Stateless to Belonging
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In this powerful and deeply personal plenary, Mehdi Sina shares his journey from a stateless childhood in Afghanistan and Pakistan to finding belonging in Australia. Growing up without citizenship, identity, or security, Mehdi reflects on what it means to live in survival mode: navigating fear, exclusion, and hardship while holding onto hope. Through harrowing experiences of displacement and resilience, he discovered that belonging is not something given, but something built through courage, contribution, and community. Today, Mehdi dedicates his life to uplifting marginalised voices and changing narratives.
Presenter: Mehdi Sina
Mehdi is a former Hazara refugee, public speaker, and human right activist. He started his journey after arriving in Australia on a lackey broken boat as an unaccompanied minor. He loves to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from his mistakes/failures. Early on in life, Mehdi learned the art of dealing with failure and rejection. According to neuroscientists, 95% of our decisions are based on feelings and emotions. That’s why, early on he changed his behaviour to change how he feels. The mantra which worked is “Do it or don’t, there is no try”.
Before arriving in Australia, Mehdi experienced ‘stateless’ and lived in “survival mode” where surviving through the day and night in one piece was the only goal. After arriving in Australia, Mehdi felt a strong connection within the community as in a word of Aristotle, “Do good, feel good”. he sought to inspire others with his own dramatic life narrative, encouraging them to push beyond comfort zones and foster mental resilience.
Despite challenges, Mehdi earned a Biomedical Engineering degree and launched a podcast channel, dedicated to sharing untold stories that contribute to collective learning. With a belief in the power of education and shared experiences, Mehdi envisions a world where mutual learning and understanding create a better place for all.
