Mubarek Imam: From Eritrea to Egypt to an “Aussie

Mubarek Imam moved from Eritrea to Egypt and then to Australia. Read about his fascinating journey below.

Name/qualifications/work history:

My name is Mubarek Imam, I am 28 and was born in Asmara, Eritrea. I’m excited to soon be called an “Aussie”. I hold a Higher School Certificate, but never pursued a higher qualification. I describe myself as curious, self-educated and intellectual rather than academic – not because I don’t value education, but because the higher education system today has become difficult to access for many and, in some cases, is not relevant to the job market and aspirations of many young people, including me. I believe I have gained more knowledge and experience during my professional and personal experiences than I would have gained in university. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I had taken a different path. My first job was in Egypt as a home tutor. I was 16 and taught English and Maths to Year 1 and 3 students. I also worked in Egypt as a retail assistant, graphic designer, translator, customer service specialist and community worker supporting refugees and asylum seekers. Helping people to improve their lives is when I feel the happiest and most fulfilled, because I believe in “what you give is what you get”.

Where did you first begin your primary education? What do you remember most?

I went to Awet Elementary and Junior School in Asmara, the number one school in the country during my time. In my language – Tigrigna – ‘awet’ means ‘victory’. Most of the students are from families who have leadership positions in the country and are upper working class. One of my friends was Elsa, the daughter of the current Eritrean President. My best times in Eritrea were at that school, where I played basketball, made lifetime friendships, and where I built my personality, values, emotional resilience, and confidence. The most valuable thing I learned was to clean my own bedroom before going out criticising the rest of the world. I also attended evening sessions and learned the Holy Quran. At 13, I was selected to attend a prominent school in Islamic Religion. I stayed there until I left Asmara in November 2006.

Where did you complete your secondary education?

I travelled to Egypt to continue my education. I was 14 and on my own. My family came to Egypt three years later. During those three years, I had to register myself, learn Arabic, make connections and sleep over at my cousin’s. I had to repeat Year 8 because Eritrean Certificates are not recognised in Egypt. I studied at B Karnak Language School, then moved to Future International Schools to complete my qualification. My motivation to continue studying started to decrease due to the challenges I faced to get an education.

Where were you during your teenage years? Where did you travel before arriving in Australia?

My teenage years were spent in Cairo, the city that never sleeps. I had lots of experiences that taught me important lessons that shaped my later decisions. I no longer recognised my dreams. I started reacting to the world. I could not make

plans because I didn’t know whether I would settle in Egypt or move elsewhere. For my whole nine years in Egypt, my dreams were on hold. On the ninth day of university, an incident with a lecturer occurred and I dropped out because I could not tolerate the injustice towards foreigners and the incompetence of the education system. I found work as a graphic designer at Fantasia Prints. I was 17. I ended up managing the place, stayed for three years. I had a good income, which gave me flexibility and independence. Working at an early age introduced me to mature people with life experiences with whom I found value and friendship.

How did you come to arrive in Australia?

In 2016, my family was sponsored by the Australian Government to live permanently in Australia. The resettlement took almost four years. We are grateful to Allah and the Australian people for having us. I also pay my respects to the traditional owners of this land.

What did you study at university and why did you choose to study that?

Currently I am doing a Diploma in Leadership and Management at RMIT to help run my business and not-for-profit, and perhaps secure a part-time job to increase my income and experience. The Foundation of Young Australians conducted a study recently which showed that young people today will have about 17 jobs in five different careers in their life. At 28, I have already had 11 jobs in four different fields. I prefer short courses that are specific to the skills I need to achieve my aspirations. If I were to study to have one career, I would study Political Science, given my interest in politics. I see how politicians influence our everyday lives. I believe our world today needs to encourage and support those leaders. But also those leaders need to listen to the most vulnerable. I have hope in the newer generation. My generation will look to prioritise the vulnerable ones.

What did you learn during your tertiary education – not just academically, but what ideas did you form and what perceptions? Did any of your views change significantly when you went to university?

In school, you learn first and then you do a test. In life, you do the test first, then you learn from it. My ideas and perceptions started forming before I finished secondary school. But real-life experience was unsparing. The greatest perception I formed was that for me to be able to change the world, I must change what is within me first. Before that, I used to blame things on others and how they treated me. Now, it is all about how I treat myself. It is all about what I can control. And this has been the greatest blessing from Allah to me and then from Uncle Ibrahim, who was my boss and mentor for three years. I always say he has a PhD in the school of life. My view about world justice started becoming negative when I became aware of the sufferings of refugees and asylum seekers. I empathised with many of them because some were from my country and town, some had attended the same school back in Eritrea. I quickly started changing from empathetic – where I would just feel sorry for them – to compassionate where I acted on it.

What is your earliest memory of having an interest in your field?

Currently I am doing community work. My earliest memory was the incident that happened on my ninth day of university in Cairo. I stood up for people who were voiceless, and I was persecuted for it. The community respected me for that and that meant a lot to me. When I started helping disadvantaged foreigners in Cairo, I was exposed to a lot of things of which I was unaware – the struggles, the stories, and their dreams. I knew how privileged I was compared to them. My story was less painful and less traumatic. Their stories showed me the value of gratitude for what I have. That is when I decided to use my privilege to help others. I started with translating, taking them to services, talking with them, engaging them in recreational and sporting activities and many other things. This made me feel proud of myself. I looked up to my grandmother, “E’ima”, who is the most helpful and compassionate person I know. I

felt very fulfilled and happy doing the same thing she does. In Eritrea, grandmothers have a big role in raising their grandchildren and the community in general. Grandmothers are the day care for children and the unrecognised schools for the community.

What has been your pathway since graduating? What was your first job after graduation and how did that job prepare you for your later positions?

Since leaving school, I have tried many different jobs to find out what I was passionate about. I wasn’t ready to be tied to a specific role or profession. I took most the positions out of curiosity. I grew a mindset that always thrives to grow, change and impact others. You learn about places, people, cultures and history. You learn to think, communicate, care, act, fight and to let go. You become more resilient to challenges and learn how to overcome them. You gain more experience and become more effective. In my career and learning journey, the skills I gained were communication and problemsolving, critical thinking, and digital literacy. Selfteaching was critical in the process of change and development for me. Being multilingual, curious and hungry to achieve and impact others helped to secure jobs. Now, I am preparing to pass these skills and knowledge to people who might need them to grow in their lives.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life and what lessons did that person teach you?

The biggest is my father. He was a businessman who was known for his trustworthiness and discipline in the community, taught me the importance of handling money properly. My father is a great role model for handling difficult situations, taught that a man is better when he can control his anger, and a great example of being kind towards women. He also made sure that I learned from the mistakes he made. He is a quiet person, but you can learn a lot if you observe. The teachings of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) were also a great influence in my life. He taught me the importance of keeping connection with relatives, loving neighbours, standing up for the vulnerable and giving to charities.

What were some of your major milestones?

At 14, I moved to Cairo, Egypt. I started making decisions on my own. I became more confident in dealing with everyday life. I built a solid foundation of faith, learning the difference between what is morally right and wrong, the importance of individual responsibility, and a great hunger and curiosity for knowledge. When I was 17, another milestone was my decision to leave school and pursue other means of gaining knowledge – self-learning and employment. It was a hard decision. I might have upset my family, but I believed that the school system was not for me. I have returned to study several times since then, but it’s just not my preferred method of gaining knowledge. My latest milestone was coming to Australia four and a half years ago. I was resilient, confident, mature. I developed a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. I decided to be at the front of change for myself and my people. I was able to find more opportunities and was able to aim higher. My strategic perspective, fierce attitude and respectful behaviour connected with me with like-minded friends who invested in and mentored me and made my settlement easier.

What have you been most proud moment in your career?

My proudest moments are when I achieve one of my aspirations. The more I did the things I said I would do, the more confidence I gained. When I came to Australia, I wanted to be a youth worker. I had no formal qualifications, almost no experience, and with little English. Eight months later, I took a role in the community sector to develop and implement a community event. Three years later, I had worked with around more than 1,500 young people from different backgrounds through one-on-one coaching, group coaching, engagement events, and schools. Recently, my proudest moments are when other youth workers would consult me on challenges that they are facing.

What are some of the greatest challenges in your line of work and how did/do you overcome them?

The greatest challenge I faced is separating professional and personal life. The work I do is directly related to my community. Sometimes, that means you invest your emotions too much. Sometimes, clients might even be people that you personally know. This makes you more compassionate, but it takes a toll on your mental

health. With the help of my mentors, I learnt to manage it, which improved my productivity significantly. Being politically correct is also a challenge to freedom of expression for people who lack knowledge of the language.

What did you develop during this time – professionally and personally – in terms of your ideas, and did they change?

During this time, I learned to approach complex things strategically, to be patient, to look after my mental health and also to speak the truth. I learned how to say ‘no’. Mindset-wise, I started to think above the line. I learned the importance of selfdevelopment, so that you can help others around you. I started to take ownership instead of blaming others, being accountable instead of making excuses and take responsibility instead of denial.

What is the most important thing that can make you successful at your job?

There are eight traits that I constantly invest in before developing skills for a specific job: work ethic, focus, push, ideas, improve, serve, persist and passion. The following have helped me become successful: people skills, management, analytical skills, creativity, computer skills and technical skills.

What are you working on for the future?

I recently founded a non-profit organisation, Young Assets Foundation (YAF), to strategically overcome challenges that young people face by bringing them to the front of change for themselves and their communities. We are in the process of finding the right people who believe in YAF’s values and vision to help shape the organisation’s strategies. We are also developing approaches to assist young people in Australia to help them transition to adulthood. I have also been working on creating an online platform and workshops for young men and boys to challenge the negative stigmas of toxic masculinity that contributes to suicide, peer-to-peer violence, and gender-based violence, amongst many other challenges. We want them to become better versions of themselves so that they can have healthy and respectful relationships and to become emotionally intelligent and aware. Giving the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are responding to the day-to-day needs of young people who reside in the Yarra public housing area. We are advocating for young people and residents for employment opportunities, connecting them with local services and providing one-on-one support to young residents to prepare them for employment. Our main focus will be capacity building in the future.

What is your next goal? Do you have an ultimate goal that you are working towards?

Once I become an Australian citizen, I want to be involved in politics. Start a family. My belief is that this life is a test and I must do my best to receive a great reward in this life and after. My ultimate goal in this life is to create a legacy that serves people – by doing that, I want to be closer to God.

Following on from your own life experience, what advice would you give young people today?

Try the uncomfortable. Try as many things as possible until you find your passion and don’t let other’s wishes be enforced on you. Dream bigger and aim higher, don’t be limited by stigma and what others think you should be. It’s also important for young people to have mentors and positive role models. Listen and learn from older generations to gain wisdom. Respond patiently rather than reacting emotionally to the challenges you face. Your positive attitude towards things and respectful behaviour will take you far.

What do you like doing when you are not working?

I have recently developed a cycling habit. It helps me exercise and is fun. I like to occasionally watch general information documentaries and read books. I also write when I am inspired. I mainly write for myself. It helps me to think critically and be distracted from things happening around me.

Final comments?

I think it’s important for people to identify their purpose in life. Today, we have many ways to help identify that. When someone has a clear goal or a purpose, the road might be full of challenges, but you will never get lost. * * * Find out more about Young Assets Foundation here: https://www.facebook.com/young.assetsf https://www.instagram.com/young.assetsf/