Another year, another Pakistan Day and another celebration happening. Yes, there truly is much to be happy about and celebrate — we are a free nation in a world full of terrible conflicts, doing reasonably well (considering the problems we face), and, frankly, just being alive and not facing anything that Palestinians have to.

I won’t be going into history lessons about what happened on this day in 1940, who said what, and what the freedom fighters did back in the day to finally get a new country. You all study this in school, and we all know it since talking about our glorious past, selfless heroes and their dashing deeds is all we do.

What we really need to do is talk about things as they are today and how we want Pakistan to be in the future. And most importantly, talk about taking ownership of the situation today to fix it in the future.

Most of us continuously grumble about the state of affair in the country, and the youth talk about the lack of opportunities and facilities for them. They find it easy to be critical of the systems in place and the people running those systems, just like the adults around them do. We all believe it is someone else’s duty to fix what is not working and solve all our problems.

While believing so isn’t wrong, since we (well, not all of us) pay our taxes that runs the government, and elect people who should be serving the country. We know this approach doesn’t work, so we need to change it. And this can be done by civil engagement, particularly by the youth, so that they actively participate in civic and community activities to change what they don’t like in society today and contribute to the kind of development they want to see in the country.

The youth today, from an early age, needs to become proactive by contributing first to doing their part in the everyday chores at home, performing responsibilities at school and eventually finding their roles as stakeholders and agents of social and political reform.

Since the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, it is important for kids to be given the learning opportunities and skills that will make them better prepared for a more socially and politically active role to play in the future. For what is known as ‘youth civic engagement’, there are many ways that children and youth can become aware of civic issues and political systems. Let us look at some of those ways.

Debates and discussions

There should be lots of opportunities for students to take part in discussions, debates, presentations and public speaking in school and colleges. At least once, every student should make sure to experience what it is like to face an audience. This develops confidence and improves their understanding of different issues that they debate upon. Youngsters should be encouraged to express their opinions as well as listen to others and respect a difference of opinion.

Imparting civic education

Civic education topics, such as types of political systems, human rights, the importance of voting and responsibilities of citizens, are fleetingly taught in school and that too in very boring ways. So understandably, few kids pay attention and so few know their rights and duties as citizens.

In order for youngsters to be more principled and democratically aware adults, they need to be educated about these matters in a more engaging and interesting manner.

Parents and families can also have positive discussions about current affairs and societal issues with children so that they are aware about the issues the country and society are facing. Adults often tend to underestimate kids by not discussing many things with them or bothering to ask youngsters for opinions, since they feel they are too immature to understand what is going on. But this concept is wrong since kids are very smart and have very clear opinions that are not influenced by external factors.

Student body elections

Students should actively take part in elections for class representatives and student council body. This is their first exposure to being part of the democratic process of running for an election, winning or facing defeat, and then fulfilling responsibilities of the position they have been elected for.

This experience will also bring out the motivation and passion in children to serve others, grooming them for future such roles.

Awareness and engagement activities

Extracurricular activities such as Model United Nations (MUN), community service projects, environments campaigns and so much more can be arranged for children and the youth to take part in. These activities foster confidence and sense of achievement, improving their organisational and social skills.

Workshops and speaking sessions

Schools should invite public figures, activists, industry experts and social workers to give speeches, conduct workshops and seminars, and hold question and answer sessions with students. Meeting such motivational public figures will leave an impact on students to follow their footsteps and make a positive difference in society.

Internships and volunteering

Volunteering for any initiative, even if it is something in the class or school, grooms a child to take on and fulfil responsibilities. Taking it further, parents and schools should encourage children to volunteer for social and civic causes, suitable to their age. Internships will help them in the same way.

This will also help children discover where their interest lies in terms of career choices, and also make them experience practical life to some extent.

Media literacy

Not everything that one reads online is true and not all that you hear on news channels is news. This is something that youngsters, as well as adults, need to understand.

It is important to teach youngsters to use their critical thinking to analyse and evaluate the information and news they get. Then note the different sources the news is being generated from to differentiate truth from propaganda. This is important in this age of misinformation, where everyone can post everything online. It is only after an understanding of this can people make informed decisions.

The youth today is far more empowered and informed than their predecessors since they are born in the age of information technology. They are better positioned to craft the kind of future they want for themselves, their country and the world at large. By becoming proactive, they can

be the change they want to see around them and become visionary leaders in the future.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 23rd, 2024