6 Years with Al-Qaeda: The Stephen McGown Story

Join us for an inspiring and thought-provoking interactive session with Al-Qaeda’s longest held captive on the role of empathy and resilience as a survival skill.

Who is this for?

Adults of all ages

Agenda

➡️ 10.30 am to 11.15 am: Coffee & Networking

➡️ 11.15 am to 1 pm: Stephen McGown in conversation with Mahima Poddar, Q&A & Wrap up

➡️ 1 pm onwards: Stephen will be available for Book Signing & Interaction

Speaker Profile: Stephen McGown

Stephen, based out of Johannesburg, is Al Qaeda's longest held prisoner, turned International Speaker and Trainer on Leadership & Resilience. Stephen's passion for adventure from a young age ignited his desire to ride a motorcycle through Africa. His journey home took an unexpected turn of events when he was abducted by Al-Qaeda and held hostage in Mali for almost 6 years. He was finally released in August 2017. He has been trying to claim his life back since then with a fresh & positive outlook! With the unique experiences he has gathered, be prepared for an inspiring session.

Facilitator Profile: Mahima Poddar

Mahima, based out of Chennai, is a Social Entrepreneur, an Expressive Arts Therapist and Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Educator. As the Founder of The Kindness Foundation, she believes that kindness is not just a fancy add-on, but a fundamental must-have for human survival and existence and all we really need to do is to find ways to unleash it. The Kindness Foundation's programs, events & workshops hope to inspire and empower every citizen to be an advocate of kindness and personally create a measurable impact on the world around them.

Why this event?

The International Kindness Festival (IKF) is the first of its kind global festival celebrating and discussing the Science, Politics, Ethics, Practicality and beauty of kindness! The 1st edition of IKF took place in March 2021 in a visually rich and interactive virtual environment. We are now thrilled to bring to life the 2nd edition of the International Kindness Festival on December 9th & 10th, 2023 at Sir Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Hall, Chennai.

In an effort to create an inclusive, diverse, accessible, wide-spread and community-oriented festival experience, we have curated several pre-events across multiple venues in Chennai.

In this interactive event, Stephen McGown, will shed light and answer questions about his life-altering experiences, and how he used empathy as a survival tool. His story is one of resilience and overcoming adversity amidst harsh weather conditions, a different culture, language, and religion.