LEAD Programme for Youth Launched - Karachi

Karachi: Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari, Minister for Youth Affairs, Government of Sindh, launched a youth empowerment and development programme for youth which focuses on sports specifically. The programme has an outreach to 7,000 young people in Sindh.

The minister launched this programme titled – Inspiring Leadership, Empowerment and Development in Youth (iLEAD) at an event organised by Habib University Foundation (HUF) on Tuesday.

It is a public-private partnership programme between Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Sindh and Habib University Foundation (H.U.F.). The programme aims to facilitate leadership, personal development, and active citizenship in youth. It focuses on developing a National Sports Curriculum and supporting educational institutes in creating a facilitative institutional framework to implement a high quality sports education programme. The Foundation is developing partnerships with five colleges in Karachi and Hyderabad that will further partner with 25 schools within their districts and hold various sports events. Each college will also receive institutional and material subsidy for the repair and refurbishment of their indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

The Minister showed great appreciation for the programme and extended his utmost commitment to iLEAD. He greatly appreciated the efforts of the Department for Sports and Youth Affairs for initiating the programme and those of Habib University Foundation in implementing the programme. The Minister also recognised and appreciated the British Council Pakistan for encouraging sports education and for actively participating in the conceptualisation of the programme. He stated that iLEAD is designed not only to provide youth with a strong sports education, but also to develop within them values like discipline, responsibility, self confidence, sacrifice, and accountability. The launch ceremony was also attended by Rafia Haleem, Deputy Secretary, Department for Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Sindh.

Wasif Rizvi, Chief Executive Officer, Habib University Foundation gave a presentation at the event, which focused on developing the link between sports and a healthy society and the role of sports in educating, engaging, enthusing and empowering youth. Yasmeen Bano, Programme Manager iLEAD and Head of Center for Educational Research and Planning at Habib University Foundation, gave a snapshot of the Foundation at the ceremony, and then proceeded with a detailed presentation on iLEAD. She highlighted iLEAD's conceptual framework and major activities under the programme.

The event also saw the presence of some eminent sports personalities who participated in a vibrant panel discussion. The panel included Samiullah Khan (Hockey Olympian and Former Captain of Pakistan's Hockey Team), Shoaib Muhammed (Former Cricket Test Opener) and other dignitaries. The panel members related the role sports played in nurturing their personalities and emphasised the role it could play in empowering today's youth. The News