March 29, 2014 | Islamabad
The Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) and the Progressive Youth Forum (PYF) welcomed more than 300 attendees to the 2014 Social Media Summit held March 29-30, 2014, in Islamabad. Abdullah Dayo, a U.S. exchange program alumnus, social media activist, and general secretary of PYF, organized the summit, which is funded by a small grant from the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN). U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson greeted the summit attendees during the March 29 opening session.
“You have an extraordinary capacity to make a positive impact in your communities and your country—and social media is a powerful platform for your voices to be heard,” said Ambassador Olson, before taking a “selfie” photo with the attendees, which he then tweeted from the U.S. Embassy’s twitter account @usembislamabad.
The theme for the two day summit is “Social Media for Social Change.” Attendees, including journalists, bloggers, social activists, students, and U.S. exchange alumni will share their experiences and exchange ideas on a range of topics. Panel sessions will focus on social media for youth activism, peace promotion, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, digital storytelling, and the impact of social media on the changing landscape of journalism.
Speakers include noted journalists, social media and civil society experts, and entrepreneurs. The summit, which also includes Skype sessions with international social media experts, will culminate in a group exercise: a debate on the future of social media in Pakistan.
Learn more about the Summit athttps://www.facebook.com/socialmediasummit2014. Follow the Summit on Twitter via hashtag #SMS14.
About PYF: The Progressive Youth Forum’s goals are to provide a platform for youth to advocate for democratic values, to develop youth leadership capabilities, and to mobilize youth for peace-building initiatives in Pakistan. Learn more at http://pyfpakistan.org/.
About PUAN: The Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network is one of the largest U.S. alumni networks in the world. It consists of more than 13,000 students and professionals who have participated in U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. Learn more at www.pakusalumninetwork.com.
