SAPM Youth Affairs and Lead Kamyab Jawan, Usman Dar, initiated a youth dialogue series where he met with digital and electronic content creators and online community managers in Lahore. This will be the first of such engagements targeting different communities across Pakistan to discuss their expectations and way forward.
Usman Dar shared the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan in making this program an anchor of hope for the youth of Pakistan. He shared how PKR 100 billion have been allocated for the business loans program (Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme), out of which PKR 25 billion have been reserved for women only.
He also shared that PKR 10 billion have been set aside for the Skills Scholarship Program (Hunarmand Pakistan) where trainings on more than 21 skills are currently being provided through partner universities across Pakistan.
He reiterated the importance of digital media in today’s time and how content creators can encourage the able minds to invest in themselves either by applying for a business loan or skills training. He also shared that there will not be an age cap on the Tier 1 PKR 500,000 loan that will be approved in the coming days.
The meetup was attended by guests, both in-person and online. Renowned travel bloggers Rosie Gabrielle and Adeel Amer were present at the event where they shared their observations on how tourism, sports, entrepreneurship, and education are gap areas for youth across the country.
Ayesha Nasir, who runs one of the biggest and fast growing communities on Facebook called ‘Scaryammi’, brought forth her suggestions in facilitating the female-led initiatives through this program. Bilal Mumtaz, Founder of Sehat.com.pk, shared the increasing trend of modern technology like AI in start-ups.
Faizan Ahmad, Author of Lahore by Metro, was also at the meetup where he too expressed his support for the business loan program that can help projects like his that are aimed to project Pakistan in a positive light. Sophiya Anjam, RJ FM91 also joined online where she suggested a mentorship program for those who want to create meaningful content and start a productive discourse through media.
Bakhtawar Mahmood from ProPakistani.pk candidly shared her feedback and applauded the Skills Scholarship Program and suggested an employment system for the graduates. Ahwaz Siddiqi from Parhlo.com also added to the discussion on expanding the list of high-tech skills courses to compete with the global market.
Industry leaders also graced the event where they shared their expert opinion on the discussion. Dr. Amjad Saqib (Chairman Akhuwat), Faisal Sherjan (Strategy Advisor COLABS & Advisor to the SAPM on Youth Affairs), and Nabeel Qadeer (Coach, Consultant, Content Producer) advised from their experiences in the microfinance and entrepreneurship sectors as to how the program can evolve to benefit a larger target group.
The salient takeaways of the meeting were that the Kamyab Jawan portal will be made accessible to the public in the coming week, where all progress can be tracked with full transparency. A helpline to guide and facilitate the applicants along with a focus on women-led initiatives was agreed upon.
Lead Kamyab Jawan, Usman Dar, expressed his gratitude for everyone’s time and reassured them that the mandate of the program is to provide opportunities for employment, education, and engagement to the able young minds of Pakistan.
“I am confident that with our business loan and skills programs, we will be able to turn our young people into independent citizens who can contribute to the social and economic growth of Pakistan,” said Usman Dar, Lead Kamyab Jawan.
Meetups with people from different industries, professions, and backgrounds are now being turned into a regular feature with a bi-weekly webinar series, ‘Online with Kamyab Jawan’. In this webinar series, Mr. Usman Dar will speak directly to the youth to listen to their pain points, challenges, and how Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of fully empowered, skilled agents of change can drive Pakistan forward into the comity of developed nations.
Those who want to be a part of the online focus group are encouraged to fill out this form. The shortlisted attendees will be reached out by the Kamyab Jawan team with the link to the online meet-up.