Shiza Hirani is an award-winning youth advocate, public speaker, philanthropist, and mental health and education rights activist committed to advancing equity for children and youth worldwide. Shiza is Founder of the social initiative “Youth MentorNet Café” that is grounded in the mission to advance education and health equity through digital campaigns, youth-centered workshops, trauma-informed training, and open-access learning resources. The organization addresses systemic barriers to education, mental health support, accessibility, and career readiness faced by underserved and historically marginalized youths. Under Shiza’s leadership, Youth MentorNet Café has reached 150,000+ young people across 15+ countries, secured competitive grants and strategic partnerships and has been recognized by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan through the RCE Education for Sustainable Development Recognition Award and the United Nations Joint SDG Fund as a leading sustainable youth-led practice.

By integrating arts and knowledge science, Shiza develops innovative, accessible platforms for disseminating knowledge on accessibility, post-secondary transitions, soft skills development, and financial literacy. In 2025, Shiza was appointed as an Advisory Board Member for the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. As one of only ten youth advisors nationwide in this distinguished role, Shiza shapes Canada’s engagement at the United Nations and advises senior diplomatic leaders on youth priorities. Shiza has been featured twice as a speaker in Theirworld’s education series “Understanding Inequalities in Education”, served as the youngest keynote speaker at DisruptHR and the youngest workshop facilitator at the First Nations University of Canada’s Self-Determination Conference. She has also presented at numerous academic conferences at the regional, national, and international levels.

In addition to her international advocacy, she serves on several advisory boards and councils at the national and local levels. Shiza is an Advisory Board Member with Enactus Canada’s Student Council, a Global Youth Ambassador with Theirworld, a Youth Council Member with the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, and a Board Member for the City of Regina’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. Shiza firmly believes that her leadership journey is rooted in the strength of her support system and community, noting that she would not be the person she is today without those foundations. It was through this upbringing that she discovered her passion for mentorship, advocacy, and community engagement, which are values that continue to guide her academic pursuits, volunteer work, and professional leadership. This passion has led her to participate in nationally recognized programs such as the United Nations Association in Canada’s Gender Equality Fellowship, where she was selected as one of only 15 women nationwide, and Girls on Boards Program with the FORA Network for Change, where she deepened her understanding of governance and board leadership.

Looking ahead, Shiza is eager to continue expanding her impact by strengthening her knowledge of healthcare policy, occupational health and safety, and international relations to support inclusive, youth-led systems change. Shiza’s leadership has earned her 25+ prestigious accolades, including the 2025 Outstanding Youth Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Top 30 Under 30 Award from the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, Henry Baker Award from the City Mayor, RBC Future Launch Award, AbbVie Scholar Award, and Chancellor’s Women in Leadership Award, among others. Above all, Shiza is passionate about mentoring and empowering the next generation of leaders to drive inclusive, youth-led systems change.