“I have never had such a wonderful learning experience. The group activities and their potential application with children have opened up a whole new avenue for me.”
On December 1, 2024, Brighter Tomorrow started a new collaboration that will share the lessons that we’ve learned over the past four years to educators and community workers in Peshawar. Taqwa Welfare Organization offered us a space at their school and provided refreshments for a day-long teacher training session, that included our staff and teachers from three other organizations teaching out-of-school children.
All these organizations are members of the Social Welfare District Coordination Council of Peshawar—a network of registered non-governmental and non-profit organizations. Brighter Tomorrow is now offering support to member organizations by sharing our psychosocial support techniques including Focusing, enhanced teaching methods and lesson plan development. The workshop aims to equip participants with the skills to design effective, engaging, and inclusive lesson plans tailored to the needs of children exposed to challenging environments.
The training featured interactive group work sessions to foster collaboration among the teachers and peer learning, as well as simulation exercises to provide hands-on practice with teaching strategies. These activities were carefully designed to encourage active listening, not only in interactions with colleagues but especially with children. The session also encouraged critical thinking and the practical application of key concepts.
We were delighted to call on the expertise of local activist and educator Mr. Abdul Nasir Khan, who facilitated the workshop. He has worked in the past with Dr. Pat Omidian and currently volunteers at Brighter Tomorrow.
Participants in the December 1st class found the session transformative. One participant, Ms. Shakeela Naz shared her reflections, stating:
“I wish I had been taught this when I first became a teacher. Today’s session has been an eye-opener and will undoubtedly help me become a more effective educator.”
Ms. Saba Noor highlighted one of the session’s key lessons:
“Until today, I only understood the meaning of pausing; today, I learned its importance. From now on, I will practice pausing and teach its value to others.”
The emphasis on group activities resonated deeply with Ms. Fozia (whose comment was shared at the top of this article).
By the end of the session, attendees left with actionable strategies and enhanced capabilities to create a supportive and empathetic learning environment for children. The Brighter Tomorrow model, emphasizing literacy, numeracy, and psychosocial support, proves to be a solid framework for empowering teachers and improving outcomes for out-of-school children.
We intend to continue offering this workshop to staff of NGOs in Peshawar, and perhaps expand to other places in Pakistan.
