Youth Engagement

The complex challenges facing our increasingly volatile world — from climate change to rural development to security — are also a source of opportunity for the next generation of leaders and changemakers. Around the world, young Ismailis like Rufayda Dhamani, Nurmuhammad Butabekov, and Aleem Rehmtulla are taking creative approaches to address these issues and prepare for the future of the global economy.

Take any highly successful person and chances are that person had a mentor to guide his or her journey, but when Kenyan-born Azan Virji set out to obtain a world-class medical education in the United States, he didn’t know whose path he could follow.

Since the beginning of time, people have handed down knowledge and lessons from one generation to the next in the form of stories. The novelist Haruki Murakami once said that “Stories lie deep in our souls. Stories lie so deep at the bottom of our hearts that they can bring people together at the deepest level.” For one young member of the Jamat in the Far East, continuing this centuries-old tradition is of crucial importance.

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.

The field of User Experience (UX) has grown rapidly over recent years, due to the proliferation of electronic devices, software apps, games, and productivity tools. We take a look into the world of UX and some of the career opportunities that may exist within it.