ALKHOBAR, 6 March 2008 — The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) involving high school students from the Pakistan International School for Girls has come to a successful conclusion. The program was sponsored by the Oasis Toastmasters Club. This was the first time that such a program was held for a Pakistani school in the Kingdom.
The YLP program attendees were mostly 11th and 12th grade girls from the Pakistan International School, plus a few students from other schools who had received special permission to join the program. To ensure that the students could benefit from the course without it interfering with their regular classes, the program was offered in a four-week condensed form, with the students meeting twice weekly. The Youth Leadership Program helped the students improve listening skills, learn parliamentary procedures, conduct group discussions and improve speech craft.
“It was an amazing experience. I always believed in the genius and the talents of my girls. It was a dream come true,” said Youth Leadership Program Coordinator Mubina Subhan.
Firoz Ahmed, president of the Oasis Toastmasters Club added, “It’s a moment of pride for our club to have contributed toward the development of so many young girls in whose hands lies our future. This program will go a long way in helping these youngsters cope up with the demands of a highly competitive world as well as in their personal life.”
The girls were awarded certificates for completing the course and winners of the Youth Leadership Speech Contest took home special mementos. The participants all agreed that the Youth Leadership Program had been a positive experience.
“I was a very shy girl who didn’t even have the confidence to speak to a teacher,” said participant Qurratulain Azhar. “Now I feel I could even talk to the president of Pakistan!”
