Tipping Point ’11

This is an year 2011 review post.

Inspired from Malcolm Gladwell’s idea to bring about a change in his book, ‘The Tipping Point’, and after the success of the consecutive Tipping Point ’09 and ’10 conferences, the Young Social Reformers (commonly referred to as YSR) held their third Tipping Point Conference on the last day of the previous year at the KMDC Auditorium, Karachi. The conference was based on the title ‘Unlock the Hidden Leadership in you’ and aimed to ‘inspire and rejuvenate the leadership potential of participants’ and ‘facilitate the discovery of the inherent leader’ in them. Besides, the conference was structured such to provide an ambience whereby the participants were able to learn in a fun-filled environment. YSR incorporated certified trainers and pertinent corporate guest speakers to not only ensure that national level leadership and governance issues were put forward, but also that the participants gained leadership and governance skills in diverse capacities through activity-based pragmatic learning.

After a short pre-talk by YSR’s very own Dr. Nusrat Ali, the conference kicked off at half-past-ten with the recitation of Surah-e-Rehman by Tauseef Raza. The hosts for the day, Anwar Hashmi and Madiha Ayub then took over and invited YSR’s respected Patron-in-Chief, Dr. Pervez Rizvi, to make an introductory speech regarding his organization and the conference. He was followed by Prof. Waqar Kazmi, Principal KMDC, who spoke on the contribution and development of KMDC to the Karachi’s youth. Dr. Nusrat Ali stood behind the podium again and  highlighted why the organizers decided to hold this conference and Dr. Farhan Essa, CEO Dr. Essa’s Laboratory, then gave a short overview of YSR’s efforts to empower the youth of Pakistan.

The actual agenda began with Mr. Shoaib Shamsi from Shamsi Builders whose keynotes highlighted the hidden powers of leadership within an individual, and Dr. Saleh Jummah, DMD of Pak Libya Holding Company, then defined the essence of corporate executive leadership. The Chief-Guest for the morning segment, Deputy Commissioner Central Hr., Matanat Ali Khan, culminated the segment by admiring and encouraging YSR’s efforts and its affect on the youth.

After tea, the first conversational session was held. Titled ‘Leading the Change’, it was based on the jubilant experiences of the media entrepreneurs such as Mr. Mazhar Abbas, Director Current Affairs, ARY News. Life-trainers and renowned NGO’s Mr. Tony and Dr. Suzanne were also present. Along with the moderator, Dr. Nusrat Ali, the speakers highlighted the importance of moving on and having a positive mindset. Dr. Mazhar shed light on responsible journalism, and Mr. Tony pointed out the most common mental problems amongst the youth and revealed how to tackle them.

The conference was then suspended due to power failure (Ah, we are in Pakistan, remember?) and when it resumed, Mr. Ibrahim Noorani challenged the participants with his ice-breaking activity. The animated exercise was followed by the second conversational session on corporate philanthropy and social initiatives – giving back to the society. Mr. Richard Geare, CEO of FESF Pakistan, and Miss Rubina Jahangir from Intel Pak, launched into an interesting debate on the merits of CSR initiatives, the commitment shown by the organizations exercising them and who the actual ultimate beneficiaries are – both the society and the organization.

The conference then inched toward its end, as Karachi University’s Prof. Dr. Saba Sultana spoke about the requirements of political leadership and Chairman IBCC Mr. Anwar Ahmed Zai, gave wise advice to the young audience. Mr. Ibne Hassan, who was representing NBP (the major sponsor of the conference) then took the podium and reflected on the day in a few words. The final address was made by Dr. Farooq Sattar, the Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis on the topic ‘Leading the Change’. He underlined why mere slogans for change are not enough in the Pakistan of today, and asked the youth to come forward with practical ideas to bring about the change everyone is talking about. The conference culminated with the distribution of certificates to participants and a photo-session.