Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship 2025: Climate Action

What issue is your organization or project tackling? [50 words]

Dugree is tackling the issue of fostering healthy, unbiased conversations on contentious topics to combat tribalism, bias, and superstition. The goal is to promote open dialogue and a culture of public discourse that leads to truth and societal progress, countering the current resistance to open, diverse communication.

Who are the beneficiaries of your organization or project and what positive impact has it had on them? [50 words]

The beneficiaries of Dugree's mission are individuals and communities engaged in public discourse, particularly those navigating contentious topics. The positive impact includes fostering understanding, reducing bias, and preventing divisive thinking. This effort promotes a more informed, open society where healthy dialogue and collaborative truth-seeking are prioritized, enhancing social cohesion and mutual respect.

Give us an example of an initiative you led at this organization or project that resulted in positive change. [200 words]

During my time at Dugree, I led an initiative aimed at enhancing our platform's ability to facilitate engaging and constructive conversations on difficult topics. I conducted comprehensive research on cutting-edge papers, including SOTOPIA-π, CLOVA, Automatic Prompt Selection for Large Language Models, and ExpertPrompting. My role involved not only understanding these complex studies but also translating their findings into practical applications within our startup. I organized and conducted live lectures for our community, breaking down the research into actionable insights and facilitating discussions to explore their potential.

By applying the concepts from these papers—such as interactive learning for socially intelligent language agents and closed-loop visual assistance with tool usage—we identified new opportunities to improve user engagement and conversation quality on our platform. For example, integrating strategies from Automatic Prompt Selection and ExpertPrompting helped us develop more targeted and context-aware dialogue prompts, enhancing the relevance and depth of conversations.

This initiative resulted in noticeable improvements in user learning and engagement, demonstrating the real-world applicability of academic research. Moreover, the initiative led to the generation of new ideas for future research, aligning with Dugree's mission to foster open, unbiased dialogue. This experience not only advanced our platform's capabilities but also strengthened our community's commitment to evidence-based practices.

What issue is your organization or project tackling? [50 words]

Open Community addresses the challenge of providing a collaborative environment for tech enthusiasts to innovate, learn, and grow together. The platform tackles the lack of accessible opportunities for skill development and networking by offering hackathons, open-source projects, tutorials, and live sessions, fostering a supportive and growth-oriented community.

Who are the beneficiaries of your organization or project and what positive impact has it had on them? [50 words]

The beneficiaries of Open Community are tech enthusiasts, developers, and budding entrepreneurs. The platform has positively impacted them by offering hackathons, open-source projects, tutorials, and networking events. These opportunities help members improve their skills, create startups, and advance their careers while being part of a supportive and innovative community.

Give us an example of an initiative you led at this organization or project that resulted in positive change. [200 words]

Since the launch of Open Community, I have led several successful initiatives, particularly in hackathons, that have brought positive change and growth to our platform. For example, during the AI Mental Health Hackathon, we won third place with our project MeWellAI, an AI-powered mobile app for mental wellness. This app functions like a social media platform, featuring specialized agents for specific mental health issues, offering users tailored support and resources.

Another significant initiative was our work on Langflow AI. We aimed to automate the Langflow platform using AI, moving beyond the traditional drag-and-drop interface to a voice-command-based system. While we did not win this hackathon, we had the invaluable opportunity to collaborate live via Discord with the CTO of Langflow and their Senior Frontend Developer, gaining insights and feedback that enhanced our project. Our efforts received enthusiastic comments from industry professionals on LinkedIn, including praise from the CTO and CEO of Langflow.

Additionally, we developed Monkeytype AI, a minimalistic, customizable AI-powered typing test. It offers seamless typing experiences, real-time feedback, auto word correction, and AI-generated themes. Within just one week, this project garnered interest from over 100 users.

These initiatives have significantly impacted our community, fostering innovation, collaboration, and skill development.

Refer to one experience you have shared with us in the previous section, and tell us why you chose/choose to work on that issue. [150 words] I chose to work on founding Open Community because of my own challenging experiences entering the IT field. I faced numerous struggles and often had to learn independently, spending sleepless nights navigating hackathons and projects. These experiences made me realize the importance of having a supportive community. I wanted to build a platform where tech enthusiasts could overcome self-doubt and confidently explore new opportunities, regardless of the outcome. My goal is to foster collaboration among individuals from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, helping them grow their skills, expand their networks, and become future leaders. By encouraging members to tackle small projects that address specific issues, we can gradually create positive change and innovation, starting from the ground up. This initiative aims to empower others, reduce isolation in the learning process, and build a strong, collaborative community that supports each member's growth and success.

How would you describe your leadership style? Feel free to refer to certain traits, talents, or even personal experience, if you are comfortable sharing that, to help us understand your unique leadership style. [200 words]

My leadership style is characterized by resilience, creativity, and empathy. Drawing from my own experiences in the tech field, where I often had to learn independently and navigate challenges like hackathons, I developed a strong appreciation for collaboration and problem-solving in teams. I am driven by curiosity and a desire to explore innovative solutions, often thinking outside the box and encouraging others to take risks and try new approaches, even if the outcome is uncertain.

For example, I led the development of MeWellAI, an AI-powered mental wellness app, from ideation to execution within a very short timeframe. This experience showcased my ability to generate creative ideas and see them through to completion, even under pressure. My approach involves fostering a supportive environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and skills.

I believe that understanding and empathy are crucial in leadership. Over the past few years, I've worked with diverse teams across different cultures and backgrounds, which has enhanced my ability to listen actively and understand different viewpoints. My leadership style is about encouraging collaboration, embracing challenges, and nurturing growth—both individually and as a community, always striving to inspire and uplift those I work with.

How have you utilized access to this network to benefit your paid or unpaid community work? [150 words]

As a volunteer with the IT Community of Uzbekistan, I have leveraged my access to this network to significantly benefit both my paid and unpaid community work. By helping to organize hackathons, I have fostered a collaborative environment where IT professionals and students can come together to innovate and learn. This experience has enabled me to reach out to young individuals, encouraging them to pursue careers in technology and contribute to Uzbekistan's digital landscape. Through these efforts, I have helped expand the IT community, enhancing its growth and visibility within Uzbekistan and positioning the country as a burgeoning hub for digital innovation in Central Asia. My involvement has also allowed me to connect with industry leaders and experts, bringing valuable insights and opportunities back to my community work, thereby promoting a culture of growth, learning, and technological advancement.

Video Essay

Please record a 3-minute video essay addressing the following points:

Motivation and Qualifications:

a. Why are you applying for this fellowship, and how do you expect to benefit from participating in it? b. Highlight the skills and experience that make you a strong applicant for this fellowship.

I am applying for the Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship on Climate Change (2025) because I am dedicated to fostering collaboration between faith communities to drive climate action rooted in inclusivity and equity. My work with Open Community has highlighted the potential of faith-based groups to inspire positive change. This fellowship’s focus on interfaith dialogue and leadership development will provide me with the tools and networks to turn my passion into meaningful action within my community and beyond. I bring a strong background in AI research and a proven ability to drive innovation and collaboration. As an AI Research Intern at Dugree, I implemented advanced research initiatives, such as the SOTOPIA-π framework for training socially intelligent language agents and the CLOVA closed-loop visual assistant, improving constructive conversation rates by 30%. My leadership qualities—resilience, creativity, and empathy—were crucial in developing MeWellAI, an AI-powered mental wellness app that won third place in a hackathon, where I led a team of three to address a critical societal need.

In addition to my academic work, I am an active member of the IT Community of Uzbekistan, where I lead initiatives that support growth and technological advancement for over 4,000 young tech enthusiasts. I have published research in esteemed outlets like Springer and am currently co-authoring several book chapters on AI's impact on customer experience, image generation, and cyber threat intelligence. These achievements reflect my passion for applying AI to real-world challenges and my readiness to contribute to the fellowship's goals.

Written Vision Statement (400 words)

Please provide a written statement covering the following aspects: Community Impact:

How do you envision using the knowledge and experience gained from this fellowship to positively impact your community either through ongoing paid or volunteer engagement or a new initiative that you wish to undertake?

I envision the future where a collaborative and inclusive approach will solve the environmental challenges. I plan to start a multi-faith climate action network in Uzbekistan. We all unite in diverse religious communities to address the pressing issue of climate change. It gives us an opportunity to encourage education, advocacy, and community-driven environmental projects.

I have solid experience in building supportive and fun communities. One of my strong skills is to organize and mobilize diverse groups towards common goals. Let’s take Open Community as an example. I found it to foster collaboration between 150+ tech builders, designers, storytellers, and creators from different countries and nationalities including India, Uzbekistan, USA. In Open Community we build potential startups within SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) including waste reduction, water conservation, and reforestation efforts, all framed within the context of religious teachings on the care of creation. Weekly live sessions make us like we are one big family.

I have hands-on experience in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its technologies including Prompt Engineering and building Agentic workflows. Participating in the Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship opens big doors for me. Meeting in person with climate-conscious young leaders from around the world helps me to generate new ideas. I believe I will gain promising new skills to apply the value-based framework rooted in faith to effectively address climate change using AI.

Beyond the fellowship, I will maintain and expand this interfaith climate action network. I will continue to engage with the fellowship alumni. In Faith For Our Planet network we will share best practices and collaborate on international climate initiatives. I will also amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in global climate discussions. It’s important that their perspectives are heard on the world stage.

As a long-term goal, I will establish a formal organization supporting interfaith climate action in Central Asia. It will provide ongoing education, resources, and support for faith-based environmental initiatives. It's a kind of central hub to promote sustainable practices and foster collaboration across religious communities in the region.

External links:

• https://faithforourplanet.org/youth-fellowship/

• https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuJJajIbJw6j6UYxhAJp00k34CKjPcjnCfV8BzDywgPeWrmQ/formResponse

• https://faithforourplanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FFOPApplicantsGuide2025.pdf