Volunteering: empowering others, empowering yourself​ | Kamilla Sultanova | TEDxHelsinkiUniversity

Summary

Kamilla Sultanova shares her transformative journey through volunteering, from her beginnings in Uzbekistan to becoming a global advocate for gender equality, workforce diversity, and cross-cultural dialogue. She reveals how serving others became a platform for personal and professional growth, helping her overcome cultural and personal challenges. In this passionate TEDx talk, Kamilla stresses the significance of volunteering not only as an altruistic act but as a means of empowerment and self-development. She encourages everyone, no matter their age or background, to embrace volunteering as an opportunity to make a difference in the world while building essential life skills for the future.

Highlights

• Volunteering changed Kamilla's life, taking her from an insecure teenager in Uzbekistan to an advocate for global change. 🌎
• Through volunteering, she found her voice and the courage to speak out on issues like gender equality and diversity. 🗣️
• Kamilla stresses that volunteering is a give-and-take process, immensely rewarding beyond just monetary value. 💸
• She calls for making volunteering an integral part of school education and corporate culture, promoting it as a pathway to employment. 🎓
• Kamilla's journey showcases the power of volunteering to dismantle stereotypes and create inclusive, barrier-free societies. 🏳️‍🌈

Key Takeaways

• Volunteering can be a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, helping to overcome cultural and personal barriers. 🌍
• It's not just about helping others; it's about empowering yourself and gaining important life skills. 💪
• Volunteering should be made attractive and accessible to all, regardless of background, to ensure everyone can benefit. 🌟
• Engaging in volunteering can lead to meaningful connections and opportunities that transcend cultural and societal stereotypes. 🤝
• Volunteering plays a crucial role in future workforce development and should be encouraged from a young age. 👶

Overview

Kamilla Sultanova's story is one of resilience and transformation. Growing up in Uzbekistan, she faced cultural limitations, yearning for a life of freedom and opportunity. It was volunteering that provided her an escape, leading her to new horizons and personal discovery. Through volunteering, Kamilla learned to navigate different cultures and industries, ultimately finding her voice and a platform to advocate for gender equality and diversity. Her journey illustrates the profound impact volunteering can have on one's life, both personally and professionally.

In her TEDx talk, Kamilla passionately discusses how volunteering has been pivotal in shaping her life. From serving as a lobbyist and activist in Denmark to co-organizing NGOs in Finland, she highlights the essential skills and networks she built along the way. Volunteering wasn't just about helping others; it was about empowering herself and gaining confidence to lead initiatives and influence change. She emphasizes the non-monetary rewards of volunteering, which opened doors to global platforms and recognition.

Kamilla's message is clear: volunteering is not simply an altruistic act but a necessary element in workforce development and personal growth. It's about creating opportunities for all, irrespective of their background or age. By integrating volunteering into educational systems and corporate environments, we can foster future generations equipped with the skills and confidence to succeed. Kamilla urges everyone to embrace volunteering, turning it into a societal norm that breaks down barriers and builds inclusive communities, where everyone has the potential to thrive.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction to Volunteering The chapter 'Introduction to Volunteering' explores the transformative power of volunteering. It begins with a motivational tone, asking the reader to reflect on their passions and aspirations, and how lack of opportunity can impede those dreams. It suggests that serving others may provide a path to achieving the life one dreams of. The narrator shares personal insights gained from the experience of serving others, implying that volunteering could be a fulfilling way to grow personally and reach one's aspirations.
• 01:00 - 02:30: Kamilla's Journey from Uzbekistan The chapter 'Kamilla's Journey from Uzbekistan' details Kamilla's transformation from being an insecure and invisible teenager in Uzbekistan to becoming an advocate for change. This journey was heavily influenced by her involvement in volunteering, which provided her with a platform to initiate advocacy in areas such as gender equality, workforce diversity, and cross-cultural dialogue. Volunteering is portrayed not just as a beneficial activity but as a crucial element of Kamilla's personal and professional development.
• 02:30 - 05:00: The Impact of Volunteering in Denmark The chapter begins with the narrator reflecting on their experiences of adapting to different cultures, industries, and change, particularly from a young age when they lived abroad as a teenager away from family and friends. The narrator notes that they are currently volunteering, which indicates a long-term engagement in such activities to help others, despite the challenges faced in the past. There is a personal anecdote about how volunteering has shaped them into the person they are today. The narrator recalls facing fears, losing trust in people, and yet, found volunteering as a source of personal growth and giving back.
• 05:00 - 07:30: Empowering Others through Volunteering The chapter begins with the author's reflection on their need to constantly defend their life choices, shaped by growing up in Pakistan, a country rich in history and hospitality. Despite the beauty and cultural wealth of Pakistan, the author felt a sense of not belonging due to prevailing gender norms that limited opportunities for girls.
• 07:30 - 13:00: Volunteering, Employment, and Integration The chapter 'Volunteering, Employment, and Integration' explores themes of loneliness and gender roles experienced by the protagonist. Growing up in a small village, the protagonist felt isolated and was expected to adhere to traditional gender roles, such as not being allowed to ride a bicycle like her brothers. This sense of loneliness and restriction persisted into her adulthood, prompting a search for something beyond these limitations.
• 13:00 - 17:00: Call to Action: Start Volunteering The chapter 'Call to Action: Start Volunteering' focuses on personal insecurities and societal judgments. It begins with personal reflections and the struggle of dealing with physical insecurities such as the size of one's nose, skin color, and hand size. The narrative touches on the experience of feeling like an outsider in one's own country due to these perceived shortcomings, leading to a sense of 'otherness.' Despite these challenges, there exists a strong desire to rise above these insecurities and pursue dreams with determination and courage, particularly emphasizing the importance of stepping out and pursuing educational aspirations. The chapter ultimately encourages embracing one's individuality and using personal experiences as a stepping stone towards participating actively in community service and volunteering efforts, hinting at the transformative power of such engagements.

Volunteering: empowering others, empowering yourself​ | Kamilla Sultanova | TEDxHelsinkiUniversity Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Applause] have you ever had a passion a yearning to get somewhere but you didn't have an opportunity have you ever thought that serving someone else could give you a life you dreamed of what I learned by serving other people
• 00:30 - 01:00 I served myself to build my life let's talk about volunteering because that's how I did it why because volunteering has brought me from an insecure invisible teenager from Uzbekistan to become an advocate of change on gender equality workforce diversity and cross-cultural dialogue volunteering has become not just nice to me but necessary a platform to build my
• 01:00 - 01:30 self crossing cultures industries and change living abroad as a teenager away from my family and friends even today I'm volunteering here for you but this is not the way I used to be as a young girl yes that's me in the middle she's great as a young girl I have faced a lot of fear I've lost trust in people and I had
• 01:30 - 02:00 to defend each life choice that I made I grew up and in a beautiful country called Pakistan you know the country rich in history it's amazing hospitality and amazing people but I didn't feel I belong there why because I was a girl and I could feel my opportunities worth this little because I grew up to be a
• 02:00 - 02:30 kid who could be seen but not heard and I grew up in this little village where I felt isolated and lonely so loneliness has been there throughout my tea hood and I thought still I want there's gotta be something other than that but not being allowed you know so many different things as my brothers did you know like riding a bicycle you know that's just not what girls do I felt okay I have two scenarios in my
• 02:30 - 03:00 life one if I was a boy or two I was a cool Julia Roberts my nose is too big my skin is too dark and my hands are too long so there I was despite that insecurity that I grew up with the shaming feeling dark in my own country and feeling the other I had that yearning that I should get out there dream my dreams were to go out and study
• 03:00 - 03:30 abroad to make new friends to fly airplanes and life I would think is about opportunities I took one and for me it was learning English and I got a scholarship to study in u.s. high school it was a highly competitive scholarship which is connecting you know us and post-communist States and breaking stereotypes and I must tell you that was life-changing because my parents let me
• 03:30 - 04:00 go it was rare at the time to let the girl go abroad because I could make my own budget it was $100 a month I decided my own subjects in high school and for the first time in my life I felt that I can rely on myself and I can make my own choices and I don't need to be allowed so then I took another opportunity I went to Denmark to study only again to find myself in labels as you know
• 04:00 - 04:30 stereotypes feeling again the other I felt again isolated and lonely even though I wasn't Julia Roberts in Denmark I was too exotic and I had to manage my multiple identities and this identity crisis what is it called am i russian i speak russian as a fluent language not aspec i would they thought I'm American not American I was definitely not a Dane and so at that time in Denmark just like
• 04:30 - 05:00 today there's problems questions of immigration racism discrimination employment so I made a choice that I'll use my voice and you know I think all of us in this room have been affected by a teacher or an adults please raise your hand yeah and I'm no exception I was lucky to get mentors throughout my life
• 05:00 - 05:30 and one of them is Nana Balin she has encouraged me to speak out and volunteer my time even if I wasn't getting paid for it she gave me love and support which I so needed and we also need to really start our life and think that we matter so what did she tell me to do as I was international student I volunteered my time as a lobbyist as a blogger as an activist and I used to debate in Danish
• 05:30 - 06:00 Parliament diversity and inclusion I demanded equal access to jobs in the Danish market from the politicians chambers of commerce in European Parliament's I wrote Europe blocks for women migrant women into politics to get them more into politics to promote mentoring because I was helped I wanted to make sure that many other women could get a mentor like I did and I did pro bono workshops on exports and sales to immigrants so all these experiences I
• 06:00 - 06:30 took with me to Finland so that I could also get a hold of the feel of Danish and Finnish society here I co organised an NGO with inspiring 3,000 boys and girls in Finland in Helsinki region with their courage to dream and their dignity so volunteering has become a platform for me to cross the differences because I came from abroad I live alone and I had nothing I had to really take
• 06:30 - 07:00 initiative and get out there and get to know people because you know what it was hard to make friends and that was for me a way to voice my myself as you know standing out there volunteering for different associations Danish European and make sure that our voices and other immigrant voices are heard and you think people are asking me kamila why do job for free and I say
• 07:00 - 07:30 ladies and gentlemen that I've been so paid in so many ways that money cannot meet you know they didn't show my passion and they told me that I should be allowed in European young leaders Network and I should be allowed to speak at women Economic Forum in India and promote volunteering in Uzbekistan first-ever Youth Forum and just lastly they gave me
• 07:30 - 08:00 this women of decade and community leadership I mean sounds crazy but I did this because I volunteered I engaged and I took initiative even though I was scared so that was for me a way to not just free labor but the way to build myself I was empowering others and I empowered myself through getting that trust that I could trust myself and trust others living abroad I could make sure that the
• 08:00 - 08:30 entire world could be my home and that what volunteering gave me and we don't think about it that yes it is popular these days but how many people volunteer even if they're scared and I think we need to make sure that volunteering becomes so attractive and popular that they get the benefits and they get a hold of the society that I live in so what is volunteering it is altruistic
• 08:30 - 09:00 act it's something that we do for charity in the social service we're doing in sports something that really speaks to your heart it's also a give-and-take process it can be because you can do it in a red cross or in a private company or in a pop-up setting so private company like Nordic business forum or even TEDx event like this and I want to do of course highlight amazing opportunity that volunteers brought to us today so thumbs up and volunteering is a start
• 09:00 - 09:30 off is not just going around with donation box it is necessary but it can be also way to build yourself and like I said a giving take process and however volunteering is not exploitation of free labor it is not when a person from North travels in himself to do some quasi help and it's best done in my belief when you have a passion and intention and that's
• 09:30 - 10:00 where I also suggested it's also way to self empowerment so how a we're doing in Finland Finland has a lot of volunteers one of the nation's connected to a lot of associations if even in the world if it evil and Syria was a nation if it was it was in the top five workforces in the world and 42% of all Finn's volunteer 32
• 10:00 - 10:30 percent of them are young people but the problem is there is a lot of girls volunteering and only 2% of them are immigrants so what are we doing with allow not allowing all the people who really need it to really get the benefits to get further in life the monetary value it's around two billion euro in Finland alone and the best part is every URI invested in volunteering brings six euro to society so how do we
• 10:30 - 11:00 look at this figures and think around the world you know I'm one of the 250 million volunteer immigrants and there is half of the world's population is young people how do we address employability they're reaching their potential and the amount of human connections we need to make sure that we have the experiences to figure out what is our path in our life because for me volunteering really
• 11:00 - 11:30 meant the network to meet people as we're all humans were all different but that was really meeting on the way we have a same passion and I believe the vision here for the future of volunteering is that it should be promoted as a way to employment and self successful integration so successful integration what does it mean if we get all the young people the newcomers the
• 11:30 - 12:00 immigrants whoever you are in any age group it is a way to take the same skillset you gain from volunteering such as well as community work critical thinking and complex problem-solving you can take them directly to your professional life so there is a link because the same skills are predicted by World Economic Forum is very needed in the future so how can we make sure that every one of us around the world can get
• 12:00 - 12:30 to volunteer when it's organised well and you can make the difference to make sure people start their life with meaning and purpose and I want to address you here today as your roles as a parent as teachers as business leaders and youngsters so for the parents what if you became the best ambassador volunteer ambassador for your kids because the the fact is it's never too early to start and it's the best place
• 12:30 - 13:00 to foster values and desire to contribute to the society people who don't volunteer they say they've never been encouraged just in courage it's a first step to help for them teachers professors educators you know for millions of people school has become a lie it doesn't guarantee employment but what if we made Valentine's as a natural
• 13:00 - 13:30 part of our school education starting from secondary education it would really bring people on board to both in their communities and to be feeling that they all have a voice and a choice to contribute you know 3/4 of Finnish use they said they would like to volunteer if it were part of their study or they got study points there you go and for business leaders I you heard me talk about Nana Bala and she worked in
• 13:30 - 14:00 IBM what if we engaged with all your amazing capacity all your stuff to mentor fund volunteer organizations and help them with fun help them with funding and even leadership training to make sure that they could run faster and for the youngsters what if I told you that the only thing that stops you from your path is just one step one step
• 14:00 - 14:30 would you go away and cheat on your dream or your yearning that passion like a bad selfie or would you just ask for help as I did in my case through fear through insecurity that there are someone there there's always someone there that will help you and encourage you and trust me people want you to succeed so it's all about getting the opportunities creating opportunities and
• 14:30 - 15:00 embracing them but the problem is that our the young people today they need to take initiative and it is hard we don't know who we are we don't know what we want and we don't know where we can make a difference so I invite you to be the door opener for others to make sure that no one gets goes behind and left behind to get the benefits of the volunteering which gives you the skill set and the perfect start to your future and I told
• 15:00 - 15:30 you today that I had a conviction that no person knows origin ethnicity or my gender it should not be an obstacle to lead a full life I came all the way through volunteering for ten years through working and all the skill set that I gained it was leadership skills organization skills writing arranging events arranging debate events that
• 15:30 - 16:00 really helped me in my my professional life and most of all it helped me to serve a platform to gain my voice and now I can inspire other people to dare to live their lives so volunteering is not just nice but necessary in a future workforce it is giving the possibility that everyone can get the self belief inside that they matter and you know you can do it in so many different ways opportunities makes
• 16:00 - 16:30 one's life what if we made these opportunities all together make sure that volunteering becomes so attractive so available that everyone can start their life with doing something following their little passion following the little yearning and figure out what they want to do in their life together we could build a society without stereotypes without fear and without any
• 16:30 - 17:00 barriers so life is a one-time project go out and volunteer if you haven't because when you volunteer everybody wins thank you [Applause]