Dalai Lama Fellows
Muntaha Kamran
Leadership Vision
As someone who has been exposed to various political, social, and economic inequities, I have grown to believe leadership is creating lucidity of thoughts and implementing them into collective actions. My experience of living in such an environment has taught me the importance of respectful listening. My vision is to give up the rigidity of our opinions for the sacred heart of stories, where we remember who we are, who we are not. I aim to create spaces where diversity is welcomed and celebrated, not through force and control but through respect for one another’s differences. I also believe compassion cannot be practiced until we are authentic. Thus, we don’t need charismatic leaders, but ordinary people who have the courage and conviction to speak honestly and openly, who are willing to be imperfect and real.
Project Description
In 2005, the WHO brought to light the seriousness of the post traumatic impacts of war on the mental health of children, in and from armed conflict zones. The current young generation of my state was raised in an environment exposed to mass serious armed conflict and mass killings. In such a discouraging environment, that does not allow any room for personal growth, I want to provide people of my state the space that will allow them to express themselves freely, listening to their stories and vent about things that are disturbing their peace of mind. Through this psychological support system we will be addressing a major mental health crisis in its early stages and also break the stigma that surrounds mental illness.The goal of psychological crisis intervention, psychological first aid, is stabilisation, enhancing compassionate presence, and mitigation of acute distress. Through my project, I also aim to provide knowledge and skills necessary for empathetic, non violent, and equitable child rearing. This knowledge has enormous implications for social policy. It is through our intimate relations that we learn how to feel, think, and behave in social contexts, be that personal or political. I believe while we respond to emergencies and the urgent needs of the moment, we must also engage in strategic planning and in-depth research looking beyond numbers. In the words of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, "World peace begins with inner peace."