Kashifali Jaffer
My experience in active community involvement within and outside the Shia Ithna-Ashari community in Vancouver has allowed me to develop and demonstrate strong leadership skills across a range of initiatives and programs. The first of which is my commitment towards the Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre as a member of the youth committee. Throughout my time as a youth committee member I have been fortunate to lead and co-lead a number of Qur’anic initiatives and ideas such as the Qur’an Hifdh Challenge in Ramadhan, the recurring Tajweed Taco Tuesday programs, and the co-ordination of Quran recitation before various events. As we have worked over the years, the members of the Az-Zahraa youth committee team including myself have learnt how to effectively communicate and collaborate with Shia communities across Vancouver. Another way in which I am able to demonstrate my experience in Social Services is through my current employment in which I am an Instructor at a local community centre. My position as a Camp Leader for the Adapted Sports and Play Program at South Arm Community Centre involves instructing children of various ages living with autism. I have received training for working with children with diverse behavioural needs as a requirement for this job which has allowed me to better understand the importance of empathy and inclusion within sports events and other activities. I am able to display my commitment and community involvement by showing the work I have done as a volunteer within the Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre from serving on the tabarruk team, teaching at Madrasah on sundays, taking part in the ghusl of some of our marhumeen to working as an active member of the audio visual team and the marketing team. All of these services have helped me comprehend the importance of each individual’s role in the larger production of each program and allowed me to value the effort exhorted by each person. Moreover, an experience that denotes my involvement in community service is the Global Kindness Foundation that I was a part of in 2023. The dentistry and optical work that took place at the Dar ul Zahra school for orphans in Najaf was an act of beautiful service, cooperation, and coordination. I was fortunate enough to help in both the sterilization of dentistry equipment as well as optical work. This meaningful humanitarian trip truly depicted how a group of professionals and driven volunteers can create a service for those who are less fortunate with the resources they are privileged to have. This group taught me how to effectively communicate with others, recognize what I am privileged to have, and realize what I can achieve with that privilege to serve others for the sake of Allah (swt). Throughout my life I’ve had the opportunity to learn from other serving community members within and outside the masjid, the privilege to serve both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Vancouver and in other parts of the world. I truly hope I can continue to use my advantages to serve Allah (swt) and learn more about leadership, service, and community development throughout both future events and more generally in my lifetime. These values are ones that I would like to continue to apply throughout my life experiences and hopefully pass on to the next generation after me.
