Compassion & Empathy... Foundation to community building

I strongly believe that compassion and empathy are the foundation of our community and that's why I have dedicated most of my life to community development. The desire to unlock the unlimited potential in those around me, combined with the inability to take no for an answer when faced with challenges is the reason those who know me use the word "unstoppable" to describe me.
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Whether it's working with students to help them further their education and career, or working with the most marginalized members of the community to help them overcome barriers and find stability, I continuously find myself engaged in service provision through advocacy, crisis / resource management, and mentorship.

   With nearly 10 years of experience in the non-profit sector, I have had the privilege of working with several organizations including Boys and Girls Club Community Services, United Way, Immigrant Services Society, Vancouver Foundations, Kwantlen Student Association, Sources BC - Newton Resource Centre, Ann Davis Transition Society, and more. My portfolio ranges from anti-bullying campaigns (including being a Keynote Speaker for United Way's annual Pathfinders event), youth leadership programs, working with new immigrant and refugee youth and adults in varying capacities and more recently, working with individuals who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelesssness.

   Over the last 4+ years, homelessness has touched my heart. I have found myself to be fortunate enough to be able to make an impact in our community through disability support advocacy, crisis intervention work, and working with women experiencing homelessness as a result of fleeing domestic violence. My work in the area of homelessness inspired me to complete an honors thesis on homelessness and public policy, which you can find here.
More recently, I was honored to be chosen by the community to speak on homelessness at TEDxChilliwack 2019.

​   The best part about being a TEDx speaker was not being on stage. It's what came after;  members of the community that approached me and shared their stories of how they had experienced homelessness or almost become homeless due to circumstances outside of their control. Hearing how the TEDx Talk resonated with them was a humbling experience that I cannot forget. If there's one thing I hoped to get across from the stage to the audience, it is that we cannot solve any problems by excluding people; Change begins with compassion, empathy and inclusion. 

   I have over 10,000 hours (I lost count after that) working in the non profit sector and doing community service work. In the process, I developed strong skills in the area of policy and program development, implementation, facilitation, coordination and evaluation. I also developed a strong mindset for operations and logistics. As a results focused person, I am able to see the big picture, but also able to break the big picture down to smaller actionable items. I have also been public speaking since I was 7 or 8 years old which has helped me tremendously in developing strong communication skills and the ability to deliver complex ideas in a simplified manner. I use these skills to work with students and help them succeed academically, but also fill in the gaps where our education system falls short by preparing students more effectively for the world outside of academia. I make sure they are not just another student with a degree. I am not only the best at what I do, I am the only one who does what I do in the way that I have developed my programs and systems and I am extremely passionate about it as well.

If you want to support an organization that puts our community first, and you want a promising future for our youth and young adults, please don't hesitate to reach out via the chat button or schedule a meeting through the contact page. 

Thank you for your time, 
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With Best Regards,
Fatima Zaidi