PESHAWAR, Aug 08 (APP):From entrepreneurship and robotics to fashion, art and personality development, young people from across Pakistan came together in Peshawar for a seven-day youth festival aimed at providing them with opportunities to learn, compete and exchange ideas. Future Verse 2026 was held at TMUC Peshawar and organised by the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in collaboration with The Order of Pen (TOOP). The festival attracted participants from …
Youth Affairs holds seven-day `Future-Verse’ festival in Peshawar
PESHAWAR, Aug 08 (APP):From entrepreneurship and robotics to fashion, art and personality development, young people from across Pakistan came together in Peshawar for a seven-day youth festival aimed at providing them with opportunities to learn, compete and exchange ideas.
Future Verse 2026 was held at TMUC Peshawar and organised by the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in collaboration with The Order of Pen (TOOP).
The festival attracted participants from different parts of the country, with young people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the newly merged districts, making up a significant part of the gathering.
Women also participated in large numbers in training sessions, competitions, workshops and other activities held during the week-long programme.
The event was divided into five thematic areas — FounderVerse, TechVerse, MindVerse, JusticeVerse and StyleVerse — covering a broad range of interests and skills.
Sessions on entrepreneurship and design thinking gave participants an opportunity to work on ideas and explore aspects of starting and developing ventures.
Technology-related activities included robotics and other emerging areas, while the creative streams featured fashion, art and related disciplines.
The programme also included exhibitions and competitions, allowing participants to present their work and engage with mentors and professionals from different fields.
For many participants, the seven-day festival offered an opportunity to meet peers from outside their own districts and regions and to gain exposure to areas that are not always readily available through formal education.
Director Youth Affairs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abbas Khan Afridi said youth programmes needed to focus not only on lectures but also on practical exposure and interaction.
“A young person needs opportunities to test ideas, learn from others and understand how skills are applied in the real world.
The seven-day Future-Verse programme brought together young people from different regions and gave them that space. The participation of women was also encouraging, and we hope to see their representation grow further in such programmes,” he said.
Abbas Afridi said the Directorate would continue working on programmes that connected young people with skills, mentors and opportunities in emerging fields.
The participation of youth from the newly merged districts, along with young people from other parts of Pakistan, gave the festival a broader regional character and provided an opportunity for participants from different backgrounds to interact beyond their usual circles.
The seven-day event concluded after a series of workshops, competitions, exhibitions and interactive sessions designed to encourage young people to explore skills and opportunities beyond conventional academic pathways.
