Youth Time Ambassadors 2022: Meet Sayed Masoumi

The first Youth Time ambassador that we are thrilled to introduce to you is Sayed Ahmad Fahim Masoumi, who despite his young age has achieved quite a lot and doesn’t plan to stop.

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in International Relations in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2020 through the DAAD scholarship program, Sayed received the opportunity to pursue his Master’s degree in Sustainable Development Management in Germany.

Since 2015 Sayed has been volunteering for SDGs programs. He worked with AIESEC in Afghanistan for over four years and contributed to various projects in Afghanistan, India, Bahrain, Egypt, and Vietnam. His last role in AIESEC was Country Director for International Exchange Programs. After becoming an AIESEC alumnus, Sayed along with colleagues from AIESEC founded the VNDO organization to continue the advocacy for SDGs with a major focus on Gender Equality, Quality Education, and Climate Change in Afghanistan.

Sayed also was an associate member in the American Chamber of Commerce in Afghanistan (AmCham) to discuss and mobilize sources between US and Afghanistan in the business sector. He is currently doing his Master’s internship at the German Federal Association for Sustainability, and Sustainability Leader in United People Global.

As of recently, Sayed has joined Youth Time Magazine as a writer and is sharing his knowledge about sustainability with our audience. His hobbies include but are not limited to photography, reading entrepreneurial books, and listening to music. He values respect and trust.

When did you first hear about Youth Time?

I heard about Youth Time via the LinkedIn page after a former colleague from AIESEC and former Youth Time Ambassador, Mr. Mustafa Rezazadah, shared about the Youth Time program in Qatar.

Why did you decide to become a Youth Time ambassador?

After reviewing the Youth Time’s website, their activities, and their vision for mobilizing youth to participate in present and future regional and global issues actively, I determined to be part of another chapter in the EU to work with youth-led movements.

Now that you were chosen to be one of the ambassadors, what has changed in your life? What are you most excited about in this program?

I am excited to meet and interact with the Youth Time leadership and management team, fellow ambassadors, share my knowledge, and develop my skills in various phases of the project management cycle. Besides, I look forward to meeting and working with youth attending our events and workshops to make our communities sustainable and active.

What inspired you? Who are your role models?

Seeing youth like myself who strive to speak up without fear and confidence makes me part of global movements through available platforms like Youth Time. My role model is my father, who has succeeded in becoming a prominent commercial pilot in the history of Afghanistan, despite challenges he had to face in life. He never gave up and has always supported and motivated me to go further and [become] stronger.

Is there an achievement or contribution you are most proud of?

During my work in AIESEC, I have been a role model for some, I can say. I am proud of my actions in my career and empowered youth in Afghanistan to volunteer and help Afghanistan develop by connecting with youth from across continents. I received an appreciation certificate from the Parliament House of Afghanistan for my services and the Human Rights 2021 Award from the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue.

I had the honor of representing my country in COP26 and COY16 in Glasgow, UK, World’s Largest Lesson 2018 in Bahrain, and Word’s Youth Forum 2021 in Egypt.

What was the biggest challenge you were facing, and how did you solve it?

Challenges can have various degrees, one example for me was organizing an event for youth in Kabul, and in the last hours, the keynote speaker told us that he could not attend the event and is sorry for that. All participants arrived in the hall, and the speaker could not join. We had to quickly find a potential influencer related to the career development topic. We shared this news in our Alumni network, and then successfully, one of our alumni working in UN agreed to assist us and join us with one hour delay. He delivered the concepts in the best possible way with a more participatory approach from the audience.

What would you say to someone considering becoming a Youth Time ambassador next year?

I call on youth, who are keen to enrich their mindset, be part of the solution, be interested in youth-led initiatives, and commit to developing themselves and youth, then join Youth Time Movement.

Stay tuned for our future interviews with four other young, talented and ambitious Youth Time ambassadors.

Photo courtesy of Sayed Ahmad Fahim Masoumi

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