Stories that change lives

Youth Champions motivate a young audience through inspiring stories

KARACHI: Mahira Ahmed Miyanji looked like the average Jane in the crowd. That was until she hit the stage. When she started telling her story, you realised she was so much more; that she was the stuff legends are made of.

The daughter of a labourer and a mother who used to make toys, Mahira started teaching children in her neighbourhood when she was in class seven. She was sponsored by the Karachi Youth Initiative to attend a training session in Lahore. The session proved to be an eye-opener, making her realise that she could do so much more with her potential.

"Where I am teaching 20 children at home, I could teach 2,000 if I want," she reckoned. At the age of 18 in 2013, she set up the first female-run organisation in Lyari. It was named, 'Woman is a Nation Welfare Organisation'. She also set up the first female café, which has served more than 2,500 women till today.

On the second day of the 'I Am Karachi Youth Champion' workshop at PC Marquee, Miyanji wasn't the only one with an inspirational story to tell. The whole event was an amalgamation of youth sharing their life-changing stories. Stories that changed lives for the better.

Azhar Shams, a social activist started his story with Zainab, a housemaid and a widow, who needed financial help to send her daughter to school. Shams claims his simple actions changed Zainab's and her daughter's life forever. He made a movie with his phone that led him to win a DSLR camera in a competition. He used the prize to make a documentary on Zainab and her daughter. The video was shown in an 'I Am Karachi' event where a citizen offered to finance Zainab's daughter's education.

Nauroz Ghani, another youth from Lyari, spoke of his transformation from a gangster to a social mobiliser and later, winning the national peace prize.

Later, the crowd was treated to a performance by Junior Jags - a troupe of young hip-hop performers - a theatre performance by Zahars on 'Media Madness' and motivational sessions by various professional trainers and youth champions. The theme for the two-day event was 'I Am United, I Am Hope, I Am Tolerant, I Am Alive.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistani cricketer also had invaluable advice for the young audience. "To achieve something in life, work hard and don't look for shortcuts". The youth cheered his words. "If someone hurts you and you hurt them back, you wouldn't be able to get ahead in life", he said. "I didn't have a bat or pad or shoes when I went for trials. The only thing I had was self-belief and that is what's important. If self-belief is lost, everything is lost."

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2015.