Every day, millions of 10- to 15-year-old students walk through the doors of their middle schools with anticipation and great hopes for their future. Some will fall into leadership positions, but something so important should not be left to chance — or to the few.
Every student has the potential to be a leader, and their teachers and administrators have the responsibility to establish a school climate that nurtures their growth as self-sufficient, engaged citizens, and to develop their leadership skills.
For Aatif Khan, becoming a social activist was a natural progression of of his position as a youth leader. At the age of just 21, the drive in him to pursue his own path was augmented by the leadership training he underwent in his school.
Born in an educated family, Aatif grew up in an environment imbued with a sense of Social justice and freedom. He has done his schooling from New Era Public School. Currently Aatif is studying in Amar Singh College, Srinagar.
“I always wanted to serve people”. Just recently Aatif founded Kashmir Youth Development Forum, a non profitable organisation working on the development of youth. Through this NGO, Aatif wants to provide a path of success to the budding artists of the Kashmir valley who are capable of amazing thing but are lacking financial and social support. The main aim of KYDF is to enhance and empower the youth by their own talent and perspective in life. Not just artists, he has also organised various charity events. Just recently he organised a beautiful charity event for specially abled children of the valley. Aatif has become a household name today. He worked in South Kashmir too. He organised sport’s event and charity shows in Shopian district.
Aatif’s advice to the students considering social work, “There have been so many times in my career where I would be working with someone and feel helpless. Situations where there just is nothing I can do to really help the situation except listen. Never, never, never underestimate the importance of hearing someone’s story. You may not be able to change anything but by just listening and hearing, validating them and honoring their struggles can immensely impact someone’s life. As a social worker, sometimes the best gift you can give someone is just being a witness to their story. Don’t underestimate the value of your presence in helping someone.
This deeply committed young man has been an inspiration for many youth of Kashmir.
