Pakistan Hosts the 2nd Annual South Asian Youth Conference: Mumkin Hai!

By: Summer Yasmin

It started at the fifth world congress in Turkey; a group of young people, of South Asian decent discovered the ties of shared culture and history, bonded over their mutual heritage and opened a dialogue that would ultimately lead to an international youth conference.

The South Asian Youth Conference (SAYC) was launched last year in Bangalore, India. It hosted youth from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan, all on one platform because they felt “there were several unresolved issues, incomplete conversations and possibilities of partnership.”

This year 120 delegates from these 8 nations will once again reconvene for the second annual SAYC conference. The venue of choice for this year’s conference is Islamabad, Pakistan, with the event set to launch on November 5^th.

Although youth conferences are hosted in many capacities, worldwide what makes SAYC distinctly different is the very countries it represents. These are young people, who are bringing nations together that have fought wars several times over. They have triumphed over pre-conceived notions, stereotypes, rivalries, hate, and painful histories in order to meet on common ground. When asked what the most important issue to be addressed at the conference would be, Farhad Ahmed Jarral (Assistant director and head of social media for SAYC2012) told us that “peace” is the first and foremost issue on their minds. “It is the theme of SAYC 2012, followed by education, information technology, social media activism and youth activism.”

Undoubtedly, youth are the tried and true catalysts to activate change in a region that has gone sluggish. From flower power to the Arab Spring, history is heavy with the foot prints of movements fueled by young people.

“Young activists from any part of the country are energetic and have positive approach toward issues. Youth have creativity, they are interactive, innovative and fearless”, says Farhad Jarral when asked about the relevance of youth upon global change.

But with change comes responsibility; a movement is only as good as its aftermath. Thus, the young people at SAYC are forward focused. SAYC 2012 organizers in Pakistan state that their goal is to take this year’s conference “to the next level”.  I pondered what this actually entailed; how would this “next level” be achieved? “We don’t believe in wasting time in conferences which in future will have zero results but we are expecting fruitful results which are meant as ‘The next level’ to us”, states Jarral.

It’s not just about dialogue but about fostering tangible change through projects and initiatives. Last year’s conference in India gave birth to projects such as the Asian Good News Channel and the Mangalore Youth leadership Conclave. SAYC’s action based change declaration globalized and was finally presented to the United Nations. This year SAYC2012  has already laid down the plans for future endeavors. “There are several organizations working at the South Asian level in different areas – we believe it’s time to start aligning their efforts and move towards the principle ‘Together We Are Stronger!’. Hence, this SAYC 2012 will witness the birth of the South Asian Youth Coalition – a group of youth organizations committed to building a stronger region.”

Ultimately, the point of SAYC is to bring together talented and focused individuals for an exchange that will equip them to go back and approach their Governments with a fresh agenda, one that speaks of peace, prosperity, mutual respect and regional unity, in order to turn surviving nations into thriving nations.

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