A 2-day international virtual conference was organized by the National Institute of Psychology (NIP), Center of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, on 21st and 22nd October 2021.
The institute’s 8th International Conference, “Mental Health and Productivity: The Challenges for Youth” was organized to provide opportunities for social scientists, academicians, civil society organizations, and students from all over the world to share their empirical and theoretical work to highlight issues and challenges that the youth is facing and need immediate attention.
In her opening remarks, the conference organizer, Dr. Nelofer Kiran Rauf welcomed the guests and conference delegates and shared that the event will provide a much needed platform to engage scholars, professionals, academicians, and students not only in oral and poster presentations, but also provide them with an opportunity to have an active discourse during keynote lectures and scientific sessions.
NIP Director, Prof. Dr. Rubina Hanif, in her welcome address shared that the conference’s primary focus is on contemporary issues, trends, and challenges faced by the youth that affect various aspects of their lives.
She also hoped that the mutual participation and high-quality deliberations of the conference will create inspiring learning environment, resulting into innovative ideas.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Muhammad Idrees, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad highlighted that Pakistan is facing a youth bulge and it is predicted to increase with current rate of increase in population growth.
This is not only causing frustration but also impacting youth’s mental health which is drastically leaving its impact on productivity and economic growth of the country, causing lower mental health and higher indices of illnesses in the youth.
He acknowledged NIP for its commitment and drive in organizing this conference on a much needed theme and urged the conference organizers and participants to take an in-depth insight at the issues and obstacles raised by the covid-19 pandemic among the Pakistani youth, as well as the opportunities created by the transforming patterns of their lives.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellor, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, in his address articulated that the conference theme was pertinent, considering the problems that the general population of Pakistan is facing.
