It is important to have dreams, you shouldn’t imply walking away from a dream is the same as being a quitter. – Rheema Khalleel
Rheema Khalleel is an 18 years old Aspiring Entrepreneur and Social Activist from Sri Lanka. She is the founder and CEO of SAARC Model United Nations. She is involved in generating social protection, sustainable development by holding MUN conferences, workshops and awareness programs on social media platforms. She works on giving opportunities to youths and teens to showcase their abilities and skills on the globe by interacting with people from all around the world.
Rheema also organizes conferences and brings positive resolutions to key concerns under the auspices of several UN entities, which are then submitted to UNHCR. She aspires to be a successful woman in her job and education, one who will serve society and make a difference.
Reema is one of the Finalists of Glocal Teen Hero Sri Lanka 2021. Here you can read her powerful conversation below where she shared her beautiful invention and successful entrepreneur journey; which has definitely brought a big impact on society.
What kinds of programs do you initiate to encourage youths to exhibit their abilities and skills?
As children grow into middle and high school age, they seek more autonomy and independence. They naturally react against authority and the kinds of structure found in programs for younger children. Not surprisingly, I like to organize MUN conferences, Round table discussions, summits and webinars related to SDGs. I strongly believe that these programs benefit teens and youths to develop their skills.
As you are conducting different conferences, workshops and awareness programs on social media platforms; What is the motive of the program?
My motive behind starting the SAARC Model United Nations is to find an innovative solution to prominent issues of the world and to inspire individuals to become informed by global issues.
I believe in giving everyone a voice, regardless of where they are from and their believes. My team believes every person deserves the opportunity to get involved and contribute something beneficial to the world. Moreover, by helping the younger generation, we would better the communities where they live, and thus improve the future of those communities.
Who was the inspiration behind making Rheema the way she is today?
Malala Yousafzai, Her movement inspired me for courage, endurance, and compassion. She has done so much more than I have in my years and her fight has challenged me to be better. It is true when they say it is not about the years in your life; it is the life in your years.
What are your future plans that you are planning to execute in upcoming days?
I would say that it is not about the years in your life; it is the life in your years.
I like to do initiatives to develop SDGs for 2030 agenda, we provide a platform for all youths and teenagers to bring their ideas to make the world a better place to live, collaborating with Asia’s largest organizations to initiate a web portal for students who are in need and upholding webinars to solve the global issues.
What message would you like to deliver to teenagers?
It is important to have dreams, you shouldn’t imply walking away from a dream is the same as being a quitter. Sometimes, you have to let go of one dream to make room for new dreams.
Inspiration can come to us from a number of different sources, in a variety of different forms. Inspiration can be vital to us. It is what makes our visions and ideas stand out from the competition. Yet if we are not cautious, in a blink of an eye, the inspiration can vanish like the sun descending on the day, giving way to the vast nothingness of the black of night.