Mehtaz Ali 

Founder of Krash Course Karate

Mehtaz Ali is a teenage Bangladeshi girl, who is currently studying abroad. She grew up in Bangladesh, where women's safety concerns were rampant. Through her experiences, she saw an opportunity to make a change in her local community. Her love for Karate played a big role in her journey to improve women’s safety. She credits her grandfather, her biggest role model, for instilling this passion in her. She states how she was only eight years old when she first joined Karate due to the encouragement of her grandfather. With around ten years of karate experience now, she still strives to improve and grow her platform. 

Through her project, Krash Course Karate, she aims to make a positive impact towards bettering women's safety in Bangladesh. She has created a platform on Instagram and Facebook, posting karate and self-defense videos in her mother tongue for viewers to learn from. This page has impacted many women who have now learned basic defense to fight against harassment and assault. She explains how social media has been incredibly helpful in spreading her mission. Women have learned to protect themselves and be more confident through watching her videos. She uses both social media pages to advocate for the betterment of women’s safety and security. 

Now that Mehtaz is studying abroad, she still plans on continuing her mission. She explains how her new experiences have given her a more holistic perception of women’s safety. She realizes how although there may be regional variations, the problem of assault and harassment remains. She explains how it brings her joy to see kids wearing karate outfits abroad. Seeing other young kids with a similar passion encourages her to keep furthering her mission. 

Over the summers, she plans on going back to Bangladesh, refreshing her skills, and expanding her platform. Mehtaz hopes to continue the mission she started and even teach self-defense lessons in schools. With her international experience, she believes that she can make an even greater impact in her local community. Mehtaz also wants to see younger generations create change, explaining that as long as one is passionate about something, they can create change for the better. She advises the youth to never give up no matter how hard things may get.