Pakistan

Next Generation Youth and Community Project twinned with two schools in Kotli, in Azaad Kashmire, Pakistan. In July 2008, a group of young people aged 13 to 19 years visited Pakistan for 17 days.

The young people had fundraised in the previous months to raise funds to support the victims of Kashmir Earthquake as well as the trip and for the educational resources and improvements to two poorly resourced schools including purchase of desks, chairs, books, pens, pencils, science lab, library, computers, building boundary walls creating play areas and allotment beds and flower borders and help in fostering relationships with children here in Wakefield.

Councillor Peter Box from Wakefield Council accompanied the party of young people for 5 days, where he met several local politicians to strengthen relationships and to officially opened Wakefield Road in Azaad Kashmir a road that would link a town to a school a school to a community and the community to a city. The road was founded by Haji Mohammed Hussain a Mill worker from Wakefield who wanted to show his gratitude for what Wakefield had done for him and to make a difference to the lives of children and young people in Azaad Kashmir.

The young people from Next Generation spent a full week working with a local school and learning about the culture and different ways of teaching in the classroom as well as sharing their stories about the educational system in England and their life experiences.

They also got involved and participated in sports activities and the planting of the flower borders in the school with students from the school.

Next Generation Youth and Community Project continues to support and fundraise for the schools and their local community.