By Angela Hill, Canadian Red Cross
Even before he left Iran, 22-year-old Mohammad H. Asadi Lari knew he wanted to volunteer with the Red Cross.
“I applied to volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross three or four months after I moved to Canada,” Mohammad said. “I’ve always been the sort of person who has wanted to in some capacity or another, participate in community activities, help out. Where I can learn, where can I help, where can I make an impact and where can I really develop. The [Canadian Red Cross] has been all of that.”
He arrived in late 2013. After starting as a volunteer in B.C., Mohammad became a member of the Youth Advisory Committee with Communications and Partnerships. The Youth Advisory Committee aims to engage youth and young adults with international humanitarian work done by both the Red Cross and Canada as a whole.
One of the initiatives he most proud of is a Social Innovation Challenge, where young people gathered in cities across Canada in late January to come up with solutions to problems faced by humanitarians in their work.
Mohammad said for him volunteering is more than just contributing to the community, but he also gets something back.
“The sort of people I have engaged with, my fellow committee members, I have learned from every single one of them,” he said.
“A big, big part of it is just meeting incredible people aside from being able to contribute to a broader goal.”
He volunteers for other organizations outside the Red Cross.
“I think volunteering really opens up one’s horizons,” Mohammed said. “I’ve loved it.”
Initiatives by the Youth Advisory Committee are made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada.
If you would like to volunteer with us, read about how to apply and current opportunities.