Ministry of Youth Affairs

Definition of Youth
In Pakistan, Youth is defined as the population in the age group of 15 to 29 Years. The period of life which youth represents is most productive and useful by virtue of the hopeful energies they are endowed with by nature. The young people aspire for full participation in the life of a society. If appropriate opportunities are made available to put their natural gift to creative, productive and useful channels, Pakistani Youth is indeed capable of working miracles. In Pakistan, the youth population is at present more than forty million, which is about one forth of our total population.

Introduction of the Ministry

Ministry of Youth Affairs is headed by Mr. Shahid Hussain Bhutto (Federal Minister) and Mr. Iqbal Ahmed (Secretary), the ministry is responsible for providing youth an official platform to express their feelings and it has been working for the developmental and welfare plans for the youth of Pakistan. The Ministry believes in taking advantage of the growing and productive energies of youth for the betterment of the country a youth comprises the 27% of the total population. The aim of the Ministry is to guide and channelize the youth talents and potential towards positive activities by providing technical and social training The Ministry believes that Youth is the most enthusiastic, vibrant and zealous segment of any society which play a significant role in its development and progress. It is the energetic young generation that can serve as the agent of change in a society and bring far-reaching revolutions in a country. It is the youth's insight and ability that can carve out a successful future for the country. Therefore, a great deal of emphasis should be laid on creating possibilities and opportunities for the youth to develop and rise. Pakistani Youth, a multi-edged prism reflecting a spectrum of the youth's needs and aspirations, is also aimed at tapping the unexposed talents and the hidden creativities of the young and channeling them into something worthy. Considering youth as a symbol of the state carved from the elements of optimism, truthfulness, honesty, passion and undying devotion, Pakistani Youth aims to provide inspiration and motivation to them in every doable way. Considering the importance of youth of the nation the government decided to create a ministry of youth affairs that aims at proving youth with a corridor to move ahead on the path of success. Ministry of Youth, Pakistan believes that it is necessary to provide means and environments in which this invaluable human resource attains the optimal growth potential, equipped with the requisite character strength and motivation to participate in the main stream of the practical life.

The Major Objectives of the Ministry involves To give recognition to the Youth of the Country Provide them with the opportunity to distinguish their outstanding work from other To provide Youth with the incentive to achieve excellence in various fields To improve educational and technical skills of Youth and to encourage them in creative activities To encourage the Youth personality development through positive social attitudes and values. To provide the Youth with the platform where they can express their feelings It also helps to channelize the youth talent and potential towards positive activities by providing technical and social training. It aims to enhance the growing and productive energies of youth for the betterment of the country To recognize the achievements of the young people in their lives and of volunteers working for the welfare and development of the youth The objective of the Ministry is to create an environment for Youth to enjoy creative and happy lives. The main responsibility of the Ministry of Youth Affairs is to deal with Policy and legislation on all aspects of youth affairs, inter-provincial coordination, youth activities, youth exchange programmes and non-governmental organization dealing with youth

Formation
Youth Affairs Division was established on June 12, 1989. As an economy measure it was merged with Ministry of Women Development on October 09, 1993. It was again made a separate Division on August 18, 1996 and was again merged with Ministry of Culture on November 19, 1996 as a Wing. The Government again raised the status of the Youth Affairs Wing to a full-fledged Ministry on 18-11-2005 under the charge of Federal Minister and Minister of State (MOS) for Youth Affairs. Currently there is one Sr. Joint Secretary, two Deputy Secretaries and Five Section Officers on sanctioned strength of the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The Federal cabinet in January 2009 approved the National Youth Policy which mandates the Youth Ministry to facilitate the stake holders on all aspects of youth related Activities. The Ministry is Supporting National and International Youth exchange Program, See Pakistan Visits/Tours, Youth Essay Writing Competition, National Youth Award, Holding Youth Conventions, Establishing Youth Development and Activity Centers and other activities including Computer Literacy etc.

Structure of the Ministry

The Ministry of Youth Affairs is headed by a Federal Minister (Mr. Shahid Hussain Bhutto) and Mr. Iqbal Ahmed (Secretary). Then there are minister at provincial level. These ministers are followed by secretary. The hierarchal structure of Ministry of Youth Affairs is as follows:

Minister (Federal Level)

Secretary

Minister (Provincial Level)

Secretary

Directorate Secretariat (Youth Affairs)

Additional Secretariat

Director Youth Affairs

Deputy Secretary (Sports/ Admin)

Deputy Secretary (Youth Affairs)

Assistant Director

Assistant Director

Section Officer

Section Officer

Section Officer

Section Officer

Departments
The ministry works for the welfare and development of youth of Pakistan. For this they have many departments which perform specialized activities National Internship Department National Internship Program is designed to benefit young unemployed and underemployed postgraduates all over the country, who have completed sixteen years of education from recognized universities or degree awarding institutions including external candidates. The Program has proved advantageous to the government organizations facing shortage of literate workforce in various cadres. Ministry of Youth Affairs has been striving to implement the National Internship Program (NIP) efficiently and effectively

International Youth Exchange Department

International Youth Exchange Department is one of the components of the mininstry of the Government of Pakistan, which provides an opportunity to youth to see land, culture, and economic development and also to exchange ideas of mutual interest with each other during exchange of youth delegations. Pakistan is committed to active participation in the youth activities to create understanding among youth of friendly countries. In order to achieve the above objectives, youth delegation are exchanged either under Bilateral Cultural Exchange Program signed with various friendly countries or under special invitations received from different countries. Pakistan youth delegations recently have paid visits to India Malaysia Trinidad & Tobago, Kazakhstan, South Korea ,UK and USA.

Mobile Computer Literacy Control Department

Ministry of Youth Affairs has started basic computer literacy and awareness programme for the youth of rural areas through computer van donated by Common Wealth Youth Programme. In order to run this van the Ministry prepared a PC-I for appointment of required staff and also provision of computers to those areas where basic computer training was provided

See Pakistan Youth Department

In order to promote national integration and provide an opportunity to youth of the country to share their experiences see beautiful land, historical places and culture of other parts of the country, the Ministry has made this department

National Volunteer Department

This Department Aims at the importance of national volunteer service in the country.NVM & HEC had launched a campaign jointly for promoting volunteerism in the universities all over the country.

National Volunteer Movement in collaboration with Higher Education Commission, are launching a campaign for promoting volunteerism among the youth in the universities, throughout the country. Under this department, this campaign aims to create awareness among the youth especially the students about the volunteerism as 70% population of the country is comprised of youth, which is the highest ratio of youth in the world. Campaign will include seminars, conferences, training workshops, registration of volunteers and other activities. In this regard, HEC will nominate a focal person to deal with such activities and liaison with NVM. In a country like Pakistan, which is a developing country there is ample need of promoting volunteerism among the youth for progress and development

Ministry Working and Activities

The ministry works for the welfare and development of youth of Pakistan. For this they have established some of the programs which are

National Internship Program

The National Internship Program (NIP) is a revolutionary step designed for the benefit of young unemployed post-graduates all over the country. The scheme is intended to provide an opportunity of on the job experience to young fresh post-graduates and to keep them engaged and interested in acquiring additional knowledge. Beside providing relief to young degree holders, the programme is also advantageous to government organizations suffering from shortage of manpower from time to time. The ultimate objective, of course, has been to facilitate their employability in the country.

Eligibility The programme is designed for: Fresh Pakistani unemployed post-graduates and graduates in all fields of studies who have completed 16 years of formal education from Universities & Degree Awarding Institutions recognized by HEC including external candidates. Candidates must be 25 or less of age.

Program Design

Main features of the program are as follows:o The interns will be working on various assignments in the Federal, Provincial and District Government Organizations conveniently located near their home town. o The interns are required to join the program on full time basis and follow prescribed rules and regulations of the concerned organizations including observance of office working time and confidentiality requirements, etc.

o Duration

The organizations are expected to make every effort to maintain highest standard with regard to mentoring, supervision and training of interns.

Duration of internship is one year. The internees will however, be at liberty to leave the program at any stage on 15 days advance notice. However, such internees will not be entitled for internship completion certificate nor will they have any right to receive monthly stipend for the remaining period.

Essay Writing Competition

The Ministry has started National Youth Essay Writing Competition Scheme from 2008. The main objective of the scheme is to promote reading and writing habits among our young generation to provide them an opportunity to express their view on problems and suggest solutions on different topics and also to encourage the talented youth through cash award. For the year 2008, essays were invited in Urdu and English languages through press advertisement. In response 624 applications were received which were examined by a panel of experts and 13 best essays were given 1st prize of Rs. 20,000/-, 2nd prize of Rs.15,000/- and 3rd prize of Rs. 10,000/- on writing Essays on the following topics:i) ii) iii) iv) Plan of Action to curb the use of Tobacco in Children and Youth. Youth Crime, Causes and Remedies. Role of Youth in the Promotion of Civic Spirit and Courtesies. Causes of unemployment in the Rural Areas and its Solutions.

The award distribution ceremony was held in Islamabad 30-12-2008. The honorable Minister for Youth Affairs was the chief guest.

Mobile Computer Literacy Program

Information Communications Technology has been recognized as important tool for human resource development especially the young lot of the country. Computer education has revolutionized our lives as it greatly helped in enhancing efficiency, productivity and quality. Realizing the importance of imparting ICT exposure training to rural and slump devilling young people who are otherwise deprived from such opportunities, this Ministry has started a programme for imparting I.T training to youth especially the rural youth through a mobile computer van. The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) has donated the computer van fitted with ultra modern computer systems, necessary equipments etc.

In order to run this programme the Ministry has developed a project for appointment of staff and bear the running and maintenance cost of the van and also provision of computers where the training is provided. During the year 2008-09, 85 youth of union council Kaliar, district Jhang and Potha Sharif Murree, were provided this training. 6 computers were also provided to the youth of Govt. High School, Potha Sharif, Murree.

Youth Activities Centre

Ministry of Youth affairs constructed various activities centre. Construction of Youth activities centre is to provide Sports, indoor games, social and re-creational facilities along-with vocational training to youth in the less developed districts as recommended by National Assembly Standing Committee. In order to provide a place for youth related activities, 100 youth activity centres in 50 districts would be developed in the country, by providing basic facilities, especially in the rural areas

See Pakistan Youth Camps

See Pakistan National Youth Camp is a regular programme which the Ministry organizes every year (male & female), to achieve the following objectives:o To explore the magnificence of Pakistan from Sea-shore to the Mountains and vice versa. o Promotion of National Integration and to bridge cultural and linguistic differences by providing an environment in which youth could interact and work together with their counterparts in other provinces. o To promote knowledge about land and people of Pakistan. All expenditure of the programme including return coach/rail fare, D.A. stays and meal charges etc., is borne by the Ministry.

Youth Conventions
National Youth Conventions will be organized at Provincial Headquarters on rotation. The objective of holding these conventions is to promote national integration and creating harmony among the young generation.

Youth Awareness Program

In order to empower youth and create awareness amongst youth on different issues, awareness programme through media, conventions, walks, training, seminars, and symposiums etc. would be organized at District, Provincial and National levels. Main thrust of the programme would be campaigns on community youth awareness to promote healthy life style, anti-smoking abuse, literacy drive and health initiatives for youth.

Youth Awards
The objective of this program is to recognize the achievements of the young people in their lives and to volunteers working for the welfare and development of the youth. Types of Awards: National Youth Award: Award for youth who excel in the different fields. Jinnah Youth Award: Award for the volunteers/organizations for their outstanding achievements in the field of youth welfare and development.

Eligibility: Age limit for National Youth Award: Any Pakistani citizen of age 15-29 years Age limit for Jinnah Youth Award: no age limit

International Youth Exchange Program

International Youth Exchange Programme is one of the components of the policy of the Government of Pakistan, which provides an opportunity to youth to see land, culture, and economic development and also to exchange ideas of mutual interest with each other during exchange of youth delegations. Pakistan is committed to active participation in the youth activities to create understanding among youth of friendly countries. In order to achieve the above objectives, youth delegations are exchanged:a. Either under Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes signed with various friendly countries. b. Under special invitations received from different countries for participation in workshops/camps abroad. Details of outgoing and incoming delegations during the period July 2008- June 2009 is as under:Details of Out Going Pakistan Youth delegations:

1. Pakistan Youth Delegation to China- 2008 The Chinese President during his visit to Pakistan in November 2006 had announced to invite 500 Pakistani Youth (100 each year), over the next five years. The then President of Pakistan, reciprocated by extending a similar invitation to the Chinese youth. Under this agreement 2nd batch of Pakistan Youth Delegation visited China in 2008.

2. SAARC Youth Camp Sri Lanka 2008 Pakistan being an active member of SAARC participates in all the forums, Seminars and Camps organized for Youth. SAARC Youth Camp is also one of the annual features of Youth related the activities of SAARC. 3. Youth Camp Korea- 2008 The International Youth Camps are organized in different countries of the world and Government of Pakistan actively participates in all such camps. International Youth Camp is annually held in July and August at Korea. 4. Commonwealth Workshop (India)- 2008 Commonwealth Youth Programme holds regularly Workshops, Seminars and other such events and being a member the Government of Pakistan participates in all the activities of Commonwealth Youth Programme. 5. Pakistan Youth Delegation to Korea- 2008 Pakistan exchange Youth delegations under Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) with different countries. CEP with Korea was signed in 2005 and since then every year a ten member Pakistan Youth Delegation visits Korea. 6. Pakistan Youth Delegation to China- 2008 Pakistan Youth Delegation visited China in 2009 under youth exchange programme announced by the President of Peoples Republic of China. 7. Pakistan Youth Delegation to Malaysia- 2009 The Government of Malaysia has organized a Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme- Youth Development Initiative, in which they invited Youth of different countries for training. Pakistan was also invited for participation.

National Volunteer Movement

National Volunteer Movement is an autonomous organization under MiniFcoFfstry of Youth Affairs. NVM was established with objective of providing a platform to citizens of Pakistan for participation in community based development/welfare and emergency management. Functions of the Organization Functions of the organization are as follows: To inculcate and imbibe the virtues of volunteerism among the youth of Pakistan; To formulate policies and evolve strategies for the promotion of voluntary services in the country. To mobilize young person desirous of rendering voluntary services for social work, community development and emergency management. To maintain a national register of volunteers classified by regions, education, skills, age, languages and other useful classification and ensure its wide publicity. To train and educate prospective volunteers through short and long term training programs to acquire useful expertise in rendering voluntary services in different fields. To organize seminars, workshops and other forums for educating and inspiring countrys youth for voluntary services. To deploy volunteers in coordination with other government agencies including armed forces, wherever the services of volunteers are required. To cooperate and collaborate with international agencies, NGOs and other private sector bodies engaged in social sector services, community development and youth affairs. To appoint such persons as may be needed to perform the functions of the Organization. To raise resources, from government and other sources, for the working of the Organization. To incur expenditures in connection with the working of the Organization. To buy, sell, purchase, dispose off equipments and properties required in connection with the working of the organization. To award certificates of merit, recognition, excellence and other distinctions to those who render invaluable voluntary services. To recommend to the federal government for award of national honors for those volunteers who render exceptional voluntary services. To do any other function in pursuance of building a popular and strong culture of volunteerism in Pakistan.

Youth Entrepreneurial Program

Shell partners with Ministry of Youth Affairs to promote entrepreneurship. In an effort to develop young entrepreneurs in Pakistan, Shell Pakistan Limited has partnered with the Ministry of Youth Affairs to run a series of workshops for university students at Jinnah University for

Women. The session was called Bright Ideas and involved more than 30 participants eager to learn all it takes to become a self-made business leader.This collaboration with Shell will help our youth realize their potential as independent business managers said Saleem Ahmad Siddiqui, Deputy Secretary, Youth Affair Department. The Bright Ideas workshop educates students in methods to develop their business ideas from a conceptual stage through to implementation. The session involved students working together in small focus groups to bringing their unique value to the exercise and each entrepreneur explored their business potential through group learning activities.

In addition Ministry of Youth Affairs has made some agreements or made them partner in the welfare and development of the Youth of the country. These organizations include 1. Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund PPAF and MoYA agreed to jointly work on youth development and poverty alleviation projects. Youth Activity Centers would be established in big cities. 2. British Counsil British Council and MoYA entered into a long term partnership, agreement. 3. International Labour Organization ILO agreed to support MoYA in Youth Development Projects by providing US $ 10 million. 4. United Nations Funds For Population Advancement MoYA and UNFPA agreed to work jointly on initiatives for youth empowerment. 5. Rural Support Program Network RSPN and MoYA agreed to promote youth activities at the grass root levels. 6. Intel Pakistan INTEL (Pakistan) and MoYA agreed to launch Computer Literacy Programs for the youth. 7. Dhaka Ahsania Mission MoYA approves young women Computer Literacy Program undertaken by DAMP. 8. World Population Fund WPF and MoYA agreed to move on adolescent and youth development Programs.

Important Policies of Ministry

National Youth Policy has been approved by the Cabinet and a Steering Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Federal Minister for Youth Affairs, Minister for Education, Minister for Industries & Production, Minister for Labour & Manpower, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Sector and Chairman NAVTEC as its members to develop an action plan along-with implementation mechanism and subsequently oversee/ coordinate its implementation. The main principles of the National Youth Policy are:Reinforce sense of pride, awareness and motivation. Promote National integration. Enabling prospects of income generation for the youth (harnessing the youth dividend). Address issues of marginalized and vulnerable groups of youth. Support character building. Promotion of sports and recreation. Academic and intellectual development. Youth health. Social volunteerism Incentives for talented and high performing youth. Youth marriage, family and life skills. Youth mentoring. Special youth Balancing the gender imbalance. Youth in prison.

The thrust of the National Youth Policy is to inculcate a sense of pride of being Pakistanis, good citizenship, interregional harmony, building well rounded personalities and to prepare the youth for income generation in their practical life. The Principles of National Youth Policy are: 1. Reinforce sense of Pride, Awareness and Motivation. Reinforce the sense of pride by creating awareness about our history, heritage and achievements. To expose youth to works and examples of high achievers in the world in various walks of life and to instill a passion to excel and achieve excellence. Develop amongst the youth an international outlook, a desire to compete, an insight into other cultures and desire to learn lessons from achievements and errors of others.

2. Promote National Integration Promote:

i. National integration and harmony, ii. Mutual friendship, iii. Tolerance, understanding and values. iv. Social interactions. 3. Enabling Prospects of Income Generation for the Youth. Consistent with the policies of the Government for rapid economic growth which will create opportunities of income generation for Pakistani Youth, following specific measures be taken: (a) Skill Development Undertake target oriented programmes for development of new and enhancement of existing skill to cater for the need of the youth in the specific area/regions (e.g. coastal, agriculture, industrial, urban, rural areas etc.). These programmes will also envisage training for foreign job markets where Pakistani youth can find jobs. (b) Entrepreneurships Assist and support the youth in establishing self-employment businesses and start up of new companies/ventures. (c) Micro Finance Provide financial resources for small scale income generation ventures. (d) Internship and Job Counseling Enhance internship programmes and provide job counseling in collaboration with corporate sector and universities etc. 4. Address Issues of Marginalized and Vulnerable Groups of Youth Eradicate disparities related to access to social and economic opportunities and resources for youth development by adopting rights base approaches. 5. Support Character Building It Inspire the youth with: Islamic values, ii. Ideology of Pakistan, aspiration for Pakistan, iii. Sense of good citizenship, high standards of morality, iv. Discipline, v. Respect for basic human values, laws and religions. vi. Educate, motivate and guide against extremism, terrorism, antistate and inhuman activities.

6. Promotion of Sports and Recreation: Patronize sports and recreation activities, sports competition, expansion of sports facilities at all administrative levels on sustainable basis with special emphasis for young females. 7. Academic and Intellectual Development. (a) Take steps to promote scholarship, enhance availability and access to academic material, participation in conferences and undertake talent forming programmes.

(b) Special emphasis be given to mainstreaming of youth studying in Madrassas. (c) Youth will be given representations in Think Tanks, policy formation and implementation fora. 8.Youth Health It create awareness about responsible and safe behaviour, provide youth friendly and health care counseling and guidance facilities. 9.Social Volunteerism Youth will be encouraged to undertake voluntary social service. 10.Incentives for Talented and High Performing Youth Talented and high performing youth will be given recognition reward and incentive at the national level. Efforts be made to motivate and attract them towards service for the nation. 11.Youth Marriage, Family and Life Skills Facilitating the youth (above 18 years) in the formation and planning of a healthy family on a sustainable basis. 12.Youth Mentoring Supporting and guiding the youth in identifying their potentials, overcoming their failures, adopting the traits of good citizens and boosting their morale for high achievements in life. 13.Special Youth Special consideration will be given to promote the participation of special and handicapped youth in all activities. 14. Balancing the Gender Imbalance Work towards gender equity and provide greater opportunities and decent environment for the female youth to play their role in socio-economic development of the country.
15. Youth in Prison

Special Programme for rehabilitation, mentoring, training and education and incentives for youth in prison will be evolved so that their time in the prison is utilized to become good citizens capable of integrating in social economic activities

Finding, Conclusion & Suggestion