On 4 June 2026, Shehri – Citizens for a Better Environment (Shehri-CBE) successfully conducted a Capacity Building Workshop under the Youth Empowerment for Engaged Citizenship initiative as part of Component 2: Voices of Democracy – A Civic Media Fellowship. The workshop was held at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi, bringing together undergraduate students to strengthen their skills in civic journalism, digital storytelling, and human-centered research methodologies.
The workshop focused on equipping participants with practical tools for qualitative data synthesis through the Affinity Mapping methodology. Following an introductory session led by Hawwa Fazal, Project Consultant, Farhan Anwar, Urban Planner and Project Manager at Shehri-CBE, introduced participants to the Affinity Mapping process and its role in analyzing community-based research. Students worked collaboratively in groups to organize research findings, identify key civic issues, generate insight statements, and develop “How Might We” questions to support innovative solutions for public policy challenges.
Participants also documented their findings using structured data synthesis templates before presenting their analyses during a plenary session. The workshop concluded with discussions on the next phase of the Human-Centered Design process, where students began preparing design prototypes based on the insights generated during the workshop.
The event formed part of the Voices of Democracy – A Civic Media Fellowship, a year-long initiative designed to empower undergraduate students to explore civic issues through digital media, journalism, and storytelling. By combining civic education with media production, the fellowship encouraged students to research, report, and create content—including videos, podcasts, and blogs—that promoted informed public dialogue, media literacy, and democratic participation.
Through this workshop, Shehri-CBE continued its commitment to fostering youth leadership, civic engagement, digital advocacy, and community-driven problem-solving. By providing students with practical research, analytical, and communication skills, the programme prepared future civic leaders to address governance challenges and contribute to more inclusive and participatory democratic processes in Pakistan.
