Arbaeen Global Networking Virtual Events 2026

Recap | 2nd January 2026
Arbaeen Global Networking 1st Virtual Meet-up successfully brought together over 30 Shia youth leaders, volunteers, and community organisers from across different countries. The session was designed to create meaningful dialogue around the current challenges faced by Shia youth and to explore practical, collaborative solutions.
The meet-up focused on four core themes: youth engagement in centres, strengthening spiritual connection, youth leadership development, and inter-club collaboration. After participant introductions, attendees were divided into breakout rooms where open and honest discussions took place.
Key challenges highlighted included language barriers, lack of relevant youth-focused activities, communication gaps between centres and young people, and the differing social realities faced by Shia youth in Western societies. Participants stressed the importance of parental involvement, mentorship, and creating safe, engaging spaces where youth feel heard and valued.
Discussions on spirituality emphasised the need to reconnect young people with the core values of faith beyond rituals, using relatable conversations, innovative formats, and year-round engagement. Leadership discussions focused on education, career guidance, political awareness, and recognising and utilising the strengths of young people, particularly in digital and media spaces.
The session also explored the need for stronger collaboration between youth clubs, beginning at a local level and expanding through trusted networks and larger platforms such as AGN. Participants agreed that sustained communication and structured collaboration are essential to creating long-term impact.
The meet-up concluded with reflections, a short recitation, and an invitation for all participants to remain connected through the AGN platform, laying the groundwork for continued dialogue and future virtual meet-ups.
Ali Kamran highlighted that declining youth participation is not a lack of interest, but a lack of relevance. Key challenges included language barriers, ineffective communication, limited youth-focused activities, and differing realities faced by youth in Western societies. A strong emphasis was placed on parental involvement as a bridge between centres and young people.
Kisa Taqvi emphasised that strengthening youth spirituality requires moving beyond formality and ritual, towards meaningful understanding and relevance. She highlighted the need to engage young people through dialogue, explaining why spirituality matters rather than instructing what to do. Practical approaches such as coordinated activities through local centres, including structured recreational engagement, were discussed as ways to naturally reconnect youth with the core values of faith and purpose.
Meesam Raza focused on the importance of developing youth leadership through vision, education, and representation. He highlighted the need for structured career guidance - both technical and non-technical and stressed the importance of preparing youth for leadership roles within society. Emphasis was placed on political awareness and representation as a minority community, along with creating informal yet meaningful youth spaces that encourage confidence, expression, and responsibility. Harnessing youth strengths, particularly in digital and social media spaces, was identified as a key opportunity.
Syeda Nimah Zaidi addressed the challenges faced in collaboration between youth clubs, including differences in organisational aims, internal politics, limited parental support, and low youth participation. She highlighted that meaningful collaboration must begin at a local level and gradually expand outward. Smaller initiatives can grow stronger when supported by larger, trusted platforms. Building partnerships under recognised networks like AGN was identified as essential for enabling youth groups to scale impact and work towards shared goals.

The Arbaeen Global Networking Platform allows organisations and individuals to connect for guidance, support, volunteer work, or contributions.
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