Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the governor of Makkah and chairman of the Arab Thought Foundation with Global Changemaker Ibrahim Mothana

When Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted again last month, it unexpectedly became part of my life. I was checking my flight status from Stockholm to Beirut every 20 minutes, hoping the volcano ashes wouldn’t cause any delays to my trip.  I never cared about flight delays much, but this time it was a different story.

I was heading to Lebanon to attend the 10th Anniversary of the Arab Thought Foundation  (ATF) and was honoured by my selection as a member of the Advisory Committee of the foundation.

The ATF is developed collaboratively by leaders and businessmen to help advance the economic, social and cultural development of the Arab region. Its Advisory Committee is constituted from a group of distinguished business and academic intellectuals from the Arab World providing the foundation with guidance on its operation and a range of critical matters.

I was selected to join the committee based on my background as a young writer, activist and community worker. I am a British Council Global Changemaker  and one of the youngest writers in Yemen as I started writing at the age of 12 and gained a vast experience from working and volunteering with many national and international organisations.

Attending the foundation board of trustees meeting was also an unforgettable experience. Despite the fact that I am still only 21 years old,  I had the chance to share thoughts and engage in discussions with prominent business and community leaders whom I have previously only seen on television.

I realise now that I am not in this position to represent my own views but also the millions of young people under the age of 25 living in the Arab world.

I am responsible for making the voices of young people heard and helping create solutions for the problems they face within the Arab region.

I agree with the words of Albert Pike: ‘What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal’.

I am confident that Global Changemakers around the world, including myself, are living and working with these words in mind. 

Ibrahim Mothana is a Yemeni writer, activist and British Council Global Changemaker. He is also the youngest member of the Arab Thought Foundation Advisory Committee.

To find out more about the Global Changemakers programme, visit http://www.global-changemakers.net