country to a chaotic situation. The speakers also discussed the media and its journalistic responsibilities, especially towards citizens at large, and the training of journalists. During the interactive session, it was clearly deduced that eventhough everyone was in support of freedom of expression, it was strongly felt that Pakistani media should be more controlled and the rat race of bringing in ‘exclusive/breaking news’ to gain maximum advertisement campaigns should be discouraged. |
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Guest Speakers:
• Mr. Imtiaz Alam, veteran journalist and Secretary General of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
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Terrorism: An Invisible Threat (April 14, 2012)
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This workshop discussed the national perspective of allies in war on terror being influenced by media and other silent factors, and as the title suggests, it discussed the global discourse on terrorism, the social and institutional responsibility in this regard and ways of resolving this issue. The role of foreign agencies, India’s role in Afghanistan and NATO’s love- hate relationship with Pakistan was also focused upon at the meet. Moreover, drone attacks, target killings, and resultant violation of human rights was also highlighted. Accomplishing the aim of the workshop, a healthy debate resulted between the guest speakers, especially the US Consulate representatives and the students. |
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Guest Speakers:
• Ambassador Shaharyar Khan. |
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No Rights Without Rights of Women: Promoting Women Empowerment and Gender Equality (April 27, 2012)
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The workshop examined the rights of women as guaranteed by the constitution and the status of women in Islam/Pakistan and its compatibility with the provisions of CEDAW. Moreover, light was also shed upon, the role and status of women in media, and the issues, threats and challenges faced in achieving gender equality in this field. In the end, recommendations and suggestions to empower women were given by the participants. |
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Guest Speakers:
• Ms. Fauzia Viqar, Director of Advocacy and Communications, Shirkat Gah. |
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Each workshop debated a relevant issue and offered valuable knowledge and insights to the audience and participants. The workshop on women empowerment helped participants gain more knowledge about women’s rights and family structures. The rights of women as guaranteed by the constitution were discussed more profoundly, whereas the cultural and religious side of women rights was also examined.
On the other hand the workshop on media was very entertaining and drew a very enthusiastic response from the participants. A heated discussion took place on the impact of propaganda theory and the role of anchors in fueling civil unrest.
The inaugural workshop of the project, ‘Blue Gold: A Natural Treasure’ comprised engaging presentations by the speakers on government’s inability to deliver on many fronts and the usage of water by people in general. The session on health shared with the participants, alarming facts about the prevalent fear of dengue fever and the fake medicines’ case. Most of the participants inquired about ways through which genuine and fake medicines can be differentiated and about epidemic control measures. It also shed light on the current issues of fake doctors operating in Pakistan and urged the participants to report these people to the authorities.
The most interesting workshop was the one on terrorism at which American and Pakistani representatives came together after the tragic friendly fire episode at ‘Salala’. This issue concerns everyone and the workshop proved extremely fruitful in understanding what America and Pakistan had to sacrifice in combating global terrorism, and both sides acknowledged the alliance that the two share for a greater cause.
The workshop series had a great impact on the participants and everyone lauded the efforts of SRP in providing an opportunity to gain more knowledge about relevant issues which effect the society.
“The seminar provided me with an opportunity to engage with youth on issues of women’s rights and empowerment in an interactive way. I was a little surprised to find the degree of misconceptions about women rights activism. I would strongly encourage similar events to continue such discussions,” said Ms. Fauzia Viqar.
“The discussions and deliberations generated by this workshop have served to illuminate issues of fundamental importance to Pakistani society, it’s politics and economy. This process of awareness creation is an essential prerequisite for an informed debate on issues of vital importance to Pakistan and also for the region,” said Ambassador Iqbal Ahmad Khan.
“This series of workshops answered one of our small grant goals: to increase public dialogue on social issues. Taking on hard topics -- terrorism, allocation of natural resources, and women empowerment, among others -- LUMUN used the grant to create a forum for constructive exchange on issues relevant to Pakistan. It was wonderful to see participants challenging the experts and applying critical analysis to accepted norms,” said
Ms. Kathryn Kiser.
