Meet Fatimah Amer | Teen CEO of Health Equity Initiative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fatimah Amer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fatimah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I have always been passionate and focused on contributing to society and making positive changes in my community.  Particularly, I am focused on enhancing the quality of life and self esteem in individuals.  My first step on this journey started during the pandemic when I started collecting non-perishable food items to donate at local food banks and pantries.  During this process, I realized to make my efforts more sustainable and long term, I needed to develop a platform to invite others to also contribute in combined efforts. From that SPARKHope was born. Sparkhope’s core objective is the same: providing a flexible platform to everyone who wants to contribute to society

 My passion for using leadership skills to improve public well being has been bolstered by my involvement in the Scottsdale Mayor’s Youth Council, where I work closely with Mayor Ortega on ways to improve our community. I also serve as secretary to HonorHealth’s Medical Explorer’s club and am president of my school’s student council. These leadership positions equipped me with the resources to create an advocacy platform. When I started SPARKHope, I knew that I wanted to create a platform allowing others to learn more about impending health crises in our nation, while also providing them with the resources and tools to volunteer and further our mission of bridging those gaps.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My journey to founding SPARKHope began when I had the opportunity to take part in leadership and advocacy workshops, which have contributed to my deep understanding of public health. I founded SPARKHope to inform and educate our youth about the deeply rooted social determinants of health that are interconnected, requiring collaborative efforts, starting with us.

What specifically sets SPARKHope apart is our mission statement to provide a flexible platform that allows our volunteers to develop responsibility, confidence, leadership and communication skills while also working to mitigate the social determinants of health. As CEO and founder of SPARKHope I emphasise the importance of community engagement, cultural competency, and equity in all our campaigns and initiatives.

I am really excited for our new fellowship program that we will be launching in the coming weeks; through this initiative we create a platform for bilingual youth leaders and advocates to share meaningful content to remedy health disparities in medicine by breaking language barriers for underrepresented minorities. I am also very excited to partner with another local non-profit to create affirmation cards for our mental health program initiative.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would begin by taking them to local coffee shops in Scottsdale. There are so many great ones! Afterwards we would explore Old Town Scottsdale, which has beautiful art galleries and fantastic restaurants. Later I’d take them to Bartlett lake to enjoy the natural scenery. I would also recommend a hike on Camelback Mountain and Squaw Peak, which would be perfect to enjoy the scenic sunsets.  And if they are interested in a long drive, I would take them to the Grand Canyon.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

My philanthropic endeavors have always been supported and fostered by my parents who have always been my source of inspiration and strength. I am thankful for their continual encouragement, which has always pushed me to expand my leadership skills and be more committed to my community.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/sparktheyouth/home?authuser=0

Instagram: S.P.A.R.K.Outreach

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@spark1071