FESF presently conducts the following two programs:
DEAF REACH
Schools and training centers for the Deaf located in Karachi, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Rashidabad-Tando Allayar and Lahore.
Learn more at www.deafreach.com
EDUSERVE
Training and capacity development of youth, parents, teachers, and corporate professionals, in Karachi and throughout the country.
(FESF is setup under a license from the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan under section 42 of the Company Ordinance, 1984. Approved U/S2(36) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, read with rule 212 of the income rules, 2002.)
EduServe Vision
Our global and local communities are faced with increasingly complex problems. At the same time, Pakistan’s population is mostly youth—young people who are stepping into the educational, social and professional arena, wondering what is their place in society, and where they fit in.
EduServe’s vision is to empower these youth so that they can make sound decisions about their own lives, and take positive action to contribute to the future of their communities and country.
The Aim
At EduServe our central aim and the driving purpose behind everything we do is to empower youth to take leadership and bring about positive social change. To us “youth empowerment” means to build the capacities and mental resources of youth, so that they discover their strengths, find their voice, and grow emboldened to step forward and offer their contribution to the community.
We see empowerment as a natural process, by which youth (and people of any age!) realize and exercise their leadership skills, thereby bringing change to the world around them.
Why Youth Empowerment?
Why is youth empowerment so needed? Research has pointed to a number of benefits, showing how it…
- Builds confidence
- Enhances communication skills
- Increases emotional intelligence
- Develops social awareness
- Develops a youth voice
- Creates a youth identity
- Provides a sense of belonging
- Fosters diversity
Our Theory of Change
Pakistan has a large number of youth, a projected 61 million between the ages of 15 to 29 by 2025. Much of what happens in the future depends on the input these young people receive today. What should that input look like?
A prominent study on Youth Development* found that providing youth with access to areas of personal interest, healthy mentoring relationships, and opportunities for finding a “voice”, had a direct positive impact on them, both academically and behaviorally. The study found that this increased their level of civic engagement, enhanced their leadership abilities, and developed a range of other pro-social values. Local research also shows that there is a significant gap between academic attainment versus the development of skills and personality. (*Scales, P. C., Benson, P. L., Roehlkepartain, E. C. (2010). Adolescent Thriving: The Role of Sparks, Relationships, and Empowerment. Published online: Springer Science+Business Media.)
At EduServe we are committed to designing and implementing innovative educational programs for children and youth in order to bridge this gap. Therefore we work directly with youth, as well as with parents, teachers, and educators.
EduServe Director, Anita Florijn, recently conducted an in depth research on youth empowerment in Pakistan. The research showed that meaningful training programs with a focus on community service developed some of the following skills and attributes:
- A dramatic increase in confidence when communicating with others
- Increased active participation in their schools and communities
- A stronger analytical and critical sense
- The ability to solve conflicts
- The formation of a community identity
- Increased empathy and tolerance for others
What we propose is not a quick fix, it is a slow but constant—and eventually unstoppable transformation.
Imagine what would happen in 30 years if we (working alongside many other visionary youth-focused organizations in Pakistan) are able to bridge this gap in youth development. If enough youth are able to grow and develop themselves in each of the crucial areas listed above then many of the monumental problems we currently face with violence, poverty, and inequality, will crumble under this deluge of initiative, ideas, and effort which will sprout up from all sides. If we can place the future in their hands, along with the needed tools for building it, they will not disappoint us. The youth will take up the torch, they will innovate, they will organize, they will make mistakes and will learn (and will learn from our mistakes!), they will shoulder the load, and will take their stand beside us and people of all ages who are struggling to make things better.
We draw inspiration from the words of the early 1900’s educationist and playwright Clare Tree Major:
Have you visions of a finer, happier world?
Tell the children.
They will build it for you.
EduServe Story
FESF’s involvement with youth began in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s as we recruited volunteers to work with us in large-scale community events. These cultural events were organized yearly, and provided artistic and inclusive Summer Camps and Musical Concerts to thousands of underprivileged and handicapped children.
To run these events, the team at FESF counted on a committed network of young volunteers who would often come back year after year to volunteer. We realized that these young people needed training in the interpersonal and managerial aspects of volunteering. This gave birth to the Motivated Volunteer Empowerment Program (MOVE) in the early 2000’s.
In 2009, based on the requests from some of Karachi’s leading educationists, the reach of the program was expanded to schools and colleges, a move which was made possible due to some visionary corporate sponsorship.
After several years, our team began to realize that the need for capacity building among the youth was far greater and more varied than the MOVE training could address. So in 2014 the EduServe Program was created as a separate wing of FESF with the mandate to further develop and implement a suite of programs for children, youth, teachers, and parents.
EduServe currently hosts a team of dedicated trainers, counselors, and “program inventors”, and is providing training and empowerment to thousands of young people, trainers, parents, teachers, and corporate professionals every year.