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National Volunteer
Summit 2015

Policy Dialogue for Youth Action

The National Volunteer Summit 2015 was a high-level advocacy event designed to fundamentally shift the perception and institutional support for youth volunteerism across Pakistan. Recognizing youth volunteering as the backbone for national development and a key solution to issues of youth empowerment, exclusion, and employment, the summit leveraged real-world experiences to drive systemic change.

The Action: Cross-Sector Policy Dialogue

The Summit served as a crucial platform for cross-regional partnership and policy dialogue, bringing together key stakeholders who shape youth development.

Dialogue Execution

A powerful policy dialogue, "Youth and Volunteering: Through a Policy Lens," was executed between the audience and representatives from organizations like British Council, Plan International, VSO, Youth Affairs Department, and the US Consulate.

The Advocacy Goal

The event directly addressed the reasons why youth might be showing less enthusiasm for organizational drives, aiming to formalize volunteerism as an integrated, recognized development tool.

Capacity Building

A primary contribution was fostering dialogue and strengthening the capacities of governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), and youth groups, ensuring broad ownership of the issue.

The Impact: Four Key Results

The Summit was successful in establishing active National Advisory Committees (NACs) and laid the groundwork for four major areas of systemic change, ensuring the initiative responded to locally identified needs:

1. Increased Recognition of Volunteerism:

  • Initiated an advocacy campaign to change the perception of volunteerism from ad hoc charity to a tool for sustainable development and youth inclusion.
  • Motivated youth to see themselves as positive agents for change, clarifying the vast benefits of volunteering.

2. Strengthened Institutional Frameworks:

  • Worked closely with participating governments to strengthen institutional, legal, and policy frameworks necessary to formalize volunteering as an integrated development practice.

3. Enhanced Organizational Capacity:

  • Focused on strengthening the volunteer management capacities of CSOs and youth organizations to provide meaningful and satisfactory volunteer experiences.
  • Successful ‘Training of Trainers’ initiatives were implemented and replicated, creating a multiplying effect across the region.

4. Sustainable Youth Volunteering Programs:

  • Committed to strengthening initiatives that combat social exclusion through engagement, such as a volunteer exchange collaborating with CSO networks and universities.
  • Established a sustainable structure for mobilization and awareness-raising, directly enhancing youth employability and job market placement.

The National Volunteer Summit 2015 was instrumental in building consensus and establishing the political will needed to formally recognize and integrate youth volunteerism into national development strategies.