Why Young Women Should Be a Part Of GIO

GIO has been a transformative life journey for me ever since my high school days. The classes helped me revive myself spiritually and reform my quality and character to a positive self. In the beginning, I did not know who an associate was or who a member was, but all I did was just handle classes in my circle. While attending tharbiyyah gradually, I got to know more about the activities of GIO and how a Muslimah should shape herself. My focus on academics also extended to establishing deen. The creative writing workshop that was conducted in the year 2020 was the turning point in my GIO journey. I got in touch with senior members, and I made friends with them to date; they are my close friends to whom I rely on whenever I am in a tough situation. From being a part of the article writing team and then moving on to the membership team from the year 2020 till date, I am handling the membership classes. There is nothing that GIO has left out without teaching me. The transition of a GIO cadre from an associate to a member is a very important journey where they learn how to work with different people with different sets of characters and qualities who are all put together in a space. This was when I got to be in touch with many, many new GIO cadres who are getting ready to establish deen by working in the organisation.

My presence in GIO was not only at the city level, but GIO uplifted me and extended me to the zonal level and to the National Federation level, which moulded me and gave me a deeper understanding of how to work in an organisation. I have learnt principles of management, organisational behaviour, and human resources management in my MBA, but it was all theoretical. It was GIO which gave me the practical exposure and experience of how to handle events, organise events, arrange people, gather cadres together for an event, etc. I was elected as the city president for the term 2025, which was a challenging position, but that was the role which improvised my way of working in the organisation and with the cadres.

One great asset that GIO has taught me is about sacrifice! As a cadre of GIO, we are obliged to be present in person for the events, and as a leader, we have to arrange cadres, gather them and organise programs. And doing all this is not a very easy task as it takes a lot of time, effort and energy, and, at times, multitasking has to be done, which I think is one of the major qualities a leader should acquire.

Young women should be a part of GIO as it is the platform to shape them as individuals, as Muslimahs who can contribute to the betterment of society. It gives the opportunity to acquire knowledge and teach the younger generation, balancing roles, strive to establish deen through the various activities and programs conducted. Most importantly, it's also a platform where our talent and skills are acknowledged. Through the workshops, we acquire skills, and we also get an opportunity to give our part back to society by playing a role in the organisation, such as being a part of the various teams where we can use our potential to the fullest. #HearfromOurLeaders

Author: Aafrida Sulaigha Beevi, Former President, GIO Chennai Metro. Date: 21 February 2026