Education Youth Ambassadors Programme Launched in Islamabad
by: Qamar Abbas
September 23, 2014
Idara-e-Taleem o Aagahi (ITA) in collaboration with A World at School (AWAS) and Open Society Foundation (OSF) is extremely pleased to launch the Education Youth Ambassadors (EYA) Program in Pakistan. The EYA program aims to build on and strengthen the emerging youth movement for global education. It forms a network of young people campaigning in their schools and communities in Pakistan for action to get all children into school and learning. Currently, nearly 50 ambassadors have been selected in Pakistan by the A World at School team as Global Youth Ambassadors. ITA has been delegated to extend this mission and form the Pakistan Chapter of Education Youth Ambassadors. 500 EYAs will be short listed from all across Pakistan to advocate for Education for All. The current ambassadors will have the option to affiliate with ITA and its activities for the youth. The Education Youth Ambassadors will be expected to:
- Mobilize and organize other young people to stand up for education- engage in education activism and transformation at local, provincial and national levels- evidence backed activism is highly desirable illustrating concrete change
- Make their voices heard in their communities by organizing events, participating in campaigns, writing letters to the editor, running petition drives and taking part in other campaign activities.
- Make their voices heard globally by writing blogs and news stories and sharing photographs and videos from events and projects for the global A World at School website and social media channels (which reach 50,000 to 100,000 people each week!).
- Organize local/national education advocacy-related events and campaigns with their organizations and schools and/or in partnership with other Education Youth Ambassadors.
- When possible, organize a coalition of like-minded youth groups for education.
- Engage with their local stakeholders to achieve better results for education in their countries and communities — in the policy, budget and other related processes.
This Launch was attended by renowned education advocates, civil society representatives, media and members of the parliament. Mr. Mosharraf Zaidi, campaign director of Alif Ailaan, supported the campaign and said that this small initiative can bring about a long term change in the education sector. He stressed on the education emergency Pakistan was facing and the expectations from the youth to deliver. Mr. Uzair Khan, Member of National Assembly, executive committee member of the Young Parliamentarian’s Forum (YPF) and also on the advisory board of the Planning Commission of Pakistanalso a member of the Youth Parliamentary Forum, officially launched the program in Pakistan in alignment with the rally in New York title #Up for School. He recognized this prestigious day as a moment of pride for Pakistan, to emphasize the importance of youth in helping leaders attain attention for the education emergency.
Simultaneously in New York Youth leaders from more than 85 countries including Pakistan held a rally to launch the #UpForSchool movement and petition. The rally was attended by United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, Graça Machel, Isha Sesay (CNN), Peter Vesterbacka (Angry Birds), Ricken Patel (Avaaz), Baela Raza Jamil (Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, ITA), Hadiza Bela Usman (#BringBackOurGirls) and Ahmad Alhendawi (United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth). This drive signified the drive to action over the next 500 days where young leaders are launching a global call to action – the #UpForSchool petition – to demonstrate the unprecedented public support for education. The petition is backed by a coalition of more than 100 businesses, faith leaders, NGOs, teachers and influential individuals.
Both these significant launches are geared to steer the attention of world leaders from more than 85 countries over the stalled progress on education. The EYA Program will cater to a pool of diverse youth standing as exemplary citizens of the community and formally taking the call to action forward until all of Pakistan’s Children are in school.
