Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Global Shaper Community—an initiative of the World Economic Forum—plays an important role in bringing about a positive change in the world, particularly with respect to societal issues. The Islamabad Hub of the Global Shapers community is currently active in various initiatives, their focus being the education of youth regarding various aspects of life that affect their growth and well-being. The Global Shapers are reaching out to the social sector, trying to enlist the help of as many organizations as possible for successful outcomes.

Working on the Deaf Deck project are Kashaf Alvi and Mikaal Aziz, the intent of their plan being the education and increased awareness of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community of Islamabad. Thus far, the two Global Shapers have conducted multiple training sessions on awareness regarding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the practical use of Information Technology IT, e-Commerce & Digital Marketing, online skill-building and earning, and trust & tolerance. This way they have been able to aware Islamabad’s deaf community about their rights and have sown a seed of hope and willingness to step into the ecommerce industry.

The Global Shapers Islamabad hub also collaborated with Moawin Foundation—an NGO focused on educating less fortunate citizens of Pakistan. Global Shapers Kashaf Imran and Jawad Amin conducted a comprehensive career counseling session for XI and XII year students at Islamabad Model College for Girls in Punjgran. The focus of this session was the importance of underrated disciplines in our society—including development Studies, public health, and related aspects.

The Global Shapers Islamabad community has also formed the “Global Shapers Well-being Squad”, led by Rania Rajput and Khizar Sajjad. It aims to promote Mental Health awareness amongst the youth. The mental health initiative includes collaborating with the local mental health community and wellness groups to conduct sessions that bring about prompt change. These sessions are currently targeting orphaned adolescent children for awareness regarding positive mental health, designed with interventions and activities tailored to the needs of children. Although the Global Shapers Well-being Squad is currently exclusively operating in Islamabad, it is determinedly driven to broaden its working sphere by organizing sessions all across the country.

Another notable initiative, led by Global Shaper Fatima Asghar, is spreading awareness and education about the sexual abuse of children. The initiative is a necessary one, given the rampant sexual abuse of primary and middle school children. Given the taboo nature of the subject, the Global Shapers Community is enlisting the help of certified mental health experts who have experience working with the youth to educate primary and middle school children about consent and their bodies so that they can better protect themselves and be protected against predators.