Empowering Gen Z to Amplify Voices from Post-Conflict Communities
- Empowering Gen Z to Amplify Voices from Post-Conflict Communities Devin Thorpe 25:51
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Devin: What is your superpower?
Zufi: My superpowers are to bring people together and get them to be passionate or show their passion for a cause they truly believe in.
Gen Z is a generation characterized by its desire for meaningful engagement and activism. In today’s episode of Superpowers for Good, Zufi Deo, co-founder of BizGees Ltd, shares how his social enterprise harnesses that passion to support post-conflict communities through a project called Arts for Refugees.
The program collaborates closely with Gen Z, integrating their talents and perspectives into storytelling that shines a light on the lives and challenges faced by refugees. Zufi explained, “We work with 250 plus Gen Z. They create user-generated content for us, and then we share that publicly. So it’s for Gen Z, by Gen Z, with Gen Z.”
What makes Arts for Refugees unique is its multidimensional approach. Participants aren’t just creating content; they are directly connected with the subject matter through hands-on learning experiences. “Tomorrow morning, for example, I’m onboarding 17 students from King’s College, London, War Studies Department. They’ll be trained as student journalists to write articles on post-conflict topics,” Zufi shared. These articles are often recorded as podcasts, offering a personal touch that highlights the deep connections these young writers have with their topics, especially for those with refugee backgrounds themselves.
The initiative’s work goes beyond raising awareness—it informs policymakers and influences strategic frameworks. For instance, BizGees shared insights with the Boston Consulting Group for a UNHCR report, showing the program’s real-world impact.
BizGees, a hybrid social enterprise, demonstrates how for-profit strategies can be leveraged to create sustainable social change, tapping into capitalism to fuel global impact. As Zufi put it, “We use a for-profit mechanism to achieve [social value]. That allows us to tap into the resources of capitalism… to meet everyone’s needs economically, but also emotionally and socially.”
Zufi’s insights remind us of the power of peer-to-peer connection and the role young people play in reshaping narratives around refugees.
tl;dr:
* Empowering Gen Z for Social Impact: In this episode, Zufi Deo discusses how BizGees engages Gen Z to create user-generated content that raises awareness about post-conflict communities, fostering a unique “by Gen Z, for Gen Z” model of social involvement.
* Building Passionate Communities: Zufi’s superpower lies in his ability to unite people and inspire them to act on causes they believe in. He recounted organizing business mentorships in London to support thousands of entrepreneurs, highlighting the power of collective passion.
* Human-Centric Engagement: A central theme in today’s conversation was the emphasis on treating people as human beings, not numbers. Zufi shared that this approach, though more time-consuming and costly, leads to deeper connections and more impactful results.
* Personal Stories to Drive Connection: The episode featured moving examples of individuals who, through Arts for Refugees, not only gained support but contributed their experiences to educate and inform others, illustrating the profound peer-to-peer learning model in action.
* Social Enterprise for Sustainable Change: BizGees, described as a hybrid social enterprise, showcases how for-profit structures can be leveraged to support meaningful social outcomes, combining the resources of capitalism with a mission to foster global awareness and empathy.
How to Develop Inspiring Collective Action As a Superpower
Zufi’s superpower lies in his remarkable ability to bring people together and ignite their passion for causes that matter. This talent has allowed him to lead impactful initiatives and support individuals and groups toward achieving meaningful goals.
In today’s episode, Zufi highlighted how he discovered his superpower during his time in London, where he supported over 2,000 entrepreneurs over a decade by organizing teams of business mentors to guide them. He described how fostering an environment where people felt connected to a purpose and to each other was at the core of his work.
An illustrative story that exemplifies Zufi’s superpower involved a well-connected but struggling entrepreneur who had organized a group for women but couldn’t find mentors. Zufi recounted, “She literally came to tears because she did not know what to do or where to go.” He and his team stepped in, mentoring the group monthly and teaching them how to find support, ultimately empowering them to take ownership and thrive.
Zufi’s approach for developing this superpower includes actionable tips:
* See individuals as human beings with inherent value, not just numbers or names.
* Dedicate time and resources to foster genuine, person-to-person connections.
* Build small, manageable groups for better interaction and deeper engagement.
* Embed empathy and respect in every interaction, even if it requires more time and effort.
By following Zufi Deo’s example and advice, you can make inspiring collective passion a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!
Guest Profile
Zufi Deo (he/him):
Co Founder, BizGees Ltd
About BizGees Ltd: We use Web 3 gaming to bring autonomy globally. We achieve this by creating jobs & wealth in post conflict societies and by supporting communities where our customers are based in an eco friendly way.
Website: www.arts4refugees.com and www.bizgees.org
X/Twitter Handle: @arts4refugees and @BizGees
Company Facebook Page: fb.com/Arts4Refugees
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/bizgees/
Other URL: impactentrepreneur.com
Biographical Information: Zufi is currently the co-founder of BizGees – a web 3 gaming/ fintech marketplace. He was a Board Advisory member at Marketplace Risk for 2023. Panel facilitator – transition to Web 3 at the MarketPlace Risk Conference, London, 2023. Speaker at the Sharing Economy Global Summit, London, 2021 & ’22. Panellist FinTech Week London, 2019 – FinTech, Social Impact and Emerging Markets. Panellist Digital Impact Week London 2019. UK Top 50 Business Advisers 2014 & 2018. Mass Challenge Judge 2019. Guest Speaker at Wharton Social Entrepreneurs course 2018. Winning team member at the UNICEF Fintech Jam 2016, London. Mass Challenge Business Mentor and a Judge on NYU Stern Entrepreneurs Challenge 2015/16. Member of the judging panel for the 2014 Sirius Programme organised by the UKTI. Zufi organised peer-to-peer support for entrepreneurs in London for 10 years. He based this support on the principles of the sharing economy and supported 2,000 entrepreneurs. He has also supported MBA Level Students with their startups for 6 years. This was offered via King’s College, London and the Enterprise Future Network (Founding Member). He successfully applied Military Strategic Thought for the High Growth SME sector. He uses a customised version of the SECI Framework (KM Framework) to co-generate Innovation.He has an Action Learning based MBA in International Business Management with an SME focus and a qualified Enterprise Mentor. His work on Business Strategy Implementation was published in an Innovation and Entrepreneurial Journal and the Chief Strategy Officer Magazine. He recently authored MBA for Startups (available in 5 international languages).
X/Twitter Handle: @ZulfiqarDeo
Personal Facebook Profile: fb.com/zulfiqar.deo
Instagram Handle: @A4Rmedia
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