By Moiz Lakhani
This past summer, I was selected to be part of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations. The assembly is a platform which facilitates the partnership of selected youth between the ages of 16-28, encouraging us to collaborate on projects relating to the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, the assembly connects youth delegates to a multitude of organizations, such as Novartis, The World Bank Group, and Refugees International, encouraging the engagement and partnership between youth and institutions.
The assembly also offers an Impact Challenge, which provides delegates like me with an opportunity to design and pitch proposals for a social project relating to a social, economic, or environmental issue as outlined in the 2030 Agenda for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. With over 100 countries and 1,000 delegates participating, only 10 were selected as finalists, including myself.
We were invited to pitch our ideas on International Youth Day at the New York University Law School. The panel of experts was led by Dahna Goldstein, CEO of PhilanTech, an online grants management software solution which has facilitated more than $12 billion USD in grants and has served over 17,000 institutions.
At 17, I was the youngest of three winners announced during the closing ceremonies of the Youth Assembly last August. My project, Ninja Girls, aims to teach self defense to girls and young women in developing nations. In addition, we plan to educate participants as to what legally qualifies as sexual and physical abuse. It’s a simple solution to a problem affecting millions of people. I developed this project because, as a 2nd degree black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and three-time NAGA World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, I wanted to use my skillset to help others.
My project was offered seed funding by Space Chain, and I will soon be working with organizations such as Impact Hub NYC, Ideas for Action, SDSN Youth, and G Diapers to launch Ninja Girls. The Impact Challenge has also provided me with a platform reaching 40,000 people globally.
But the most rewarding aspect of this experience is receiving mentorship from leading experts and being able to learn from global institutions at such a young age.
I’m looking forward to it.
Editor’s note:
Moiz is an outstanding volunteer with the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat’s Visitor Program and has been involved with the World Partnership Walk for many years.