Shehri – Citizens for a Better Environment executed the project – Youth Empowerment for Engaged Citizenship – which aimed to build capacity in youth, both through the enhancement and application of knowledge related to informed civic activism. The project provided a model where academic spaces at the higher level of learning became facilitators for incorporating knowledge of civic education and pro-active socio-political mobilization, along with awareness of fundamental rights.

This model was developed through engagement with students of selected higher education institutes in the city of Karachi, with the objective of raising awareness and understanding of civic education – its concept, practice, importance, and implications. Additionally, the students were informed about the public policy arena as it related to Pakistan, particularly the province of Sindh and the city of Karachi. They explored the concept of the social contract in relation to the structure of governance – the legislative, executive, and judiciary – and examined the interfaces between formal and informal actors situated within the selected policy universe. They also developed an understanding of the implications of non-participatory, top-heavy policy and planning, and learned methodologies to make such processes inclusive.