Service

As the global community faced unforeseen challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools and universities were required to quickly implement remote learning in order to maintain social distancing and other Covid-19 safety protocols.

Whether you define it as seva, khidmat, or serviço, the ethic of offering service has been at the foundation of many selfless institutions and individuals around the world. This ethic is seen within our community and beyond, which can help to foster an active and healthy civil society. Youth leaders from around the world have adapted this very mindset: enabling communities through ‘building bridges.’ This phrase of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s is vital to forming a knowledge society, in which best practices — such as the ones used by Shagufta, Aly, and Sara — are shared and implemented worldwide.

In celebration of International Volunteer Day, The Ismaili is pleased to present We serve the Jamat, performed in Farsi by Najib Shirzad and volunteers from the Jamat in Afghanistan. The song depicts the humility and commitment of volunteers who ensure the wellbeing of the entire community, year after year.

The third edition of the Paris Peace Forum was held from 11 to 13 November 2020. Stakeholders from different backgrounds were brought together to discuss global challenges and promote constructive solutions. This year, young Ismaili professionals from the France jurisdiction also participated as volunteers.

Everything is made of something. Materials science is the study of what objects are made of – from metals to ceramics and polymers – and why certain materials function the way they do. It is the science that explains why your phone charger is made of the insulator polycarbonate or why a car contains the fireproof material fiberglass in its bumpers, doors, roof, and wheels. Though materials science and engineering (MSE) is not often studied in schools, it is the foundation of all objects in our world.