Mariam Azeem possesses nearly fifteen years of experience and expertise in the field of education, training, and coaching for nonviolent civil resistance, human rights, women’s leadership, and movement building. She supports and facilitates youth, women, and gender and sexual minorities in advancing their narratives of human rights and justice.
Ms. Azeem served at Rhize as the Director of Movement Support and Learning for half a decade (2018-2023). She is onboard as a trainer for various organizations and platforms, including, but not limited to, the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), Inclusive Global Leadership Institute, Forum for Dignity Initiative and Solidarity 2020 and Beyond.
A certified human rights educator with the Council of Europe since 2010, Ms. Azeem spearheaded a national human rights education program in collaboration with the Human Rights Ministry of Pakistan, SIDA, and a national youth organization. This program encompassed 41 districts of Pakistan, including Azad and Jammu Kashmir.
Further developing her skills through the Equitas fellowship program in 2012, Ms. Azeem played a pivotal role in drafting Pakistan’s first-ever transgender human rights bill, recently passed by parliament. Her dedication to coaching and nonformal and popular education techniques has benefitted marginalized communities across Pakistan and globally.
In 2013, Ms. Azeem became an alumni of the ICNC’s flagship summer institute, completing a weeklong training on nonviolent civil resistance and movement building. This experience significantly impacted her career trajectory. Her subsequent participation in the Global Change Leaders program at St. Francis Xavier University’s Coady Institute in 2014 further honed her expertise in nonviolent conflict and the concept of people power.
A seasoned civil resistance trainer, Ms. Azeem’s coaching focuses on nonviolent conflict resolution and fostering participatory citizenship and accountable democracy. In 2016, with support from ICNC’s Learning Initiative Network program, she initiated the first-ever yearlong training series on nonviolent civil resistance and movement building in Pakistan. This program aimed to introduce and promote the understanding and importance of deep democracy, participatory citizenship, and the phenomenon of people power within the country.
As a certified trauma-informed grief coach, Ms. Azeem recognizes the profound impact of personal stories and past and present experiences on learning. This understanding translates into holistic curriculum design that prioritizes the learner’s journey and embraces collective community care.
Inclusion, humor, transparency, and resilience are the core values that underpin Ms. Azeem’s work and life. She is a firm believer in people power and invests her energy in learning and applying relevant theories and practices in her coaching, education, and training endeavors.