Expo Recording, Agenda, and the details on the follow-up webinars being organized are available at: https://expo.waqfenau.us/
By the grace of Allah, the National Waqf-e-Nau Department USA successfully held its first-ever Career Expo on January 28, 2023, at Masjid Masroor in South Virginia Jama’at. Expo was fully hybridized (available in-person and virtually) and featured a robust 34 sessions in which various careers were presented based on the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaba.
Expo commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran at 10 AM EST. This was followed by a welcoming address from National Waqf-e-Nau Secretary USA, Mirza Harris Ahmad Sahib. Welcome remarks were then given by Sadr Jama’at South Virginia, Tanveer Zafar Sahib, and Missionary Syed Shamshad Ahmad Nasir Sahib led the attendees in silent prayer after his opening remarks. Afterward, Assistant Secretary Waqf-e-Nau, Zeeshan Ahmad Sahib shared the outline of the program for the remainder of the day.
The Career Expo was a unique event in its own way where four simultaneous career sessions were being presented. This allowed the participants to pick & choose which session they wanted to attend the most. The complexity of organizing such an event required months of preparation, software selection as well as building an interactive website and an event portal to allow such an event to take place.
As noted above, in each 30-minute segment, four different career paths were presented simultaneously with time reserved for questions and answers. 23 distinct career tracks were discussed by over 45 experts with a focus on how Waqifeen-e-Nau may serve Jama’at and humanity through each discipline.
The purpose of the Expo was not to share how a Waqf-e-Nau can earn money by picking a certain career but the key focus was to introduce careers that a Waqf-e-Zindagi (Life Devotee) can pursue as a Full-Time Waqf.
The Expo was designed for Waqifeen-e-Nau boys and girls between the ages of 14 & 24, however, the department decided to open up the Expo to Non-Waqifeen-e-Nau boys & girls as well, allowing them to learn about various ways they can assist Jama’at.
The Expo covered various career paths such as, Getting ready for Jamia & Serving as a Murrabi Silsila, Serving Humanity as a Civil Servant (Foreign Policy), Serving Humanity as a Teacher, Serving Humanity as a Law Enforcement Officer, Serving in MTA USA as a Waqf-e-Zindagi, Serving Jama’at as a Journalist, Serving Jama’at as a doctor, Serving Jama’at as a Linguist, Serving Humanity as a Nurse, Serving Humanity as a Research Scientist, Serving Jama’at as an Architect, Serving Jama’at as a Web Developer (Al Islam and general), Serving Humanity as a Lawyer, Serving Jama’at as an IT & Software Engineering, Serving Humanity in Sustainable Health Care (HF), Serving Humanity First as a Waqf-e-Zindagi/Waqf-e-Nau, Serving Jama’at as an Engineer, Serving Humanity as an Academic, and Serving Humanity as a Pharmacist.
In between session breaks, social and networking hours were allocated, giving an ability for the presenters/sponsors to interact with the attendees. Online attendees interacted virtually while the in-person attendees exchanged ideas with 10 different booths set up by our partners and presenters. MTA USA studio also organized a hands-on workshop allowing Waqifeen-e-Nau to use MTA equipment and learn behind-the-scenes efforts it takes to create an MTA program.
A panel discussion was also held for all attendees before the closing session with Waqifeen-e-Nau that were serving Jama’at full-time. They shared their journey to being a Waqf-e-Zindagi, their current roles and responsibilities, their daily life, and how they reap the constant blessing of being a Waqf-e-Zindagi.
Congregational salat and meals were offered during the breaks and after the closing session.
The Closing session started at 5:00 pm EST with the recitation of The Holy Quran, followed by a summary of the Expo presented by National Secretary Waqf-e-Nau. The Expo closed with remarks and dua led by respected Ameer Jama’at USA, Mirza Maghfoor Ahmad Sahib. Respected Ameer Sahib USA reminded Waqifeen-e-Nau that the ultimate goal of being a Waqf-e-Nau is to fulfill their pledge and offer their services to Jama’at as a full-time Waqf-e-Zindagi.
Alhamdolillah, the Career Expo had amassed a total attendance of 753 with 583 joining online while close to 170 participants & volunteers attended in-person at Masjid Masroor South Virginia. Managing the hybrid event by having four separate rooms for in-person attendees at a given time, configuring the IT infrastructure and overall management of the Expo at this scale was a daunting task, but by the sheer grace of Allah, prayers of our beloved Huzuraba, and an admirable partnership by various organizations, auxiliaries, Jama’at departments, and South Virginia Jama’at allowed the program to run smoothly.
We are grateful to the attendees for taking time to spend an entire day with us. We are also extremely grateful to our presenters who joined from the US, Africa, Jordan, South America, United Kingdom and Canada. We are also grateful to our various partners/sponsors including but not limited to Humanity First USA, AMLA, AMMA, MTA USA, IAAAE, AAMS, AWSA, Alislam.Org, The Analyst, Jama’at IT Department, Jama’at AV/TV Department, Wikalat-e-Tasneef, Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya USA, Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya USA, Majlis Ansarullah USA, Lajna Ima’illah USA, and all volunteers who assisted in organizing the Expo.
We hope & pray that may Allah brings about a change in our youth to understand the true purpose of their lives and events like these produce full-time and committed Waqifeen-e-Zindagi to serve Jama’at & Humanity. Ameen.
Expo sessions details, presenters bio, sponsors information, session videos and other information is available at https://expo.waqfenau.us
