Ali Reza

My name is Ali Reza Yawari. Three weeks after I was forced to flee my native Afghanistan, I found myself in Indonesia - a country I had never heard of before.

I have now been here for eleven years, and my citizenship status is still unresolved.

In the early days, I found myself in a detention facility, surrounded by people whose lives had also been turned upside down by displacement. We were isolated from the world around us, and I quickly realised that we needed more than just a place to stay. We needed something that gave us a reason to wake up in the morning.

The children needed something to do. The adults needed opportunities to learn, teach, communicate and share their stories. Most of all, we needed to feel connected to one another.

So I started with what I had.

I gathered people who were willing to help and made use of whatever small resources were available. It began with language classes to help my friends communicate with the camp guards. Over time, that small effort grew into something much bigger: an initiative supporting young people whose lives have been turned upside down by displacement.

Turning experience into words

Writing has also become an important part of my journey.

In 2022, I published my first book, Lost in the Calm, a collection of prose and poetry reflecting on my experiences as a refugee.

Writing gave me a way to make sense of things that were difficult to express in any other way. The book became both a testimony and a form of healing—a way to transform pain into art, and isolation into connection.

Through my writing, I want people to see beyond the headlines, policies and statistics and into the human experience of displacement: the uncertainty, the silence, the resilience, and the search for meaning.

Creating space for young people

In 2023, I founded Emplace Initiative, a refugee youth-led platform supporting leadership, education and creative expression among displaced and marginalised young people in Indonesia.

I wanted to create the kind of space that I had needed myself: a place where young people could learn, experiment, express themselves and take the lead.

At Emplace Initiative, young people have opportunities to develop their own ideas and create projects for their communities. For me, it is important that they are not simply seen as people who need help. They have ideas, skills and perspectives to contribute, and they should have the opportunity to shape the future they want to see.

What I've learned about leadership

My work with Emplace Initiative has also changed how I think about leadership.

My partnership with Same Skies has been an important part of that journey. Through mentorship and collaboration, I have had opportunities to develop my own leadership, learn from others and connect with people and platforms beyond Indonesia.

But perhaps the biggest lesson for me has been that leadership begins with empathy and a shared vision. It is not about having all the answers yourself. It is about creating space for people to contribute, listening to one another and working towards something together.

Today, I continue to be guided by the same things that motivated me when I first started: resilience, creativity and the belief that every person, regardless of their status, has something meaningful to contribute to society.

I don't know exactly what the future holds for me in Indonesia. But I know that I want to keep creating spaces where people can learn, connect and lead - and keep finding ways to turn difficult experiences into something that can create meaning for others.

Read about Ali's book 'Lost in the calm'

Read Ali's poem 'Give me a piece of Land' Listen to Ali's podcast 'The darkest side of life and the brightest... I have seen both' Listen to Ali's conversation about 'Love wins'