In 2010, six young people from around the UK travelled to Pakistan to work with filmmakers, politicians, young people, truck painters, madrassa students – all to experience Pakistan for themselves, beyond the popular stereotype.

Their journey, from the alleys of Rawalpindi to the mountains of Kashmir, was filmed each day and the resulting series of short films exploring different topics form the basis of newly-launched classroom resources. The resources are all available for free download online on the [de] Culture channel and are suitable for Key Stage 3 and GCSE English and Citizenship.

Booklets with lesson plans and activity sheets, blog posts, presentations and photo sets from the expedition are complemented with an Ambassador programme, encouraging direct peer-to-peer learning – invite an expedition team member to your class to discuss their experiences!

Produced by Digital Explorer, a UK-based social enterprise dedicated to bringing the world into the classroom and who also led the expedition, the Culture channel, expedition and resources grew out of the immediate need to get under the skin of stereotypes and preconceptions about Pakistan, Muslims and wider Islamic world. Going beyond ‘cricket, curry and terrorism,’ the three words the team used to describe Pakistan before they left, they discovered a more complex and nuanced country than ‘the most dangerous in the world.’

Through the resources, the journey of a few can be shared with many, bringing real-life and current experiences to the classroom. General themes such as the role of the media, impacts of urban development, child labour, what faith means in the 21^st century are all explored using Pakistan as an example.

6 March 2012