2016 hansen summer institute on leadership and ... · 2016 hansen summer institute on leadership...

2016 Hansen Summer Institute on Leadership and International Cooperation - International Students - Rasheed, Saim


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Personal Statement

Personal Statement

Why would you like to participate in this leadership and international cooperation program?How does conflict among peoples affect your world, your country and your community?

*Please provide your answer to the above questions here: (650 words or less)

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful". I have been born and raised in the Peshawar city of Pakistan. Peshawar is the Centre of Ghandara (Hindko) culture and arts in Pakistan. But the last 6 decades turned the situations in a reverse direction. Peshawar has been worst infiltrated by the fundamentalists such as Taliban’s, extremism religious norms, and norms where girls are killed in the name of honor and people are massacred in the name of religion. Peshawar, a valley, which has been a famous hub for traders is now in the headlines for bombs and terrorism. Even after the extreme risky situations, I continued my studies. And I feel myself lucky. I not only dream for myself, but I dream for my city, my province and my country too. Currently, being an IT student, in the best Engineering university of Peshawar, I wish to utilize my knowledge and skills to strengthen our educational system. My idea is to educate people through technology as 60% of Pakistan ’s population cannot get education because of poverty. Considering the fact that about 75% population of our rural areas use cellphones, I want to create an SMS based education system. Through text messaging, different educational programs can be initiated for not only primary and secondary level, but for adult literacy too. As an active member of "AGHOSH TRUSTY AND WELFARE," which helps and distributes educational instruments like School Bags, stationary, uniform among poor and needy children, I have seen the complex grass root realities. I feel Hansen Summer Institute is an opportunity to polish my analytical and communication skills, and will definitely help me in exploring and carving my intelligence in the field. I am confident that this program will expose me to explore the new horizons of IT industry and I will have a deep understanding of its new concepts. The visit of USA will also fulfill my dream to meet with diverse people from different parts of the world to share modern ideas, contemporary discourses and innovative ideas. I intend to return to my country to search for culturally-specific solutions and implement my ideas of using technology for spreading education in my region. I really look forward to assimilate modern, progressive, and liberal ideas during my stay at USA. Conflicts among people will just bring Sorrows, pain, bloodletting and this will spread Negativity among people and country, and world will effect because negative people creates negative world. We have to live like Humanity, and do not make trouble for other people.

On Leadership

On Leadership

Describe a situation in the past two years when you were in leadership role. What aspect of this position was important to you? Why?What leadership skills would you bring to this program?What does leadership mean to you?How will participation in this program enhance your career goal?

*Please provide your answer for the above questions here: (650 words or less)


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Presently as a Senior Member of Computer society at my university, I am already involved in arranging events and IT workshops. It was a difficult to organize such a standard event without the help of Teachers, participation of members, volunteers, and co-operation of team members. But I really look forward to organize the event. Without inspiring others, motivating others, Leadership is incomplete. A leader will inspire and motivate their team to perform their Best and achieve their goals. All though I realized that what is leadership, and how it

is difficult to arrange the event. But I do my best. And yeah, this position was important to me, because I learned many things during my leaderships. I learn how to manage things, work and time. How to behave with others, how to talk with others, how to inspire and motivate others for achieving goal.

I think that one quality I bring to leadership is confidence. As a leader I think it is important to be confident in what you are doing because it would otherwise be difficult to follow someone who is lacking confidence. Another quality I think I bring to leadership is my ability to communicate with those I am working with. I try my best to be a good listener and I’m always asking the girls how they are doing or what their thoughts and opinions are on a situation. I like to be open as a leader and tell the girls exactly what is happening and why rather than telling them something they want to hear.

Leadership doesn't have a one size fits all definition. We all have our own ideas about what it means to be a good leader. I think leadership does not means that you are a Head of committee or you are a President of any society, leadership means that how you manage all things in a better way and in less time whether he/she is a president or a member of society. Leaders are people who know how to achieve goals and inspire people along the way. "Leadership is having a vision, sharing that vision and inspiring others to support your vision while creating their own."

I feel this program is an opportunity to polish my analytical and communication skills, and will definitely help me in exploring and carving my intelligence in the field. The visit of USA will also fulfill my dream to meet with diverse people from different parts of the world to share modern ideas, contemporary discourses and innovative ideas, this will add much to my respect and position in my family and society, as I will be the first one in my village to have this honor. I really look forward to assimilate modern, progressive, and liberal ideas during my stay at USA.

On International Cooperation

On International Cooperation

How do you anticipate applying your leadership skills in the future to resolve conflicts in your world, your nation or your community? What do you envision as your role in creating international cooperation to promote a more peaceful world?

*Please provide your answer for the above questions here: (650 words or less)

1)Listening is the first and most important step in resolving conflict. I will first listen to people’s issue. We should simply listen to all parties involved to completely understand the nature of conflict, and then start troubleshooting solutions. I will arrange a meetings with all involved parties to discuss the issue, and solutions for resolving conflicts. I will give chance to everyone to speak, because this is a good opportunity to hear all sides and gain a full understanding of the conflict. The second important thing is to be impartial and do work with honesty, do not take sides!! In a leadership position, we should not display any sort of opinion that favors one person over another. As a Good and Responsible leader, I will try to not display any sort of favors. One thing is more important that we should not Postpone Conflict Resolution. We have to be precise. Ask what exactly is meant. Solve the conflict immediately. Otherwise, the situation will rapidly increases day by day and could affect performance. The one quality in leader should be Confidence. It is important to be confident in what you are doing. Another quality which is important in leader that the ability to communicate with peoples in a Good manner, Always show respect. However much you disagree with someone. Encouragement and motivation are helpful and powerful. Promote team work. As a good leader, I will inspire and motivate my team to perform their Best and achieve their goals. I will remind my team of successful projects that required teamwork to complete. This is one of the most effective conflict resolution techniques and will really make the team think about the importance of working in a team.

2)Imagine all the people, living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. hope someday you will focus, and the world will live as one. A Peaceful World Begins with Small Peaceful Actions. we need hope. And hope grows from nonviolent actions, no matter how small. In many parts of the world, civil society suffers because of situations of violent conflicts and war. Extremism is increasing. Poor countries remain poor. The inequality between rich and poor expands. Building a culture of peace, and make Ourselves a responsible citizen of the country. Until we can’t make Ourselves good, the country will never go towards advancement. Without Public nothing is possible. We have to stand Unite, move Unite, and fulfill with our responsibilities. We know in our hearts that violence does not bring peace. We seem to know innately, with our hearts, what is right, proper and just. As human beings, we all wish to be happy and to avoid suffering. we don’t know how, or where, to start? I believe we have to start with very small actions. Me, Myself not be able to change the entire world all at once, but we can begin to change a tiny piece of it in our everyday environment. As 60% of world population cannot get education because of poverty. About 75% population of our rural areas use cellphones, I want to create an SMS Based Learner System. Through text messaging, different educational programs can be initiated for not only primary and secondary level, but for adult literacy too. The idea is that this free of cost SMS based education system would be available to everyone so that everyone could get benefit from this. If we wish to see an enlightened world of peace and justice for all, we have to move beyond merely imagining it, to nonviolent actions, however small, that will help to usher it in. Justice is another key thing for any society, we have to make every one accountable to LAW and for that judiciary have to play a vital role.

Optional Idea for a Social Entrepreneurship Project Questionnaire Social Entrepreneurship

*If selected as a Hansen fellow do you have an idea or venture you would like to develop and get funded?

Yes-I already have an idea and would like to work on it more if selected as a Hansen Fellow

If you answered yes, please identify the stage of your social entrepreneurship venture idea:1. Definition Stage: You have thought about specific social needs, an innovation to address them, and the positive potential social impact—but these ideas only exist conceptually in your head, or you have a few general ideas with limited research at this point.2. Design Stage: Your social impacts have become clearer because you have tested your assumptions with potential customers/beneficiaries, or you have begun to assemble teams and begun planning a local pilot project. 3. Pilot Stage: You have already tested your innovation with a pilot project and a group of customer/beneficiaries with some verifiable impacts. Your team continues to fine-tune your innovative product or service based on live


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field experience. 4: Scaling Stage: Your innovation has proven successful at achieving social impacts in more than one geographic area. The project has sustainable financial and human resource models with strong leadership and strategic partner support in place.

*Stage: Design Stage

*If you already have a social entrepreneurship venture idea (regardless of what stage your idea is) please describe it: (650 words or less)

As i have seen complex grass root realities and already involved in IT, So I want to help poor and needy people of rural areas, I want to help those peoples who are very far away from the basic necessities of life, So first i will create education system in the rural areas. This will be a free cost education system. On daily basis we will send them 5 to 10 English words with their Urdu meaning. First we will Go to the rural areas and will arrange a campaign about this Technology, which will be helpful for those who lives in rural areas. We will give a basic training on how to use mobile phones and practical hands-on experience, motivate them and I am definitely sure that they will understand better and will inspire from this Modern technology. At the beginning 20% - 30% of people who living in rural areas will gain benefit from this, then these 20 – 30% people will forward our message and will promote our technology. So Like this, education will increase in rural areas and everyone could get benefit from this. Poverty will also Rescinds. Why I want to do this? I think Terrorism/ Terrorist born from rural areas, because they are living without basic necessities. They are far away from everything like education, food, Electricity etc. They have no any other Path. So, they adapt wrong path. Education will give them opportunity to think about betterment of their children future, and also for their beloved country.

*Which of the following would you categorize your venture as? Education

*Describe how your venture addresses a social need, and how it benefits your target community: (650 words or less)

As aforementioned that I dream to create an SMS based education system, through which basic literacy skills of the youth and adults be enhanced to a next level. Education is one of the basic needs in all societies. In the rural areas of Pakistan, most of the youth, especially girls, cannot pursue their studies after primary or secondary level. This initiative can help them to increase their general knowledge, mathematical and Urdu & English language skills. If I get the opportunity to acquire the required knowledge and skills through USA exchange program, I will build an SMS based software. My next step will be searching for the sponsors and donors for this project, so that it can reach to the masses. Primarily a few rural areas of KPK will be selected. I propose that the youth of that rural area would be engaged to orient, advocate and promote this SMS based education program in their respective areas. After sensitizing the community leaders of that area, community groups may be formed for follow up. With the help of these groups, training sessions would be arranged for youth and adults to guide them for the cell phone usage and acquiring education through SMS.

Describe what success would look like for your social venture: (650 words or less)

I am not dreaming for an overnight success. Illiteracy is a big dilemma of my Country and I believe that all of the educated masses have to play their active role to eradicate this darkness and to lit the light of education. The venture, I am suggesting, might be a small step but it can reveal good results. If a small scale shop keeper can get to know about how to keep his basic accounts and how to calculate his profit margin and similarly, if a homemaker girl can help her mother in handling their house budget adequately, with the help of the mathematical lessons, this makes the venture successful. I also wish to use the same medium for educating the masses of my rural areas, about tolerance, peace and humanity. So if youth learns about the peace makers of the world, and get to learn how they can contribute to bring peace, tolerance and love in their societies under the general knowledge section of the project, would greatly contribute to the success factor of the venture.

*Describe how you will achieve sustainability after initial financing: (650 words or less)

I will be certainly looking for long term sponsors and donors. I might also involves some local philanthropists as well. Moreover I can also work closely with a cellular company as, in this era of tough competition in telecommunication industry, I am hopeful to get hocked with a cellular company of Pakistan because this venture can surely add a competitive edge to them. At the local level, the commitment and ownership from community is the best approach to ensure sustainability. Activating the existing committees or forums at the community level on volunteer basis can also serve the purpose.

Request Details

Section Name Requestee Name Requestee Email Reference from a Non Governmental Organization NGO

Khurram Rasheed

Reference from an Academic Advisor Dr Laiq hasan

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

2016 Hansen Summer Institute on Leadership and International Cooperation -

International Students - Rasheed, Saim

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International Students - Rasheed, Saim 2016 Hansen Summer Institute on Leadership and International Cooperation -

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I will need almost 4000 dollars for this initiative. The cost break up can be seen as:

1000 dollars to develop message based education system. (We will develop 500 mobile based messages which can be sent to students to educate them)

1000 dollars for marketing/promotion of this education system, so that people know about this service and register.

1000 dollars (in form of salary to sustain the service for at-least 3 months)

1000 dollars to maintain a system to measure the impact.

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