ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2024
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 52,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2024 on 6,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 280+ campuses worldwide (just 5%) were selected to host the 4,000+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT SYEDA MEHAK RIYAL, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2024.
National Defence University | Islamabad, Pakistan | Advancing SDG 4, SDG 13, SDG 16 & UNAI 3
" I aspire to join this fellowship to explore global initiatives related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Engaging with diverse individuals will provide invaluable learning experiences. I aim to understand various projects from different communities worldwide and adopt effective strategies to enhance my organization, EDFA as part of my community service journey and also wanna share our collective project ' Udaan' fostering a peaceful community. This opportunity will enrich my perspective and enable me to implement positive changes effectively. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Udaan
Our Millennium Fellowship project named “Udaan” focused on addressing key global challenges aligned with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Our mission was to foster sustainable change by empowering underserved communities, advocating for climate resilience, and promoting a culture of peace and inclusivity. For SDG 4, we organized educational workshops on Resume Building, Artificial Intelligence, and Communication skills aimed at reducing disparities in learning access for marginalized students. These sessions covered essential skills like critical thinking, leadership, and digital literacy to bridge gaps in quality education. Under SDG 13, we tackled climate challenges through awareness campaigns and eco-friendly initiatives. Activities included tree-planting drive, interactive discussions on climate adaptation strategies, and organizing a seminar on Climate change.
In line with SDG 16, we conducted community dialogues and advocacy programs to raise awareness about social justice, governance, and conflict resolution. Our efforts sought to cultivate safe spaces where diverse voices could collaborate for equitable solution. Our main goal was to bring awareness in our campus and work towards a more sustainable future.
About the Millennium Fellow
Syeda Mehak Riyal dedicates her life to community service, sharing her time and knowledge generously. She has helped academically weak students through the "Teach a Child" program AKES, worked with the "School Nature Club," and has been involved in conferences and camps as a youth parliamentarian. She actively participates in co-curricular activities and has received various certifications for her involvement.
Growing up in a peaceful part of the country, Syeda's imagination was always filled with tranquility. However, she recognizes the stark contrast between this and the conflicts present in reality. This realization led her to pursue Peace and Conflict Studies at a prestigious institute, NDU Islamabad with a vision of working in conflict resolution. She also aims to contribute to the field through research and writing.
Syeda believes that learning extends beyond books to human encounters, exposures, interactions, and viewing the world through diverse perspectives. So along with other intellectual minds syeda is working on education sector with the ' Educational Development Forum Awi ' ,on the basis of which she was selected for the Millennium Fellowship.So now,in her cohort she aims to work on a collective project with the Millennium fellows in her campus on a project ' Udaan'.
