LAHORE: The Interactive Resource Centre and a private TV in collaboration with the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (Islamabad) and the Social Justice Institute (Ohio, USA) is organising an eight-day Digital Literacy Camp in Lahore, says a release.

The project title is “Creation of a critical mass by engaging youth opinion leaders in digital literacy and cross cultural understanding”.

As many as 50 youth participants from all over Pakistan have been selected for the camp. The event is scheduled from Jan 28 to Feb 5. The official closing ceremony of the camp will be held on Feb 4 at the IRC office. Representatives from the US Consulate will join the ceremony.

Within the camp, the participants will be sensitised to digital literacy and they will learn various technical online tools and App development to promote the themes of gender equality, interfaith harmony, peaceful coexistence and digital security. By the end of the camp, the participants will be divided into 10 groups and pitch ideas for their own digital campaigns, using the skill set they have learned during the workshop.

They will be asked to work on one of the following themes: Interfaith harmony, digital security, gender equality and peaceful coexistence.

A panel of judges consisting of professionals working in the fields of digital communication tools will select 20 participants with the most impactful and comprehensive ideas by the end of the workshop.

These individuals will be provided with financial and technical support by the IRC team for a year to develop their ideas and conduct their own digital campaigns.

Ms Lisa Kollins from Social Justice Institute will be engaged virtually via Skype with the participants and conduct two sessions with them during the workshop. These sessions will be about using digital media as a tool for communication, activism and digital initiatives.

The Social Justice Institute is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University. They develop innovative solutions by supporting creative research, scholarship, and pedagogy; social justice leaders on and off campus; and relationships within the university and into the community.

Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) is a non-profit info media organisation striving to promote empowerment and social development among the marginalised members of the society through art based development and media advocacy as its tools and through various alternative platforms such as the annual theatre of the oppressed festival.

EXHIBITION: The 34th annual art exhibition by the Artists Association of Punjab will be held at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Feb 7.

Governor Chaudhry Sarwar will inaugurate the exhibition.

The association will also hold a seminar titled ‘Diversity of Pakistan Painting’ on Feb 8. Veteran artist Mian Ijazul Hassan will preside over the seminar. The panelists will be Dr Rukhsana David, Prof Qudus Mirza, Dr Rahat Navid Masud, Prof Sabah Husain and Dr Neela Amir.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2020