{"id":5782,"date":"2026-04-15T20:58:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gng.org\/?p=5782"},"modified":"2026-04-15T21:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T21:10:14","slug":"beyond-the-textbook-fostering-global-citizenship-in-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/2026\/04\/15\/beyond-the-textbook-fostering-global-citizenship-in-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Textbook: Youth in Pakistan Claim Their Space in the Global Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What happens when you take a student used to the “right or wrong” world of textbooks and remind them that their perspective is the most valuable asset in the room?<\/span><\/p>

Since August 2024, Global Nomads Group joined forces with <\/span>HETRiC<\/span><\/a> to collaborate with 1000+ students and 100+ educators across nine institutions in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar in Northern Pakistan.<\/span><\/p>

Through the <\/span>Student to World<\/span><\/strong><\/a> program, these young people didn\u2019t just join a course but also stepped into their roles as global citizens.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cInitiatives like Global Nomads\u2019 Student to World break the mundane routine and expose students to a world beyond textbooks and regimented schedules.\u201d<\/span> \u2014 <\/span>School Leader<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Redefining the Classroom Experience<\/b><\/h3>

In a school system often dominated by rote memorization, Student to World served as a bridge to new ways of thinking. Students moved away from silent desks and into group-based discussions where lived experience was the primary teacher.<\/span><\/p>

Ursala Waqar<\/b>, co-founder of HETRiC, witnessed this shift firsthand:<\/span><\/p>

\u201cBeing on the ground throughout the program implementation has been incredibly rewarding. We witnessed an overwhelmingly positive response across schools\u2026 students were thrilled to collaborate and express their perspectives freely.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>

Lived Realities and Radical Resilience<\/b><\/h3>

The heart of this partnership was found in the moments where students chose to be seen and heard on their own terms by sharing the parts of their lives that often go unacknowledged in a standard curriculum:<\/span><\/p>

  • In Islamabad:<\/b> At G-7 Christian Sunday School, a student named <\/span>Sehrish<\/b> shared the personal challenges and prejudices she navigates as part of Pakistan\u2019s Christian minority.<\/span><\/li>
  • At Falcon Grammar School:<\/b> Afghan refugee students spoke with incredible candor about the pressure of deportation and their families’ struggles, demonstrating a level of resilience and a drive to lead the program themselves.<\/span><\/li>
  • In Peshawar:<\/b> At <\/span>Ujala School<\/b>, a donation-based school for street children, students tackled the global hunger crisis. For them, this wasn’t a theoretical topic, it was a daily reality. Many contributed in Urdu or Pashto, ensuring their insights were understood across language barriers.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Rooted Locally, Connected Globally<\/b><\/h3>\n

    This partnership proved that when we respect local expertise\u2014working alongside partners like HETRiC\u2014the impact reaches far beyond the classroom. By moving past “regimented schedules,” we aren’t “giving” youth anything they don’t already have; we are simply creating the space for them to exercise their agency.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cThis work reminded us why cross-cultural dialogue is essential for developing empathy, critical thinking, and global citizenship among Pakistani youth.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2014 <\/span>Ursala Waqar, HETRiC<\/b><\/p>\n

    The journey doesn’t end here. The tenacity shown by the students at Falcon Grammar and the leadership from the youth at Ujala School remind us that when the barriers are removed, young people don’t just participate, they lead the way.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What happens when you take a student used to the “right or wrong” world of textbooks and remind them that their perspective is the most valuable asset in the room? Since August 2024, Global Nomads Group joined forces with HETRiC to collaborate with 1000+ students and 100+ educators across nine institutions in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5782"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5801,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5782\/revisions\/5801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gng.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}