The Youth Camp 2021 was 6 days long camp based on the influential theme of “Youth Dialogue and Action for Inclusive Society” organized by THE NATIVES in collaboration with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, the Department of Social Anthropology with the support of the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other sponsors due to which the Youth Camp could end on a positive note with its goals achieved.

Major goal was to induct youth from across the country and provide platform for exchange of ideas and create a sense of inclusive society along with its significance Thus, the selection of participants was free of discrimination. 82 participants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Gilgit Baltistan and minorities warmly and charismatically participated and interacted at the camp which was seen as the first success of the event as an “Inclusive Camp”.

Partners of the Youth Camp 2021 and experts form variety of fields ensured positive and meaningful outcomes of the camp. In this regard, Directorate of Youth Affairs Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Peshawar, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rozan Pakistan, Dosti Welfare organization, Theater Wallay, FES consultants are credited.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE YOUTH CAMP 2021, DIALOGUE AND ACTION FOR INCLIVE SOCIETY

INCLUSIVE CAMP:
The event was based on conducting such a camp based on inclusion and free of discrimination where all ideas could be welcomed, keeping in view the importance of inclusive society.
MOTIVATE:
The camp aimed at motivating the youth of the beloved state to become an empowered and knowledgeable citizen.
INSPIRE:
Youth camp planned activities to inspire the participants to prosper with dignity and responsible attitude towards the society and humanity.
SENSE OF TOLERANCE:
Participants were allowed to express their views. while the listeners were guided to hear each other with respect in order to create the sense of tolerance among the youth.
PERSEVERANCE:
One of the goals of the event was to motivate its young participants to adhere to dedication and persistence despite the hurdles they might face.
CREATE AWARENESS:
The activities and session at the event had the vital objective of creating awareness among the youth regarding numerous aspects of inclusive society and the social hazards.
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT:
The camp aimed at indulging its participants in the activities to develop and enhance their skills and personality.

All of the participants were a part of the camp with the sense of responsibility towards the mother nature and their fellows from other provinces and minorities of the country. Also the purpose of the camp was to develop such a thinking among its members so that they could reflect their learning to the society in a positive manner.

SESSION ON NUTRITION SENSITIVE AGRICULTURE:

Ms. Shazia Hina was the keynote speaker from Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and represented the Nutrition in Mountain Agroecosystems (NMA) project. Helvetas was having two sessions in the Youth camp. The first session on nutrition sensitive agriculture was administered by Ms Shazia Hina during which she explained the meaning of these two broad terms and that how both rely on each other. The session took into account the deficiencies created due the malnutrition and the role that can be played to cope with the matter via effective agriculture. Facts and figures were put forward before the participants to enlighten them regarding the issue of acute and chronic malnutrition. As solutions, innovative ideas were discussed through which the youth can grow healthy food at smaller scale and educate their families in this behalf. Ms. Shazia Hina was assisted by Dr. Muhammad Asad Salim who also highlighted the significance of agriculture and inculcated the concepts of agriculture and agricultural matters in the minds of the young listeners who took great interest in understanding the knowledgeable facts.

SESSION ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
The second session for Helvetas Pakistan was conducted by Dr. Muhammad Asad Salim on Climate Change and its implication of agriculture. Climate change is contemporarily one of the most highlighted and discussed issue on the globe. It is a subject taken in to account by the larger organizations of the world like the United Nations, THE NATIVES and the reputable speaker played their part to encourage a friendly attitude towards the nature. The session conducted by Dr. Asad was successful in regard that it not only brought to the table the matters of global warming, deforestation, and pressure on forestry and agriculture sectors, but also the young participants were able to put forward their creative ideas and plans that could be adopted to mitigate the hazards of climate change. The participants enjoyed the session on climate change with a bonfire arrangement, which was yet another effective way of making the learning fruitful for the participants at the camp. Discussion on mother nature in the chilly weather and the bonfire enhanced the purpose and intention of the session.

The youths play a vital role in the constructive process of building social cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in a nation in an inclusive and democratic way. The involvement of youths in the nation building process is a must as they play one of the most important roles.