Abdikadir passionate about service through Youth United

Chaltu Abdikadir has served on Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s Youth United Steering Committee for only one year, but she feels like it’s been much longer. And it’s hard to imagine Habitat without her. Since July 2010, Chaltu has been a committee member creating volunteer opportunities for youth, advocating in St. Paul for affordable housing, building homes on the construction site and speaking to other schools and youth groups about volunteering and supporting Twin Cities Habitat - An impressive list for someone finishing her senior year of high school.

Chaltu says that volunteering is important because it shows that people care more about others than themselves. Choosing to volunteer at Habitat was an obvious choice for her since it offers a unique chance to use her talents to further the mission.

Chaltu believes one purpose of The Youth United Steering Committee is to expose youths of all ages to service opportunities and to what it means to serve, educate and advocate for others. She is passionate about the program because “it shows that youth can come together for a cause and can be positive agents of change in our community.”

While she’s devoted so much of her energy and passion to helping others, she has also developed valuable skills and created wonderful memories along the way. One of her proudest moments was speaking to a crowd of over 200 University of Minnesota students. “I’m proud that I’ve gained so much public speaking experience at Habitat,” she says.

Her family will be the proud owners of a Habitat Home in St. Paul in the coming months and Chaltu plans to continue supporting Habitat’s work through her volunteerism, even after the keys are handed over. In October, she will lead Habitat’s Youth United in creating and facilitating its first-ever educational opportunity focused on sub-standard housing conditions.

By MaryEllen Jaspers