STAGS organises two-day youth conference: youth to play a vital role in social development

Our Youth is a very essential part of our society, they need proper attention for education, training and encouragement from teachers, parents towards their part in nation building. The views were expressed by the scholars and teachers in 2-day youth Conference organised by Sindh university Bureau of STAGS on its first day on Wednesday.
The conference as a part of co curricular activities of University calendar 2011, was organised in auditorium of the Institute of Art and Design which was attended by more than 100 male and female students nominated by all teaching institutes and departments. Large number University teachers including heads of various institutes and departments also attended the conference.
The scholars were of the view that our youth is highly sensitive, hardworking and also able to learn and added that with attention the youth could grew more to play its due part in the society development. They said that now day basic facilities for education to youth are available and there is need that youth should avail and use its abilities in positive manner for acquiring higher education.
The speaker underlines the importance of youth in every society and termed that youth is valued asset in community development process. The learned speaker Dr Anwar Ali Shah, Dean Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration while delivering his lecture on "capacity building is necessary for national development", said that good educational model is the need of the hour to ensure that students grow to contribute towards the economic growth of a nation.
He said that 21st century is about the management of all the knowledge and information which generated through research. He said that it is duty of teacher to equip with modern education to its students and also with skills that they can compete in world to cater the needs of computer technology age. Dr Abida Tahrani in her lecture said that according to Youth Development Report- 2007, 18 percent of the world's population comprises 'youth' between the ages of 15-24 years, that is an estimated 1.061 billion, the majority, that is 85 percent live in the developing world, whereas in Pakistan 'youth population' is 27 percent of the total population. She said that the report further indicates that the developing world's 1.3 billion young people are its next generation of economic and social actors.
She said that it is now believed that youth from historically marginalized groups in the developed and developing countries, including Pakistan, face a host of problems that threaten their well being now and in the future. These problems may include inadequate formal and informal education, disproportionate punishment by schools, poverty, family instability, and anti-social behaviour.
Dr Tahrani said that there is need of a new thinking about the ways in which 'youth' and 'parents' may be engaged in local reform, particularly education policy reform, with the help of community organisations. Community groups may advocate for and with youth in a variety of ways: through youth organising, parent organising, more traditional youth advocacy, and funding support.
These organisations are critical in promoting youth's healthy development the scholars said and added that they lobby to change policy and service delivery, connect diverse institutions that serve youth, push for more resources for youth, educate local officials about youth's needs, and empower parents and youth to become advocates in their own right. In other words, we will have to recognise 'youth' as assets in the community development process.