ISLAMABAD ( BMZ REPORT )
Pakistan’s young opinion leaders Fatima Rizwan and Haroon Yasin have made it to the third Telenor Youth Forum taking place in Oslo, Norway in December 2015. The event will gather youth from Telenor Group’s 13 markets in the Nordic region, Europe and Asia, to share their perspectives and ideas on the topic of Knowledge for All.
Passionate about increasing access to knowledge through digital and mobile technology, Fatima and Haroon are amongst the 25 delegates who will join this year’s Telenor Youth Forum (#TYF15). The annual event, which coincides with the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony week, will this year centre around the theme of #KnowledgeForAll.
“Our delegates bring unique ideas and thoughts based on multiple perspectives and that are rooted in a range of societal challenges. Most importantly, they see opportunities where others see barriers to making an impact. We want to engage with them to discuss and explore how Telenor and mobile technology can be part of driving inclusive change and improving access to knowledge,” says Sigve Brekke, President & CEO of Telenor Group.
The chosen delegates, 14 women and 11 men aged 18-28, are born into a digital age that encourages and enables untraditional and innovative solutions to societal challenges.
Fatima Rizwan is the founder and CEO of TechJuice – Pakistan’s premier technology platform for entrepreneurs that showcases news relating to start-ups, entrepreneurship, education, and technology in Pakistan. She has become a resource hub for Pakistanis to learn and find opportunities in the field. Haroon Yasin, who started a free school in one of the slum villages in Islamabad four years ago, is now developing and testing a Virtual Education Program (VEP), which uses a video based curriculum to formally educate out of school street children. True inspirations in their fields, both Fatima and Haroon are geared up to optimise technology for improving access to knowledge in the country.
An international selection panel consisting of representatives from civil society, academia and Telenor top management selected the final delegates from close to 2,000 applicants in 13 countries.
Telenor has invited a range of high-level and inspiring speakers for the Forum programme, who all share a passion for knowledge and increasing access to learning. A keynote address will be given by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopaedia. Other speakers include Norwegian Minister for Education and Research Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, notable journalists, founders, thinkers and innovators