YLDP Launch: Pakistan’s Next Chapter in Youth Leadership Begins
January, 2026, With approximately 80 participants representing 40+ local stakeholders in the room, Society for Youth (SFY) formally launched the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP), a national initiative designed to prepare school-age youth for ethical, community-rooted leadership. The evening read less like a ceremony and more like a strategic briefing: a cross-sector group of educators, public officials, and development leaders took the stage to locate YLDP within Pakistan’s current needs and to signal why this model matters now.
What Happened: Voices that Framed the Moment
Mr. Hafiz Zubair Ahmad, Chief Guest and Principal Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Member of BOG Mardan BOARD BISE, set the tone. He argued that promising youth initiatives often stumble not for lack of passion but because the system’s “pipes” aren’t ready. His message to SFY was both an endorsement and a challenge: build the systems that make youth leadership the default, not the exception. In the context of YLDP, that means putting schools, mentors, and measurement under one disciplined frame; so when young people step forward, the structure is already waiting for them.
“The gaps existing within our society were systematically identified, and simultaneously, awareness programs have been launched in various cities across the country, across provinces… as for the government, which is the sole entity capable of solving these problems, insha’Allah their attention will also turn toward this, and they too will help solve these issues.”– Mr. Hafiz Zubair Ahmed
Dr. Shabana Gul (IMSciences, Peshawar), with senior experience in education and development, including work with the World Bank, stepped into the pedagogy. She offered a striking image: the chained calf elephant that stops testing its tether. When students learn that tough questions are unwelcome, curiosity shrinks and leadership withers. Her call to action aligned precisely with YLDP’s first principles: teach inquiry as a practice, not a slogan; normalize ethical debate; and coach decision-making under constraints.
“Nobody really talks about leadership, and precisely about leadership at this grassroots level. And furthermore, what surprised me was the discussion on inclusive leadership; specifically for girls at school and college levels… Well done is the only word I have! Keep it up!” Dr. Shabana Gul– Dr Shabana Gul
Mr. Faiz Ullah Khan, Legal Superintendent, Urban Area Development Authority (UADA) Mardan, spoke from the vantage point of public service. Drawing a throughline from SFY’s flood relief coordination to its current leadership agenda, he highlighted how government collaboration can transform a good idea into a durable program. The relevance to YLDP was direct: when youth projects intersect with city processes, permits, public spaces, and community services, alignment with government accelerates learning, legitimacy, and scale. His point was simple: the public sector is not a backdrop; it’s a critical partner for youth who plan to lead in the real world He argued that the current leadership landscape often lacks the “power and awareness” to make sound decisions, a gap the YLDP seeks to bridge by elevating “active youth.”
“This is exactly the kind of platform needed; a platform that takes ordinary youth, youth from every place, and supports their leadership abilities and qualities, and elevates them further… their decisions will be such that they are good, lasting decisions for the benefit of all people of Pakistan.”– Mr. Fazlullah Khan
The educational sector’s endorsement continued with Sir Muhammad Jahanzeb, Vice Principal of Pak School and College System. He grounded the YLDP’s value in its ability to address societal deterioration by training students to become “productive members of society.”
“Honestly, I would request all principals to at least invite Society for Youth to their schools and work with students in a similar manner… this is the sole solution: to bring our children forward and train them so they can become productive members of society.” Mr. Muhammad Jahanzeb– Sir Muhammad Jahanzeb
From the private education sector, Ms. Palwasha (Beaconhouse) offered a school leader’s lens. She described why Beaconhouse has repeatedly worked with SFY: transparency, non-typical nonprofit operations, and grassroots organizing that respect the constraints of busy campuses. For YLDP, her argument landed as a practicality check: schools say “yes” when a program is classroom aware (time, staff, safeguarding) and outcome great (skills, ethics, teamwork). In other words, YLDP wins not by being inspirational but by being implementable.
Ma’am Saeeda Hisam, also from Beaconhouse, reinforced this partnership by emphasizing the accuracy of SFY’s research and the deep empathy required for community work. She noted that YLDP’s strength lies in its ability to bring students “closer to life” through service.
“Since we have worked with them before, and Palwasha mentioned this too, their facts and figures are always accurate. Alongside facts and figures, uh… the work we are doing for the community, together, because now we have joined hands with them, Beaconhouse School, we consider ourselves part of their team… we should work for those who are deprived of these blessings.”
– Ma’am Saeeda Hisam
Sir Manzur ul Haq, Principal of Iqra Hoti School, highlighted that the “motive” and “slogan” of the YLDP, that youth must move forward to improve health and education, is exactly what Mardan requires.
“Whatever support I can offer regarding youth, to help nurture the leadership qualities of the new generation, I stand with Society for Youth’s initiative. I fully support their plans and activities… I will continue to cooperate with them.”
– Mr. Manzur ul Haq
Ms. Fozia, former Deputy District Education Officer and now Principal at Government Girls High School, spotlighted girls’ leadership through sport, discipline, teamwork, dealing with pressure, and the public confidence that comes with visible achievement. She connected those attributes to YLDP’s emphasis on applied learning, students running real projects, not just discussing them, and underscored the significance of public sector participation in SFY’s work, participation she pledged to deepen.
A big chunk of our program was focused on engaging local-regional stakeholders in expansion and inclusion. Director Rashid Shafique of Al Muslim School & College, Charsadda, pledged his full support for the program’s dissemination into new districts, emphasizing that the YLDP is focused on the actual “problems youth face.”
“Whenever you need to come to Charsadda for any youth-related project, Insha’Allah, you will have our complete support.”– Mr. Rashid Shafique
Reflecting on the program’s ability to create a “backbone” for the nation, Hafiz Inam Rahman, General Secretary of the Education Council Mardan, emphasized the unique knowledge gained from SFY’s approach to youth development.
“This is my first time attending such a program, and I gained a great deal of knowledge here. Especially the fact that they are working on youth development… Insha’Allah, we will work shoulder-to-shoulder with them.”– Mr. Hafiz Inam Rahman
Finally, the evening’s narrative made space for emerging youth leaders. Arooj Jawad traced a path from volunteer to program leader, showing how sustained coaching and responsibility grow into credible stewardship, exactly the trajectory YLDP aims to operationalize for cohorts. Nida Nasreen connected this to women’s health organizing, reminding the room that technical skill plus community empathy, the curriculum’s twin pillars, are what turn students into builders rather than bystanders.
Most notably, Abraham Nasir charted his journey as a young student in Mardan, finding an interfaith home at SFY. Nasir’s comfort with interfaith engagement, practicing and sharing his Christian faith with Muslim colleagues without judgment or fear of proselytizing while facilitating grassroots change, is an essential element that drives SFY. These values have become the motivational engine of leadership growth, which YLDP will mass-nurture, creating a space where diversity is a catalyst for collective action rather than a barrier.
This spirit of inclusion was echoed by Former MPA Ravi Kumar, who recognized the YLDP as the ultimate platform for national progress.
“If we want to progress economically, if we want to advance in education, if we want to take this country forward; I believe there is no greater platform than our youth… On behalf of my government, I assure them that whatever assistance they need from the Youth Department will certainly be provided.”– MPA Ravi Kumar
These testimonials, emerging from education, government, and civil society, created a compelling chorus: the problem is recognized, the solution is needed, and SFY is the organization to deliver it. The launch of the YLDP marks the moment where Pakistan’s youth stop testing their tether and start building the future they were always capable of leading.
What YLDP Is: A Program Built for Real World Leadership
The launch clarified YLDP’s proposition in plain terms: a four-module curriculum embedded in school rhythms that moves students from self-awareness and problem framing to empathy and solution design, to monitoring/evaluation thinking, and finally to project implementation and ethical leadership. Each module asks students to do something in the community, design, test, and report, so learning is lived, not merely taught.YLDP’s curriculum core is experiential learning and applied knowledge. Revolutionary ideas (problem/solution trees, bias literacy, theory of change, logframes) are applied immediately to student-led civic projects each week, culminating in a real-world capstone by program end. The four modules translate the evidence base into a practical, sequenced path that builds critical consciousness and leadership capacity in live contexts.
Equally important, YLDP commits to measurements that people can trust. Rather than relying on a single survey, the program listens to three voices:This triangulation is not bureaucracy; it’s a fairness device for students who deserve credit for real growth and for partners who need to see evidence that the model works.
- The Student (perception and confidence),
- The Facilitator (observed teamwork, problem solving, ethical practice),
- And the Stakeholder/Institution (school/community validation).
Why This Launch Matters: Readiness, Not Rhetoric
The most important outcome of the evening was not applause; it was alignment. Across public offices, private schools, and community organizations, speakers converged on a shared thesis: leadership can be taught, but only if we engineer the experience. YLDP is SFY’s answer: a coherent, school-anchored operating system in which students are repeatedly asked to frame problems, build solutions, gather evidence, and lead ethically in public.
That the evening gathered 40+ local stakeholders wasn’t a headcount flex; it was a signal. When principals, public administrators, development experts, and young organizers are in the same room, two things become possible: realistic program design and momentum.What’s Next ?SFY will implement a pilot with two local institutions. This first step is by design: start focused, learn fast, and refine the playbook so that subsequent cohorts and cities onboard smoothly. Schools and partners interested in joining future waves can expect structured briefings, mentor alignment, and clear timelines as the rollout plan is finalized.
A Closing NoteIf you missed the launch, you didn’t miss the movement. YLDP is not a one night idea; it’s a working architecture for youth leadership, practical enough for schools, demanding enough for real growth, and ethical enough to belong in Pakistan’s public life. The speakers at launch reminded us what’s at stake: not just programs, but systems that ensure the next generation can lead with courage, competence, and care.
By convening this unique coalition and guiding it through this narrative journey, SFY did more than announce a program. It performed the first act of the YLDP itself: building a shared understanding, fostering strategic alliances, and mobilizing a network around a common vision for systemic change. The event marked SFY’s transition from a successful implementer to a visionary orchestrator. The message was clear: the leadership deficit has been diagnosed, the blueprint has been drawn, the coalition is being assembled, and the work of building a new generation of ethical, capable, and unchained leaders has formally begun.
The launch was not the culmination. It was the starting gun.
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community
This historic launch was possible only through the collective effort of an incredible team and our generous partners.
Our Deepest Gratitude to Our Speakers & Dignitaries:Thank you for your wisdom and endorsement: Chief Guest Hafiz Zubair Ahmed; our keynote speakers Dr. Shabana Gul, Ms. Fozia Azam, Muhammad Jehanzeb, Palwasha Khan, and Faiz Ullah Khan; and dignitaries Ravi Kumar, Sayed Sher Hassan Bacha, Tabish Rashid Gill, and Khalid Khan. A special thanks to Abraham Nasir for his powerful interfaith testimony and to Arooj Jawad for embodying the SFY leadership journey.The SFY Engine Room ; Our Stellar Team:The event’s flawless execution was powered by our dedicated volunteers and leads:Compering & Vision Casting: Hina Ahmed & Arooj JawadLeadership: Armaghan (Finance & Budget), Owais Ishfaq (Operations & Guest Relations), Nida Nasreen, Muhammad Awais (Tech & Presentations)Registration & Ushering Champions: Muhammad Sohail, Ghawer Khan, Noor ul Ain, Nida Nasreen, Mahmood BachaTechnical & Logistics Support: Afaq Photography (Videography), Hina Ahmed & Muhammad Awais (Liaisons)The YLDP is launched. The coalition is built. The work to unleash a generation of ethical, capable leaders begins today. Join us.
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About SFY
Society For Youth (SFY) is a non-profit organization committed to fostering sustainable community development through grassroots organizing, education, and empowering local leadership. SFY’s broad-based model emphasizes relationality and collective action, working to address complex social challenges and build resilient communities from within.
To learn more about our work, donate, or support our mission, please feel free to reach out to us via info@society4youth.org.