Jamil Jivani

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• Learning How to Dream

  We think of dreaming as something that comes naturally to us all. But our imagination and creativity in thinking about the future is often limited by what we’ve already seen. Jamil Jivani’s journey from a troubled teen pushed along by a single mother to a lawyer and law professor is a story about how to navigate through the unknown and see beyond the world immediately in front of you.

  Jivani will share his story about learning how to dream and how to connect those dreams to tangible actions toward a better life for yourself and the people you care about.

• Bridging the Gap between Police and Community

  Based on Jamil Jivani’s 2014 TED Talk, this is a look at what is happening on the ground in urban communities and police departments that has contributed to the growing gap between police and diverse communities. Jivani has worked with community groups and police departments across North America to better understand why there is a crisis of distrust, and how cities can move toward a better future.

• Roots of Radicalization

  Jamil Jivani traveled to Belgium in the aftermath of the Paris and Brussels attacks to learn about what was making young people vulnerable to radicalization. He then traveled to Egypt and Kenya to learn about other communities combatting radicalization. The main thing he learned is that this problem is not a religious one and it can’t be solved by building walls and closing borders. Jivani learned that it’s about young people needing to find a place in their society to give them a sense of belonging and purpose.

  We are all at risk if we don’t learn from what’s going on in other places and support our young people. Jivani will share what he learned on his travels and what we can do locally to address the roots of radicalization.

• Tackling the Opioid Crisis

  The opioid crisis ripping its way through North America requires more than just money to solve it — it requires dynamic leadership that can rally government agencies and others around a shared strategy to combat it on multiple fronts.

  Jamil Jivani works to fight the opioid crisis with Our Ohio Renewal, an advocacy and policy research organization based in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio is one of the states hit hardest by opioid abuse in the US. In Canada, Ontario alone saw a 19% increase in opioid overdose from 2015 to 2016.

  Jivani takes audiences through his research, combing stories he’s learned from being on the frontlines of fighting the crisis, and proposes solutions leaders can undertake to tackle the complex issues of addiction and, ultimately, help stem the fatalities.

• Student Success

  At the age of 15, Jamil Jivani was labeled illiterate by the public school system because he refused to put any effort into his education. Seven years later he was admitted to Yale Law School. His transformations through high school, community college, university, and law school are lessons for all students on how to make the most out of your opportunities, persevere through failure, and build a skillset that can carry you as far as your imagination can take you.