Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) organized two editions of the PUAN Masterclass – a 5-day flagship program to facilitate the creation of safer societies regionally and locally. Conducted under the theme ‘#PeaceLab: Promoting Regional Peace & Stability’ for two cohorts of nearly 100 USG alumni from Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Masterclass comprised of in-depth workshops where leading practitioners, academics and market leaders provided participants trainings on innovation, peace building, entrepreneurship, business management, and market linkages.
The event was implemented in partnership with Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness. Through PeaceLab, in-depth mentorship and essential training were provided to participants so they can scale up their start-up peace technology ideas and initiatives in order to achieve, lessen, foresee, and avoid potential conflicts and promote sustainable peace in their communities and regionally. Networking opportunities during the program helped in strengthening connections between emerging and young entrepreneurs across between the two countries. The program also built momentum for continued engagement between exchange alumni in Pakistan and Afghanistan by providing them a space to learn together about social entrepreneurship and to explore opportunities to achieve stability between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
