What do you know about the ‘I Am Tomorrow’ festival?
On the 3rd of March 2018, a group of like-minded people came together to celebrate a one of a kind event. It was held at Lahore University of Management Sciences by Ali Sohail . The interactive festival catered to women working in various industries; from tech to art , business and much more. The festival stemmed from the idea of discovering female role models and sharing their eye opening stories with the world. ‘I am Tomorrow’ launched last year in Barcelona, then London and now in Lahore.
“I built India’s first social network back in 2005, then a gaming company in Hong Kong. Later in 2009/10 I gave up everything and started building platforms useful for entrepreneurs, young people, and women. That’s how I started because I wanted to make learning easy for young people and connect people with their opportunities. I think that’s when we all can learn and collaborate better,” narrated Kiran Maverick, the founder of this amazing festival, explaining how this ideology came into existence. 
“The world needs more female role models than ever before and it’s time for women to believe more than ever, in themselves and achieve equality. My vision for I Am Tomorrow is to build a whole new generation of well networked and highly skilled women across the world”- Kiran Maverick
The Day of I Am Tomorrow
A diversified crowd was gathered to be a part of the event. As an attendee from ProperGaanda, I was looking forward to learn, unlearn and relearn from the women of various fields with lined up panels.
Opening Keynote by Aurelie Salvaire
It began with a F word we fear the most. No, not that one. I’m talking about, yes you guessed it: Feminism. This is what Salvaire had to say on the matter: “Same right, same opportunities. Equality doesn’t mean sexist.” She further elaborated on the idea of Feminism in our society by emphasising that we should, “become a fearless investor to attain the achievement of full equality between sexes. 
She concluded the keynote speech by introducing the audience to her book, ‘Balance The World’ about feminism and equality.
Panels and Speaker Sessions
Panel: Change Makers 
Moderator: Zoe Richards Panelists: Madiha Hamid, Falahat Imran, Danish Jabbar Khan, Hassan Khan (Uber) As the name suggests, this panel was about changemakers from the society breaking the glass ceiling and challenging the status quo. 
Madiha Hamid from Chefling Tale motivated women who prefer working from home; picking up a skill as basic as cooking and creating a business with it. This was her drive to create the wonderful idea of Chefling Tales. On the other hand , Danish Jabbar Khan- Founder of Karavan- talked about mobilizing women by letting them take their own independent decisions and transforming the stereotypical gender roles. “Empowerment is when our women are part of the decision making,” said Khan. Hassan Khan – Advocate for Uber- emphasised that women take part in the recruitment process. In conclusion, Falahat Imran behind Women Chambers talked about the importance of a separate chamber for women and how most people aren’t even aware that a women chamber exists!
Talk by Zoe Richards
Zoe Richards is a lawyer with an eccentric personality with a pinch of comedy. She spoke about her journey of living in Pakistan, being the unconventional brown (not white) Christian girl. As she stood there with her head held high and voice steady she explained how her fellow Christian community members can succeed despite being a minority religion group in Pakistan. Furthermore, she emphasised, that the Christian community can be a part of the conversation as much as the religious majorities in the Pakistani socio-economic system. 
“Connect, collaborate and start the conversation.” Zoe Richards
Panel: Founders 
Moderator: Wajeeha Sabir Panelists: Rabia Ashiq, Arshia Mahrukh, Sana Aslam, Wajiha Kashan A very important point was discussed by Rabia Ashiq- principal of a school in a village setting. She fought against her circumstances to gain an education. Arshia Mahrukh, on the other hand, shared her story in the e-commerce industry. Sana Aslam and Wajiha Kashan talked about their journey of how they became founders in their fields of industries.
Talk by Jannat Ali
Jannat Ali, needs no introduction. She was the first transgender project manager at the Khawaja Sira Society, an MBA gold medalist, a classical kathak dancer and a performer. A truly motivated and passionate human being, Jannat Ali exemplifies the phrase ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. 
Other notable talks were given by Seyham Vahidy- an entrepreneur who calls herself a Mom-Preneur and Play Create Celebrate CEO Tamara Robeer. Tamara broke the “white” stereotype that we have created and generalised. Her story was not only eye opening but conveyed a very deep rooted, yet simple message: accept who you are, strive and never give up. 
Panel: Women Leaders 
Moderator: Ali Sohail Panelists: Hamna Tahir, Zenith Irfan, Muneeza Anwar, Zara Zaman, Rimsha Farouk This diversified panel of accomplished women shared their journey of achieving their goals and dreams with the audience. 
Hamna Tahir- one of the Co Founders of ProperGaanda– talked about her journey of how ProperGaanda came into existence. Through her talk, she inspired those who are afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone to pursue their hobby as their career and to not be afraid before even trying.
“Give her the platform and let her go. Let her explore and experiment.” Zenith Irfan who is a female biker and went to explore Pakistan to fulfill her dream of travelling, expressed how easy it was made despite her fear. Her travel blog has changed the perceptive of Pakistan around the globe. Zara Zaman – Interior Designer- talked about how important it is to embrace yourself and to spread the strength of kindness, to follow your dreams fearlessly in a male dominating society. Rimsha Farouk- A LUMS Graduate-emphasised on how she took a difficult path and believed in herself by entering the supply chain industry. Pepsi Marketing Manager, Muneeba Anwar, advised on how men should support women who want to have it both: a career and a family. Panel: Women in Art and Media 
Moderator: Mehmal Sarfarz Panelists: Mashal Peerzada, Zebunnisa Burki, Mira Hashmi The familiar faces and renowned personalities from the media industry shared their valuable lessons and experiences on how women in this big industry transformed themselves as well their respective fields. Mehmal Sarfarz, being a senior journalist, had interesting questions for her panelists. Mira Hashmi- Film Studies instructor and a renowned artist- shared her experience of censorship for the script she is penning down due to the sensitivity of unacceptability, how there used to be a Khawateen Times on PTV and, the importance of the Udaari play raising issues like child abuse. Whereas Zebunnisa Burki- The News Op-Od – shared her experience from the newsroom on being taken seriously by male colleagues and bosses. Mashal Peerzada- Director, Screenwriter- talked about the role of being a director and the challenges she had to face. 
“In Journalism, to get access to your story is to break through the gender barriers”- Zebunnisa Burki
The closing keynote speech was given by Safee Shah – General Manager, Uber Pakistan- on why it is important for Uber to support events like this and Uber’s role in giving back to the community. This was followed by closing remarks by the enthusiastic host Ali Sohail- who managed to keep the audience engaged for 7 whole hours. 
The I am Tomorrow festival ended with a standup comedy set by Yusra Amjad for the audience. The audience returned home with many insightful stories by the speakers and a light hearted satire routine on today’s society by Amjad. 