The young people in Lahore celebrated "five" peace days. Read what these peace days were and how did they celebrate them?

International Peace Day Report By Alyas Rahmat

You must have read about Chanan Development Association's (CDA) work on the blog.

Well, they are back with a bang this time.

What have they been upto? Read more to find out...

Chanan Development Association (CDA) celebrated the "International Peace Days" from 20th to 25th September 2010. The celebrations were organized in collaboration with the Youth Parliament of Pakistan (YPP) and the British Council, Lahore, Pakistan. More than 100 youth from different areas of Lahore participated in the "Peace Days" activities which included things like "4th Annual Cricket for Peace, Peace Seminar, Peace Walk and Media Consultation for Peace".

Highlights of the 4th Annual Cricket Match on Peace Day:

The 4th Annual Cricket Match was titled "LET’S BRING PEACE TOGETHER" and aimed to "Build a Peaceful Society by the Youth". Nearly 100 youth from across Lahore and civil society organizations participated in this activity. The British Council and YPP donated their T-Shirts for the teams. At the inaugurating ceremony of the tournament, the youth members lit "Peace Candles" and promised they will promote peace.

The main objective of the cricket match was to bring awareness amongst the youth about the International Peace Day, peace situation in Pakistan and how can the youth promote peace.

Mr. Alyas Rahmat (Managing Director-CDA) presented the welcome note, briefing about the organization, partners, participated teams, project objectives and its activities, while Mr. Saad Bajwa from the British Council encouraged the youth and CDA for such an initiative.

Highlights of Peace Seminar with Women:

A theater seminar on "Peace" was organized on 25th September 2010. Nearly 150 women participated in this theater seminar. The seminar was held in Pak Methodist Church in Nishat Colony, Lahore. Bishop I. Paul. was the chief guest of the program. The community groups coordinators talked about the importance of peace and did activities that showed the females how can they bring peace in their homes and communities.

Bishop I. Paul, too, delivered a message on "Peace." At the end of the seminar, women also celebrate the International Peace Day 2010 and lightened Peace Candles.

Joel Henricus and his group mates are working on a SAP called "Awareness for Voting." Read his objectives and the difference he wishes to make.

(S.A.P) “Awareness”
By: Active Citizens Youth Group

Group members & their designations
Sir Earl West:- Idea of suggestion.
Joel Henricus:- Project manager, & video maker.
Suleman Shaukat:- Video anchor & interview taking.
Raheel James:- Video Editing.
Sharjeel Munawar :- Information gatherer.
Sara Shaukat:- Interviewing of ladies.
Maria Amjad:- Interviewing of ladies.
Sharoon Hamid:- Some Interview taking, & project helper.
And Everyone participated in decision making & area suggesting.

Summary of (S.A.P) “Awareness”

The project “Awareness” from our Active citizens youth group , is to make people of backward areas or those who are illiterate, “aware” of the actual issues that should be for the welfare of their community and the country. (e.g.) to make people aware of the vote casting of any level of the political elections, that they should vote the right person who knows the correct procedures and ways to run the issues concerning their community..And our main purpose is to make every man & woman in any particular area to be aware in that issue and use their vote in the right place because one vote can bring someone up or down.

Aims & Objectives

To make people aware of the issues concerning that they may vote for the right person.

To create a passion & desire in them to vote, because this is the responsibilities of every citizen.

To encourage the youth & guide them to vote & elect a right person for their country.


Need Assessment

The people in the backward areas or illiterate people think that they should not vote & do not participate in any elections, so that’s why we need to aware them because that’s their obligation and a lots & lots of people need awareness in those areas, so legally that’s their need.

And they need to be awared if we do not do it someone else should.

Benefit assessment

The people nowadays have started to think that all the political leaders here in Pakistan are fraud as in saying..somehow that’s true & somehow that’s not. And that’s not it, they also have came to a point that they will not vote any longer. So we have guided them and awared them that they should vote and elect such a person who will be beneficial for both the community & the country..so by that they will have the following benefits.

They will have a good leader.

Their community would be prosperous.

The future of their children will be better than before.

The country will have an uprising development process.


Action plan or Methodology

Firstly our action was to visit the backward areas & find about the thought of the people.

Then we have done door to door visit & interviewed them.

And with the interview we have created an encouragement to vote for the right person.

Then as the day suggests we arranged a small Eid-Milan Party for people in those areas to create a positive effect of us on them.

And with that we also shared some conversations with them which was awaring for them & they further have exploited it.

Monitoring & Evaluation

We monitored ourselves as we did the project step by step. And after the project was completed we surveyed to those people in which we were working & checked our checklist, And the result was positive, they said we were really nice & helpful to them. The people were most likely to vote for the best person.