Meet Fatima. She currently volunteers for CIWA’s Youth Mentorship Program.
Fatima Warraich was born in Pakistan. Her parents moved to Calgary when she was a child in search of better opportunities for their little family. She is currently studying Biological Sciences and Psychology at University of Calgary.
She was drawn to volunteer with CIWA for a number of reasons, and what greatly appealed to her is our female centric service focus. Prior to becoming a Youth Mentor, she facilitated a group in the New Friends and Neighborhood Groups program in early 2019.
In addition to being a valuable mentor, she was an active part of the Youth Forum. She went above and beyond to help out with the forum in various capacities and committees. CIWA would also want to acknowledge and thank her for motivating and connecting with so many mentees through her amazing speech at this year’s event.
“CIWA helps women breakthrough’ and I am proud to be a part of an incredible support network.”
She was young when she arrived in Canada and recalls her family, particularly her mother, overcoming various challenges. Because of what she witnessed and experienced, she has always desired to be able to work with newcomers and assist them in settling in Canada.
This is clearly demonstrated in how she volunteers, a CIWA staff shares, “She is able to connect and understand the struggles of her mentee. She was able to guide her mentee to the right direction and help her mentee become confident and successful.”
Fatima realizes the value of providing mentorship to youth and is surprised as to how much she has learned and received in the process. She finds satisfaction in providing leadership and guidance to teen girls and is honored to help guide them as they make decisions about their future goals and guides them on different paths.
“It isn’t just what I do; it’s an exchange”.
One of the most important lessons she has learned is that volunteering is about more than simply giving; it’s also about being open to receiving from mentees. She is now able to ‘live more fully’ as a result of everything she has learned. Her communication and digital literacy skills have also improved since she began volunteering.
Fatima is an exceptional volunteer because she is a compassionate listener, understands the challenges of immigrant youth, is non-judgmental, and open to learning from her mentees’ struggles. She inspired her mentee to come out of the shell and instill the confidence.
Fatima enjoys helping with different organizations in the city, reading, writing, spending time with her friends, and, most importantly, spending time with her family and their lovely dogs.
To learn more about Youth Program, click here.