Compass Rose Scholarship 2020: The King recognizes Omar Alshogre for compassion, courage and strong values

In his lectures worldwide, Omar Alshogre, 24, has recalled the story about his journey from being a political prisoner to a change leader. He is active with the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), an organisation which advocates democracy and human rights in his native country. Omar is a value-based leader who manifests hope, cheerfulness and trust between fellow humans. Omar Alshogre is awarded the 2020 King’s Compass Rose Scholarship, ”for applying value-based leadership founded on great courage and compassion, where whispers, smiles and forgiveness became powerful deeds on the mission to create a better future for his fellow humans, as well as for Syria.”

Omar was born and raised in Syria, where he was first detained at age 15 after taking part in protests against the regime. After several years as a political prisoner, he managed to escape Syria, arriving in Sweden. Today, he works for SETF, an organisation committed to the freedom of political prisoners and to bringing the perpetrators to justice for torture and inhuman conditions in Syrian prisons. Omar has also taken active part in initiatives for helping Syrian prisoners survive and influencing the United States congress to adopt legislation for imposing sanctions.

”The time I spent as a political prisoner and my escape across the Mediterranean to Sweden has obviously shaped me into who I am today. In jail, we were basically living on top of each other and I was surrounded by inmates with different backgrounds – there were physicians, psychologists, attorneys, engineers and teachers. As we were forbidden to speak to each other, we devised a method using whispering to communicate. In what became known as the”University of Whisper”, older prisoners shared their knowledge with their juniors, and the young offered physical protection for the older. Together, we created opportunities and worked to improve conditions for all inmates, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political views,” says Omar Alshogre.

”I have managed to defeat fear and trauma, and turned this into positive energy and gratitude. My current mission deals with sharing my belief that nothing is impossible, hoping that my attitude and perspectives can inspire others to overcome their obstacles and misfortunes,” says Omar.

Omar is a leader who has stood up for democratic values and human rights against an oppressive government, at great personal risk, He now draws on his journey and his story of survival to promote change, in the personal as well as in the global sense.

“To me, leadership is all about people. This is why I seek to understand different cultures and how human beings function. I want better insights as to how I can work to elevate others, using a leadership based on trust where all individuals find their right place and are satisfied with their progress. Going ahead, I envision myself as a person, and a leader, who can listen and elevate people, a leader who exudes joy and participation,” says Omar.

”This year’s Compass Rose scholars are all strong role models for value-based leadership. They are united by a great determination to create better opportunities for people. Together, they contribute to making society more inclusive and equal, each within their respective fields of action. I believe that demonstrating leadership during times of trouble, as well as when the going is easy, personifies value-based leadership. This is certainly applicable today: as society faces entirely new kinds of challenges there is a need for leadership based on trust and facts to guide people in the right direction,” says Rebecca Sundberg, Manager, Konungens Stiftelse Ungt Ledarskap.