Workshop on Youth and Social Entrepreneurship

Pakistan is producing 1.5 million graduate passed- out manpower annually, making difficult to offer them all with jobs amid financial crunch. To fight the dilemma of unemployment, it is vital to produce self-employed people having unique ideas to sell with polished nature-given abilities to spend a balanced life. This was stated by speakers at workshop on Youth and Social Entrepreneurship arranged by Institute of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Agriculture Faisalabad in collaboration with Youth Engagement Services Network (YES) Pakistan Chapter at New Senate Hall, UAF that was chaired by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan. YES, Pakistan Chapter Chief Executive Officer Ali Raza Khan was the key speaker. Addressing the audience, Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmed Khan urged the youth to come up with the innovative ideas and become self-employed with application of social entrepreneurship skills. He was of the view that an idea coupled with commitment was the most precious thing in the human life which can bring change in the society. Our youth is extremely talented the thing we need is only to provide them entrepreneurial skills and a platform. He said that the total population of the country was around 180 million whereas urban population is around 66 million and rural population is around 114 million. He said that the some study predicts that that population of the country will double after some decades so it will be challenge to feed the growing population and provide them livelihoods. He said that the people aged below 25 were comprising 60 percent population of the country that may be proved as a hallmark for progress by enhancing their skills and capabilities. He said that the university was the pioneer to raise the issue of entrepreneurship by holding a seminar on the said topic four years ago. He said that it was the need of the hour to make our knowledge and skills compatible to the country needs and the world in a bid to fight the challenges. He said that it is the time to turn the constructive ideas into reality with the action. Ali Raza Khan said the YES Network Pakistan provides an effective mechanism to youth especially poor youth to reintegrate into the society as active citizens and not as citizens in waiting. He said they supported youth and youth-serving organizations both technically and financially in launching community-based youth-led social enterprises. He said that their projects create awareness about the concept of youth social entrepreneurship and youth service among the citizen sector, business and academic audiences. Ali Raza was of the view that entrepreneurship is all about changing the mindset to realize the potential and expand it not only to unleash it but also to make it. He said that in Singapore, university graduate are supposed to serve the community for 2.5 years prior to get the degree helping them to excel their skills. Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Prof Dr Iqbal Zafar said the if we study the life of the people who are making history in the business and other fields. It is observed that they started with the few capital and it was ideas helped them to prove their mettle. He urged the students to work with same spirits. Prof Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Maann also highlighted the significance of the social entrepreneurship.