Volunteer Spotlight: Syed Abbas Mehdi
What part of the province/country do you live?
Edmonton, Alberta
What Program with JHC are you involved with?
Board of Directors
How and why did you first get involved with JHC?
I participated in the University of Alberta “Non-Profit Board Student Internship” (NPBI) Program under the mentorship of Norm Mcleod and Neha Ahmed at the “John Humphrey Centre” (JHC). The program teaches students how boards operate, develops leadership and decision-making skills, and promotes student engagement within our communities. As part of the program, I was matched with mentors from the board of JHC and gained valuable experience working with them to learn about board governance. They instilled in me their values and ideals to govern Non-Profit organizations and supported my skill-building as part of my internship. In the last four months of the internship, COVID-19 transformed into a pandemic and ended the normalcy of our lives. I was still an intern and joined the board discussions to support JHC in creating the YEG COVID-19 response page and develop a Human Rights education-centered strategy to provide much-needed relief to our local community during COVID-19. Through this work, I realized that it was not just essential to provide relief in these challenging times but also necessary to do it right by increasing the dignity and capabilities of the people we supported. As a person of colour born in a developing country, I had personally noticed how relief often lacks the narrative to build and recognize the dignity of the people it supports, which undermines the purpose of the relief itself by creating a sense of shame and stigma against gaining support from within our communities. JHC stepping in to lead the effort to provide support to those seeking relief during COVID-19 changed the way our local ecosystem operated, and it inspired me to get more involved in the process. After concluding the eight-month-long internship, Nominating committee invited me to join the Board of Directors at JHC in 2020.
What are your (volunteer) activities and what do they involve?
As a member of the Board of Directors, I am placed in a position of trust by the membership and extended community and responsible for the effective governance of the Organization. My responsibilities include upholding the Organization’s legal obligations, reviewing and supporting the financial health of the Organization, and developing JHC’s values, vision, mission, and mandate. As Chair of the Community Engagement Committee on the board, I also facilitate the development of strategies for promoting the Organization, maintaining relations with key stakeholders, and bringing in additional support to the Organization.
How long have you been a volunteer for this initiative (and for JHC as a whole)?
3.5 years
What is it like to volunteer for this initiative?
It is a very busy, challenging but still fulfilling experience for me. As a board director, it can be a heavy burden on you to uphold the Organization's legal obligations and maintain its values while keeping it engaged with critical stakeholders for funding and support. There have been moments where I have felt that I am out of my depths in making the decisions within the Board, but so far, we have continuously shown growth and improvement, so I think we are on the right path as we figure out how to best function as an Organization. In addition, there have been learning moments as we expand the Organization and support new programming, which is also very impactful and continues to blow me away.
What has surprised you most about this role?
The words we use and the way we phrase our work can affect the board's impact and the organization itself. It is crucial to improve our communication constantly. It is also essential to always center our thinking on incorporating dignity in our programming and governing the organization.
Are there any learnings/ challenges you have experienced through this work? Please tell us about these
The biggest challenges of being a Board Director for JHC for me have been to improve the financial health and governance of the Organization while maintaining its values, mission, and mandate. However, there have been moments when we need a broader perspective or lack training to manage certain situations, requiring additional education to make informed decisions. Therefore, it is essential to learn new ways to govern the Organization and look into non-conventional ways of facilitating the development of the Organization.