Empowering youth: From a mechanic to a public speaker

KARACHI:

We must strive towards our goals without letting external factors influence us; if we let ourselves be demotivated by others, we are bound to fail.

Muhammad Yaseen Rahimoon, the head of training at the alGhousia Training Centre, was addressing students at the sixth session of the 'I Am Karachi Talks', organised by 'I Am Karachi' in collaboration with the Express Media Group at Ziauddin University on Tuesday.

"When I was 13, I was sent to a workshop to receive training as an auto mechanic," he recalled. "After spending over six years working in the same workshop, I realised this was not my life's goal." Instead, Rahimoon wanted to continue his education. "I remember how people used to laugh at me but that just made me even more determined and I completed Matriculation in two years," he said, adding that as the first person in his family to finish Matriculation, it was a huge achievement for him.

In pursuing his goals, Rahimoon was helped by the Institute for Advancing Careers and Talents (iACT). Through the Youth Empowering Spaces project, he received professional training in public speaking. "At that time, I couldn't even communicate with the person standing next to me because I was very shy," Rahimoon narrated. "Today, I have trained over 6,000 people across the country." He had also conducted a training session for over 2,000 young people at Amantech.

Rahimoon is now the founder of YouthMobs, an organisation that aims to promote education in small communities that give little importance to literacy. He works with a team of five passionate social workers to help empower the future generation. "My vision is to open an institute for the poor people who cannot afford education," he explained. "By helping others, I will enable them to help needy people in the future."

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2015.