Abid Virani
20, from Guelph

My Story

“When I was in grade 10, I was overwhelmed by the negative news around me and wrote a very angry blog post about child poverty. Some friends and I decided to move into action, and we started a school club to volunteer and fundraise for charity. We raised some money in the first year, but what we really learned was that students were motivated to make a global impact.

My friends and I decided to take the club to a broader goal: being a global citizen shouldn’t stop at 3:20, Monday through Friday. We formed Student Reach International (SRI) to promote volunteerism and global compassion through fundraising, speaking engagements and workshops.

We motivate students to become global citizens and leaders by getting involved with social justice and local community groups. We also find local, national, and international volunteer opportunities for students.

We started working on it all the time—during school, after school and on weekends. There were times when I would be watching a hockey game with my brother while thinking about the order of an event or how to get more youth involved.

An example of SRI’s local work is our leadership program. Twenty-four students from three Guelph high schools spent six weeks developing their leadership skills through first aid training, human rights training, high ropes training and event planning. They also learned about accessibility challenges by spending a day in a wheelchair.

My dream is to see youth empowered to be the change they wish to see in the world.”

Learning experience

“My most inspiring moment was at a speaking engagement at a Montreal school when I asked some grade seven and eight students to share something with the audience. A student with autism stood up. The audience and teachers were nervous, but I gave him the mic. The student gave an extremely energetic and powerful speech about how youth can change the world, how youth had to change the world.

I have never seen a youth audience so energized in my life – so supportive, not laughing but cheering, perhaps even a little ashamed that they were nervous in the first place. After that, the school decided to raise funds for one of SRI’s campaigns on HIV/AIDS.”

Get inspired

“Surround yourself with family, friends and positive individuals. Rejections and negativity will find their way to you, so it is important to be surrounded by positivity. Follow your passion and work harder than you thought you could.”

Abid Virani is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Student Reach International, which has raised over $50,000 for various causes including HIV/AIDS, women's empowerment and education. Abid has spoken to and inspired thousands of students across Canada, and received Youth in Motion’s Top 20 Under 20 Award in 2010.