Building Bridges, Building Care: A Conversation with Sajin Ahmed Kawshik

Sajin-Ahmed-Kawshik

Sajin Ahmed Kawshik, is a Bangladeshi community organizer, youth advocate, and emerging political leader currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. He made history as the first Bangladeshi elected to the executive body of Portugal’s Socialist Youth, where he serves as the Immigration Secretary.

His commitment to community work began early through grassroots initiatives as he was one of the founding members of WE, an education project for disenfranchised youth, and later founded Helpline Matlab during the COVID-19 pandemic, a volunteer initiative that provided supplies and support to 5,000 people. Alongside his organizing work, Sajin has pursued photography as a means of storytelling and connection, using it to capture and uplift the everyday lives of people in his community.

Sajin is now continuing his work in Portugal, where he works on immigrant rights and representation in the political environment. Empathy and a belief in community care drive his efforts to bridge the gap between immigrant groups and Portuguese society via service, dialogue, and inclusive leadership.

Check out our interview with Sajin for more details about his journey:

Preserving Culture Through Virtual Memory with Nabila Chowdhury

Nabila Chowdhury is a PhD student at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, working under the supervision of Dr. Negin Dahya. She previously completed her Master’s in Computer Science at the University of Manitoba, where she was a Research Assistant in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab with Dr. Celine Latulipe and Dr. James E. Young. Her master’s research explored intergenerational music co-listening between grandparents and teen grandchildren as a way to foster sustained connection and understanding across generations. Nabila earned her B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from North South University, where she completed her undergraduate research under Dr. Nova Ahmed.

Currently, Nabila’s work focuses on a virtual reality (VR) project that connects migrants and diasporic youth to their homelands through photography, music, and cinema. Her research highlights the importance of memory as a tool for cultural reclamation, historical rebuilding, and reframing, particularly for marginalized youth seeking to navigate and reimagine their identities across borders.

Check out our interview with Nabila in our YouTube channel for more details about her VR project: