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Alumni Spotlight: Shughaib Abdi

Shughaib Headshot1

Shughaib Abdi (YES 2008-2009, Tanzania, hosted by ASPECT in Wilkes Barre, PA) is the current president of the Tanzania YES Alumni Association, a role that suits him well considering his deep and accomplished background in leadership positions. Shughaib was the president of his university, a position he was quite comfortable with having previously served as president of his high school class. Shughaib says that his time in the U.S. was essential in molding him into the leader he is today, especially when it comes to his confidence in public speaking, critical thinking, and passion for community service projects. His experience in the U.S. was bolstered by YES alumni trainings he attended, one in Bali and the other in Manila. Both the trainings provided additional instruction and inspiration to develop skills to lead team members, manage projects, and pursue civic engagement. Shughaib draws from his experience in the U.S. and knowledge from alumni trainings to develop Tanzanian youth. As a YES alumnus, Shughaib has dedicated himself to mobilizing fellow youth to embrace a mentality of youth activism, service, and leadership within their own communities.

Shughaib Campaign
Shughaib at his University when he was campaigning to be University President

When Shughaib was the president of his university, he prioritized cultivating an environment of open and continuous dialogue centered around the value of education, specifically using education as a tool to solve problems within students' immediate communities. Shughaib organized and implemented “The Leader of the Future” trainings that underlined the importance of youth leadership and changing the mindset and perspective of youth activism. Shughaib explained that a majority of Tanzanian youth share a mentality of passively waiting for the government to solve a problem. Shughaib explained that "In my country most of the youths have a belief that everything must be done by the government and they are not interested in participating in volunteering activities. So for me, this is a great opportunity to use my exchange experience to influence young figures to be participants in any development, social or cultural, activities within the community." Instead of waiting for the government to resolve a problem, Shughaib implored youth to engage with the community to develop creative ways to solve local issues – especially through the lens of education. Shughaib says it best, "I believe youths can be the weapon to change the community."

Shughaib Volunteer
Shughaib doing a service project at Chwaka Zanzibar

The “Leader of the Future” trainings covered a range of topics to give youth a better understanding of issues that might be prominent in their community, and encouraged them to be proactive in youth activism. Topics included peacemaking, leadership, gender equality, and citizen's rights. Shughaib brought sensitive topics to the table to be discussed through different lenses such as religious, political, and racial. These trainings focus on emphasizing that diverse values should not destroy the peace and harmony of a country, but be employed as a tool that creates relationships. In total, Shughaib led six trainings attended by an average of 150 youth per training. 

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Shughaib meeting the former president of Tanzania!

One of Shughaib's favorite projects since becoming a YES alumnus was meeting with senior leaders in Tanzania to discuss promoting Tanzanian development. "Getting the opportunity to speak with the senior figures in my country made me to confidently speak about the challenges that face our communities and discuss how we can use every material and element in the community to push up the level of the development." Shughaib discussed sensitive and difficult topics with the senior leaders such as how youth can play a role in making the transition of power after national elections a peaceful process.

Shughaib said he strives to be a leader who cares about others and an individual who creates opportunities for members of society to improve their own lives. "Serving in various posts in my education life has made me recognize my humanity capability in handling problems. I always practice my core value to the community members and work to initiate the most preferable means in achieving the maximum turnover to everybody."


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