On April 29, 2016, the Imagine team of the university launched a digital marketing campaign they had designed as part of their participation in the P2P: Challenging Extremism program sponsored by the U. S. Department of State and Edventure firm. The event took place in the Marble Hall of the Neftchilar campus and was coordinated by the Imagine team, the International Affairs Office, the School of Economics and Management, and the Office of Public Relations and Media.
Participants of the event included academic and administrative staff members of Khazar University as well as local and international students. Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees, also participated in the event.
Dr. Hasan Niknafs, President of Khazar University, opened the event and welcomed the participants. Dr. Niknafs stressed the importance of the event and wished our team good luck in the global competition. Then Professor Ingilab Ahmadov, Dean of the School of Economics and Management, spoke about the team and how participation in this program helped to enrich the marketing course the students took in the current semester.
Ms. Turan Jafarova, Director of the International Affairs Office, delivered a presentation about P2P: Challenging Extremism, the global youth initiative and international competition. She shared information about the goal of the program, the way it is carried out, and the university's participation in it. Ms. Jafarova stressed the importance of the program and the impact it could have against extremism, and she encouraged the participants to support the Imagine team.
Ms. Sana Imran, marketing instructor and the leader of the Imagine team, informed the audience about the activities that the team carried out and thanked the university management and administration for the support provided to the team.
The members of the team made several presentations that covered the following topics: extremism, its main reasons and sources, effects of extremism on society and children, and how to fight it. A video was also prepared as part of the marketing campaign of the team. The video focused on how parents could potentially influence the choices their children would make as adults. Special attention was given to the activities carried out by the team in the frame of their marketing campaign: team members spoke about their survey carried out with parents both online and in person, presentations for schoolchildren, workshops for parents, promotional events at local malls, and other activities.
The event also included a dance performance: Erlan Ismayilov danced to the "Imagine" song by John Lennon.
“The Book of Mankind” was also launched during the event by Professor Hamlet Isaxanli. “The Book of Mankind” is a manual which includes training materials that will help parents, teachers, youth leaders, and others fight extremism through interactive activities, stories, games, etc. The team plans to translate the manual into both Azerbaijani and English and disseminate it in local schools, kindergartens, and other educational institutions.
Participants of the event were awarded with memorable souvenirs – each participant was registered for a lucky draw at the door and the winners received prizes.
The team concluded the event by performing the famous “We Are the World” song. The Imagine team members thanked all participants for attending the event and encouraged them to support the team in the global competition.