SPADO Youth for Peace  

Youth for Peace is an initiative of SPADO for a non violent and peaceful world. SPADO is inviting youth to involve them in its peace related activities. SPADO youth will participate in awareness activities like seminars, conferences, sports events, exhibition and workshops. The main objective of involving youth in the campaign is to prepare young individuals to play a leadership role in future and to keep them abreast of the global peace and security situations. From the platform of SPADO youth, the members will not only interact with friends at local and national level but at the same time they will share information with the youth of other countries and cultures. The overall vision of the initiative is to strive for a non-violent and peaceful society through the active and practical participation of youth. 

”According to Jody Williams the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Co-laureate “All too often adults refer to young people as the “leaders of tomorrow” from my experience with amazing kids all over the world, many of them are not waiting for “tomorrow” they are already leaders today. And we have the great fortune to have many of these young leaders involved in the global efforts to eradicate landmines. It is both a joy and a privilege to know and work with many of them.”

Aims and Objectives:

• Strive for a non violent and peaceful society through the active practical participation of youth
• Prepare young individuals to play a leadership role in future and to keep them abreast of the global peace and security situations.
• To bring young people of different countries into meaningful contact with each other
• To permit the sharing of ideas and cultural view points
• To promote international understanding and goodwill, and to work toward the goals of a peaceful world and human understanding
• To develop leadership potential in outstanding youth

To achieve these aims and to give a practical shape to its activities, SPADO Youth visit different Universities and colleges in Pakistan .

The activities of SPADO youth include :

• Memberships and Networking
• Establishment of Peace Forums
• Youth for Peace Website and Discussion Forums
• Active Participation in SPADO awareness and Lobbying Activities related to peace, landmines and small arms
• Sports Events, Art Competitions and Moral Dramas
• Social Gatherings, Youth Seminars in Colleges and Universities
• Awareness Workshops
• Interaction with Media
• Exhibitions
• Community Gatherings

Benefits to youth:

• Sharing of knowledge and ideas
• Mutual understandings with diverse cultures
• Encouragement
• Positive personal development for future life
• Possession of leadership qualities
• Involvement in positive activities that ultimately help in preventing youth from negative activities

 Achievements of "Youth for Peace" :

 Youth for Peace had organized activities including Seminars, Workshops, sports events , religious scholars workshops, landmine Poster competition, Media Orientation sessions and press conferences related to Peace, Landmines and Small Arms issues in Pakistan. Youth for Peace had also organized the awareness and networking activities and have got the membership of thousands of youth throughout Pakistan.

International Participation :

 SPADO Youth has actively participated in the Youth Leadership and Training Workshops in Sri Lanka and International Youth Symposium in 2005 in Croatia .

Youth for Peace and Earthquake in Pakistan :

 Youth for Peace were actively involved in providing relief services to the earthquake affected areas of Kashmir and Noth West Fronties Province of Pakistan.

SPADO Youth visited various locations in Kashmir , Battgram, Shangla and Balakot to access the situation and after consultations with the local communities provided the most needed relief goods. "Youth for Peace” which has thousands of volunteers around the country played a remarkable role to distribute the relief goods directly to the local communities in earthquake effected areas.

SPADO Youth distributed tents and blankets to those who are compelled to spend their lives under open sky in cold weather.

 

Youth for Peace and the International Human Rights Day :

Youth for Peace Pakistan was as active on Human Rights Day as it is on any occasion. Our Volunteers took special interest in this special day and arranged a “ Flowers Display Exhibition” in collaboration with Islamia College Peshawar, NWFP. The Exhibition started at about 10:00 AM and then ended in the evening. Many people participated in the event and showed their solidarity and committment to work in collboration with SPADO. Our volunteers were standing at the reception for welcoming the honorable guests and distribution of “SPADO Youth for Peace”

membership brochures. It was a very nice and pleasant event, the people took interest in the Human Rights Day and also we highlighted the issue of landmines and specially survivors rights. The youth took keen interest in the SPADO Youth for Peace activities and promised us for future assistance. At the end of the event all the people become silent for “1 Minute” to show courtesy for the rights of the human beings in general and for the rights of the survivors in particular. After that SPADO youth thanked all the guests for their participation and interest in the event and highlighted the “Human Rights Day” and the Issue of Landmines and rights of survivors by speaking publicly.

 

 

Memberships and Networking :

SPADO youth is regulary visiting various education inistitution to get memberships and network with institutions and individuals. The youth also arrange awareness activities and membeship stalls in such institutions to make the youth aware of SPADO goal and objectives:

Visit to Lahore

SPADO Youth visited Lahore to attend the 2nd Pakistan social forum. SPADO Youth interacted with youth from different cities and shared ideas and experiences with them. Many organizations signed SPADO organizational membership form like CPD (Centre for Peace and Development) Quetta , PSWS (Pak Social Welfare Society) Hyderabad , Hassan Saeed Welfare Trust Karachi, Al Rakshi Foundation Karachi, Pakistan Youth Sports Welfare Association Karachi and Catholic Diocesan Youth Commission Faisalabad. SPADO Youth also visited many colleges and universities such as Ali Institute of Education, Iqra University , Punjab University , College of Arts and Design, and National College of Arts (NCA). SPADO Youth displayed brochures, membership forms, landmines victims stories, Landmine Monitor Report, A book on Landmines and Islamic Teachings etc. After the forum SPADO Youth attended a rally which was organized by World Social Forum.

 

 

 

Developed By: Qasim Ali