LAHORE | The third annual Mock Parliament will start its ‘proceedings’ on Friday (today). The focus of the ‘House’ will remain on the US Congress and it will try to create awareness among the teenagers about elections, democracy and how to deal with the important issues people are facing today.
The three-day event organised by Seeds of Peace (SoP), a non-government organisation for teenagers, and will be participated in by more than 50 students from 19 different educational institutions. At the ‘parliament’, the students will act as elected members of the US Congress and will adopt roles as American representatives in the House.
The pertinent issues related to America will be discussed in various committees and sub-committees. The foreign policy, homeland security, financial recession and other social issues will also be discussed while acting as member of the Mock US Congress. “The event will be the result of more than a month’s extra ordinary efforts of a 17-member team of dedicated young persons, including Seeds of Peace alumni, associate members and peace partners,” said Sajjad Ahmad, the Country Director of SoP, who is also supervising the event.
He further added that the members researched on the important internal, external and social issues pertaining to the American people and how they are handled in the US Congress. Sajjad further explained that as per SoP’s dedication to prepare the teenagers from areas of conflict with the leadership skills required to promote tolerance, coexistence and peace, we aims at equipping new generations of leaders with the relationships, understanding, and skills needed to advance lasting peace. He added that Mock Parliament would also promote interfaith harmony, mutual understanding and a sense of respect among youth.
The leader of the Organising Youth Team, Quratul Ain, a debater from Lahore Grammar School, and Seeds of Peace alumnus from the year 2010, said, “As a third continuous year of mock various parliaments, we wanted to relate it to the US elections that were incidentally happening the same month, and explain to some degree how political systems work in the US. In 2010, we simulated the Indian Parliament, whereas in 2011, we presented Mock Parliament of Afghanistan. This is a part of our follow-up programme that continues throughout the year.”
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