Offscreen Expeditions has sent six aspiring British creatives to participate in the journey of a lifetime to Pakistan. The team of 18-21-year-olds are exploring Pakistan away from the headlines.
Going beyond 'cricket, curry and terrorism' - the three words they came up with which are commonly associated with Pakistan in their country - and will create a first-hand portrait of Pakistan to educate and inspire their peers in the UK.
The talented group of aspiring photographers, artists, musicians and a fashion designer will focus on challenging important issues faced by today's youth in the UK and Pakistan such as access to education and employment, terrorism and gang culture. Following on from a successful visit by Pakistani students to the UK this summer, Offscreen Expeditions, a UK-based not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with the British Council, chose the team to develop UK-Pakistan relations beyond common misperceptions. The group are travelling across the country meeting students, artists, social entrepreneurs, imams and politicians.
Offscreen Expeditions Director Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop explains: "This year Pakistan has seen a lot of media attention, from the floods, to the cricket scandal to the devastating impact terrorism has had on its people and culture. By taking the young community leaders of tomorrow to Pakistan, they will be able to form their own views and help build understanding between young people in both countries."
In Mirpur, a region with strong links to the UK, the six will visit a madrassa. There they will meet students and imams to debate the different interpretations of Islam, and explore how a minority of scholars have manipulated Islam to justify violence. The students will also visit some Mirpur-based social action projects. The projects, run through the British Council's Active Citizen programme, are successful initiatives that support young vulnerable people in AJK and provide them with alternative spaces away from negative influences they may be exposed to.
The UK students will share ideas with their Pakistani peers and consider how they can learn from the work in Mirpur to take control over opportunities and help make a difference in their own communities. The project seeks to help young people in Britain and Pakistan develop skills, opportunities and education as positive alternatives to becoming involved in gangs, drugs, terrorism and anti-social behaviour. They will learn to communicate their positive visions of their communities' future with confidence and impact, using their creative skills to help get their message across. The team are creating a multimedia travelogue of their experiences which will be accessed through the award-winning interactive website (www.offscreenexpedition.com), engaging thousands of their peers across Britain and the world.-PR