A year ago, I came across one of the most thought-provoking TEDx talks I ever watched. Mohammad Asadi-Lari, a second-year MD student at the University of Toronto talked about empowering the youth to think globally and act locally. What stuck with me most out of his engaging talk was his perspective of empowerment.
What is empowerment?
The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines empowerment as “the act of giving somebody the power or authority to do something”. Before watching Mohammad’s talk, whenever I heard this word I thought immediately of social movements such as women empowerment or racial empowerment. I associated empowerment with mechanisms and policies only. However, after listening to Mohammad I realized that empowerment is much deeper than that because empowerment originates first from within ourselves. It is a mindset first and an act second.
What does it mean to be empowered? We tend to think its about that group dynamic or that moment of success. But do we also think about what leads there? This is I think where we start approaching things in the wrong way sometimes. We think empowerment is about that moment of success. I think it’s about those moments of failure.
Mohammad Asadi-Lari
It is in those moments of failure that we define our direction for the way forward; do we give up or do we keep going? This is also when we ask ourselves why we even try to work on an issue that seems to hard to conquer. Choosing perseverence in such times is when we empower ourselves to persist in doing our part in saving the world. Braving the darkness of self-doubt and continuing with energy is the essence of empowerment. Basically, it is our mindset.
Thinking globally, acting locally
An example of a youth-led initiative to tackle a global problem of deaf accessibility locally is ConnectHear. Azima Dhanjee, an IBA alumnus whose parents are deaf, founded ConnectHear to close the communication gap that persists for deaf people in Pakistan. In four years, ConnectHear has grown tremendously. They now offer the services of interpreters, translators, beginner-to-advanced sign language classes, and collaborations for making events accessible to deaf people.
Such an initiative is not easy. Two maxims about life thrive here: ups and downs are part of the journey, and daring to believe is power. This is what Azima and her talented team have done to send ripples of change that a forgotten part of our society desperately needs. Indeed, empowered minds take a stand and persist through obstacles to bring change.
Living up to one’s own words
It is one thing to talk about being empowered and leading positive social change. However, it is another thing entirely to act on those words. Mohammad Asadi-Lari (23), and his sister Zeynab (21), did exactly just that. Both embodied what it means to have an empowered mindset and think globally and act locally. Mohammad founded STEM Fellowship to promote STEM education and communication across Canada. He acted locally on his passion for science and altering educational approaches to it. He also co-founded the Physician Innovators Canada for advancing innovation in healthcare. His sister Zeynab was a “fierce advocate of mental health” and dedicated to youth-mentorship and health advocacy. Tragically, both of them passed away when Ukrainian Airlines flight 752 was shot down in Tehran on 8 January, 2020 killing all 176 people on board. Mohammad and Zeynab’s legacies thrive today with the help of their family and friends.
No matter where we go, we will always have a variety of social and economic issues. In order to turn the tide, we must empower ourselves with hope, courage, and determination to do some good for the world. As Mohammad said, “You may think, ‘these issues are big, global, interconnected, so what can I do about it?’ That’s where the whole idea of starting locally comes in… It starts with your community, it starts with volunteering at a hospital. It starts with seeing issues on the ground.”
These small steps can snowball and ignite a movement. So have no doubts when you take a small step for the betterment of society. Have courage and energy. That is the key to an empowered mind, and ultimately, to thinking globally and acting locally.
