Meet Bassam Maaliki, 15, refugee advocate and an inspired young individual changing the world!
At a mere 13 years old, Bassam Maaliki created a campaign called #uBelong. #uBelong was dedicated to ensuring that all refugees and migrants – no matter their background and ethnicity – feel a sense of belonging in Australia. Bassam sold key-shaped badges symbolising the “key to belong”, raising $10,000 for refugee support groups.
“Being a Muslim and having a Lebanese background means I’ve lived through a lot of intolerance. I’ve been called a terrorist and told to go back to my own country. But going through a lot of discrimination motivated me to make a positive change. That’s how I came up with #uBelong. It’s a simple message of embracing diversity.”
Bassam has since been named YMCA NSW Youth Parliament member for Strathfield, Save the Children Youth Ambassador, a finalist for the 2017 Human Rights Medal, NSW Youth Collective Ambassador, NSW Multicultural Youth Ambassador for Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN), and the NSW Youth member at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
Through these achievements, Bassam has been able to share his philanthropic visions for society and his big ambitions for the #uBelong campaign.
“My intention is to continue to accelerate awareness of the #uBelong campaign, and share the cause with the broader Australian community.”
