Saima Nasim
Saima Nasim is a trainer, mediator and facilitator. She owns her own practice, Moeen, that focuses on cultural,religious sensitivities and values in the field of conflict resolution. Saima also works at The National Conflict Resolution Center leading sessions for a variety of clients from HR executives, organizational leads, staff, landlords, students and more. Saima’s focus is on working to resolve cultural and religious conflict, facilitating dialogue and reconciliation across differences in times of conflict and navigating polarized relationships. Saima’s passion for this work stems from being an active community organizer, sitting on several non-profit boards, leading initiatives and programs in her community and witnessing how conflict was a hurdle to growth. Therein Saima received her Master of Science in Conflict Management and Resolution from The University of San Diego. Saima’s focus is to facilitate the process of empowerment that leads to resolution. Her passion for this work is evident with her focus on building relationships between those embroiled in conflict at both the interpersonal and organizational levels. With her education and experience in this field she is able to support this impactful change.
Muneeb ur Rehman
Muneeb ur Rehman is a multi-disciplinary Applied Performance Facilitator from Pakistan working with the credo ‘Performance-for-All’ for human growth and development across diverse human contexts. From education and welfare to corporations and hospitals, from universities to research centers, he has helped organizations achieve their human potential through customized visceral and embodied methods. The recipients of his facilitation have been marginalized youth, school children, cancer patients, therapists, corporate employees, team leaders, performers, design students and researchers in South Asia, Europe, US, South Africa and Singapore. He has to his credit establishing Pakistan’s first theatre department in a secondary school, working with marginalized youth from violence-stricken region of Lyari in Karachi. In Nepal, he also trained Tibetan refugees in employing drama to refine their pedagogy practice in addition to setting up the collective NepalImprov. In the technological domain, he has partnered with EDCAS PAF KIIT, facilitating researchers there in developing the human component in processes for circuits and systems design. A proponent of pursuing Design Thinking through performance, he has also facilitated design research students at Habib University in exploring and prototyping user insights in the redesign of domestic appliances. As a creative consultant, he facilitates artists, independent creatives and art organizations in harnessing and developing their creative visions. He has mentored students from South Africa, Singapore, Nepal and Pakistan. He is the founder of Dramajik, an Applied Performance Initiative promoting human development through experiential performance approaches. He has presented his pedagogical practice regularly at international forums Singapore Drama Educators Association, Performing the World, Play Perform Learn and Grow, Drama for Life. His research on organic creative practices for organizational and community development was recently published in the anthology Theatre and Democracy by Norwegian University of Science & Technology and University of Witwatersrand. It can be accessed at: https://press.nordicopenaccess.no/index.php/noasp/catalog/book/135
Rizwaan Akhtar
Rizwaan Akhtar is a facilitator, trainer, and civic leadership development professional with over fifteen years of experience helping individuals unlock their potential to create positive social change and foster inclusive communities. He is the Senior Director of Learning, Development, & Inclusion at Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) where he designs experiences that support leaders to engage politically and build more just and liberatory systems. Based in Chicago, Rizwaan is a Board Member of the Chicago Community Bond Fund and a former Local School Council member of Reilly Elementary School. Before LEE, he led an international team at World Learning, overseeing an initiative that trained over 2,500 young people in civic leadership and peacebuilding efforts in Iraq and the U.S. His expertise includes dialogue facilitation, conflict resolution, cross-cultural communication, and people management. Rizwaan is a Fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, is proficient in Arabic, Spanish, and Urdu, and holds an Executive Nonprofit Management Certificate from Georgetown University, an M.A. in International Education from the SIT Graduate Institute, and a B.A. in Psychology and Middle East Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.