“Serving Humanity with Medicine”
– peer med podcast
On this episode of the Peer Med Podcast, we welcome students from universities across Canada who have stepped up in the midst of the pandemic to speak about their initiative Lives For Literacy (L4L). Inspired by her role as a World Literacy Foundation Ambassador, Yasmin together with her team created Lives For Literacy, a grassroots movement dedicated to eradicating illiteracy and raising awareness about the beauty of education in Canada and abroad. Through a variety of events, workshops, and campaigns among others, L4L serves as a platform for innovation, creativity providing opportunities for students, essentially empowering them to effect tangible change in their communities.
For more information visit their Facebook page or their Website: http://www.livesforliteracy.org
“With various inequalities evident during the pandemic stemming from illiteracy, Lives For Literacy, an initiative by Canadian WLF Ambassadors was started. These young leaders have extended their arms to communities worldwide and through the help of their volunteers aspire to effect tangible change alleviating illiteracy and ensuring education is a human right.”
– Peer Med by Leah Sarah Peer
“Lives For Literacy is a grassroots movement started in Montreal, Canada dedicated to eradicating illiteracy worldwide. Apart from striving to improve literacy rates, we additionally work on health, human rights & education.
Lives For Literacy’s vision is to educate, inspire and reach communities to ensure education is a human right to all. To also create a world without discrimination to the wounded & to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being
Yasmin Farah Peer is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in political science with a minor in human rights at Concordia University. In the future, she hopes to attain a masters in peace, human rights or diplomacy and thereafter to attend law school to work in the field of international human rights. Yasmin is the Canadian World Literacy Foundation Ambassador and she believes literacy goes beyond being able to read and write, as it is a tool that brings positive change to uplift individuals out of poverty. Breaking the cycle of illiteracy and improving self-esteem is crucial for women and girls in the developing world. By enabling them to become economically productive and independent, they become empowered and can take control of their lives. Yasmin loves reading as she believes that it takes her into the perspectives of others and helps expands one’s knowledge. Some of her favourite books are, the Harry Potter Series, The Breadwinner, Prisoner of Tehran, & A Thousand Splendid Suns. Yasmin hopes to inspire people and educate them about the importance of literacy. She aspires to taken on this initiative along with her wonderful team to a local and international level.
Arman Lakhu is a first year student at the University of Ottawa in Canada and he will be studying Conflict Studies and Human Rights. Arman loves to read and is a Bollywood Dance student and teacher! He loves to ignite a passion for dance in his students and hopes to further his dance career as he moves to Ottawa. To Arman, literacy is an essential skill that enhances an individuals quality of life. After seeing the effects of illiteracy first-hand, Arman hopes to make a change and help wherever possible to work towards alleviating illiteracy. He hopes that this initiative will set him on the right path to making changes in the world. Through his experience with leadership and spearheading other charitable initiatives such as the Love of Reading Campaign and the World Partnership Walk, Arman is confident that he can use the skills he has acquired towards this initiative. He is also a Canadian World Literacy Foundation ambassador. Arman considers his strongest skills to be his communication and verbal skills which will be important when collaborating with a team. He acknowledges that literacy is a key aspect to alleviating poverty and he hopes that he can become an advocate for all individuals who struggle regularly because of illiteracy and poverty!
Sian Persad is currently a third year student at the University of Toronto studying Political Science and Health Studies. She is an avid reader, citing her favourite novel as The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and is a lover of music and film. To her, literacy goes beyond the comprehension of words and numbers, it is a foundation to build one’s future – literacy is the foundation of education. Literacy also takes many forms whether it be in reading comprehension, media or even financial. She hopes Lives for Literacy will grow to be an education tool in literacy awareness as well as promote and create accessible resources to remove barriers to literacy for both youth and adults in Canada.
“Thank you Yasmin, Arman, and Sian for representing Lives For Literacy and for speaking on the Peer Med podcast. It is always enlightening to see young people giving back to society, and we are ecstatic to see the amazing work L4L will go on to accomplish.”
– Peer Med Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/40mD0QjWcCihrI1sGqgAmJ?si=ILEXuXQVTnO2yz6yZHP63w Peer Med by Leah Sarah Peer
To contact them: livesforliteracy@gmail.com with any requests, questions or feedback.
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