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Meet the 2020 RBC Spirit Award recipients

Announcing the 2020 RBC Spirit of the Capital Youth Award recipients

The RBC Spirit Awards is an annual event that celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of youth who are making our community, and the world a better place. The event itself is a complete celebration of young people.

Our audience is introduced to an exceptional group of youth who encourage and motivate others, who demonstrate outstanding initiative and creativity, and who have overcome tremendous adversity through their passion for life.

We have the honour and privilege of sharing their incredible stories, passion, and dedication with our guests, in hopes of inspiring others to step up and make a difference in their own communities.

 

KATHLEEN MCDONALD

Kat MacDonald is an artist who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD and anxiety. By age 12 she developed an eating disorder and became depressed. Since seeking treatment at CHEO she has been working on an art project designing graphics with the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre where she leads a team of students in making skateboards to donate to high-needs youth in the region. She’s an active volunteer in her community, planting gardens and cleaning courtyards. To bring awareness to the struggles of managing eating disorders she has partnered with CHEO to create a documentary where she will be doing the filming and editing and sharing her personal story. She will be attending the University of Ottawa’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program in the fall as she continues to run her own art enterprise, doing commissions and fundraising for her community.

solomon schafer

Solomon Schafer is a youth poet who has released a self-published chapbook and is active in Ottawa’s spoken word community. He is a member of Urban Legends Poetry Collective’s executive committee and has represented Ottawa’s slam poetry team at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. Solomon aspires to create a spoken word festival for high school students to express themselves and step into their power as youth within a safe and intersectional community-oriented space that centres slam poetry’s cultural roots in oral traditions of Black and Indigenous peoples. He is driven by a belief in the power of poetry to be a positive force in the lives of youth, drawing on his personal experience with poetry as a means to process and navigate life events such as coming out as queer and dealing with the passing of a friend. Solomon is also involved with Youth Speak, a youth writing workshop held in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library and was a co-director of the 2020 Victorious Voices Youth Spoken Word Festival.

Emma Flynn-Mantyla

Emma is an inspiration and positive role model for her entire community. She is a grade 10 student at St. Matthew Catholic High School and is currently battling Leukemia. Her inspiration and sense of community goes beyond the classroom.  She is a member of both the CN Cycle for CHEO dream team and RISE where she dedicates countless hours spreading positivity through acts of kindness. She also led her school’s anti-bullying campaign. Emma’s cancer treatments have caused major damages in her joints making it difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning. Through all of her obstacles, Emma attends school with a smile on her face. She refuses to use any physical or emotional distress as a barrier to her academic success.

LYSHAWN DUBOIS

Lyshawn is a remarkable student who shows positive leadership in and outside of the classroom. He is the assistant coach for the junior touch football team, works part-time and is a role model to younger generations of at-risk youth. Although Lyshawn is excelling both in sports and in his academics this was not always the case. He arrived in Ottawa on his own from Montreal leaving his mother and siblings behind in hopes of a better future. He was raised in a single-parent household where they struggled financially causing him to make bad decisions and ultimately leading to trouble with the law. Lyshawn was determined to succeed and committed himself to his studies, not using his past as a limitation to prevent him from achieving his goals. Lyshawn has changed his life around, he will be attending Cegep next year with a full scholarship. In the future, Lyshawn hopes to share his story in the hopes of inspiring other youth to get off the streets and make a future for themselves.

Annie zhang

Annie Zhang is a charismatic student, public speaker, recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Award and the founder of Project Tech Conferences – a student-run nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for high school and middle school students across Ottawa, Kingston and Waterloo to learn about computer science. PTC provides an interactive introduction to STEM through inspirational speakers, workshops and career development sessions. Inspired to make a difference in a traditionally male-dominated field, Annie has focused on empowering women and girls in discovering the world of technology

bhavya mohan

Inspired by the story of a cancer survivor who feared developing an autoimmune disease, Bhavya Mohan found his calling in cancer research at the age of 11. Since then, under the wing of research mentors at Ottawa’s universities, he has dedicated himself in designing, developing and testing a novel solution to improve the body’s ability to naturally detect cancer cells and eliminate them. He believes that aptamers could provide a cheaper, safer and more effective alternative to traditional cancer immunotherapy. Bhavya’s work stands as an inspiration to students interested in scientific research and he hopes to instil hope among cancer patients everywhere with the message that the youth of today are capable of changing the world of medicine.

Dhalia belfer

Dahlia struggles with health challenges, and yet is still extremely philanthropic and generous. She helps out with a support group at CHEO, mentors grade 9 students, and worked closely with her Rabbi to create the first-ever advanced classes in Jewish studies at Torah High. Dahlia participated in a summer educational trip to Israel for a month and intends to continue her studies in social work, working with other folks struggling with health issues, as she knows the hardship. She also created a video that is shown at universities to medical school grads called “dear medical students from patients.” During the pandemic months she has created a program to bring letters to patients in the hospital to bring them joy, because they can’t have visitors.

FRANCES GRANGER

Despite the loss of her mother, Frances has persevered and has found the time to not only continue her high school education, but create the first-ever Indigenous Awareness Week at her school, to which she faced a massive reprisal from admin in the form of a potential lawsuit and repeated racism. Frances is a valuable member of her community, as her passion for Indigenous culture and justice encourages her to support other youth, and amplify local powwows and Indigenous gatherings to promote reconciliation.

Ketnia Rodie Opont

At 16 and by herself, Ketnia made a new life for herself in Canada after leaving Haiti. Although she lived in a shelter and reportedly faced a multitude of traumatizing experiences,  Ketnia not only excelled in her education, but made time to volunteer with various organizations and groups, including registering as a volunteer to work with newcomers to Canada. Ketnia currently manages the Saddlebags Project, designed to give toiletries and necessities to young women living on the streets. Ketnia intends to become a social worker and build support groups for struggling folks, as well as becoming a spokesperson for immigrant women who have experienced sexual assault. 

Emma Grenier

Emma Grenier is a student, social activist, visual artist and stage and show technician. Being autistic and part of the 2SLGBTQ + community they constantly fights to defend 2SLGBTQ + rights and the social acceptance of their community in addition to supporting causes that are dear to their heart such as education, la Francophonie and eco-sustainability. Emma also collaborated on the creation of an Instagram account with more than 20,000 subscribers that provided a safe space for young people in the 2SLGBTQ + community so that they could feel less isolated. Emma is a symbol of strength, both at school and in the community. Despite their autism, their learning difficulties and despite the fact that they belongs to a non-visible minority, Emma continues to persevere and assert themselves according to their personal beliefs. This strength allowed them to be an active member of several community groups where they left their mark, even at the age of 16.

Emran Alnahhas

Emran Alnahhas is a translational and molecular medicine student, refugee, devoted brother and changemaker.  Inspired by the devastating physical effects of down syndrome on his sister, he strives for a career in pediatric medicine. And while his abrupt relocation to Canada has disrupted his studies, it has not slowed down his pursuit. While working as a student researcher at the Faculty of Medicine, Emran has overcome tremendous adversity and displayed resilience by maintaining a high academic standing while supporting his family and sister as her primary caregiver. Founder of the uOttawa Epilepsy Society, Emran aims to financially assist and advocate for support from the international scientific community for Canadians suffering from the disorder. Empowered by his personal experience as a refugee, he co-founded the Catalysts Canada program following a commitment to ease the transition for newcomers, promote social justice issues on a broader level and engage marginalized high school refugee students with access to opportunities and supportive pathways into STEM.

JASON SEGUYA

Jason Seguya is a student leader, activist and former Student Life Commissioner of the University of Ottawa Students’ Union. He is a devoted member of the uOttawa community who has demonstrated leadership in raising awareness of issues and creating spaces of celebration of black, indigenous and racialized students. With the support of a coalition of student and professor groups, Jason campaigned for transparency, accountability, consultation and staff training as a member of the uOttawa President’s Advisory Committee for an Anti-Racist and Inclusive Campus. He has dedicated himself to challenging discrimination and increasing accessibility on campus – always accompanied by kindness and a dashing smile.

Immaculate Nyashema

Immaculate is a passionate student and community mobilizer who helped start the first Black Excellence Club at her high school. She was inspired to start this club after an incident at her school where youth of colour were not being allowed to wear head wraps to represent their cultures and backgrounds at school. She decided to take a stand and got a group of friends together to all wear their head wraps at school the next day to show the teachers that they should be allowed and will wear headwraps to school to showcase their heritage. Immaculate explained that she felt it was important to her culture to fight against that systemic oppression of her culture and to take a stand to demonstrate to the school what it meant to her and her classmates that they be able to wear their head wraps if they want to. 

KYRSTIN DUMONT

Kyrstin is a passionate and caring young woman and proud band member of the Algonquins of Kitigan Zibi. She has taken part in sacred walks to protect the water, spoken on Parliament Hill about climate justice and human rights, she has worked with schools, organizations and churches such as OCDSB, CAS, the child welfare league, UNICEF Canada, the Kitchissippi church as well as the Woodroffe church and while she is currently completing her high school education at Urban Aboriginal she works as a strong role model for other students who have fallen through the cracks of mainstream colonial education systems. She is an advocate, an aspiring future social worker, and a mentor to her family and community alike. In her own words, Kyrstin’s goal is to “use westernize education as well as cultural knowledge to help heal myself and my community “

Mashkura Tabassum Tathoye

Mashkura arrived in Canada with little ability to speak English and faced a lot of barriers in her adolescence. With the help of her parents, Mashkura persevered through her personal and academic challenges and has been recognized by the community and her peers for her kindness and support. She participates in countless volunteering programs such as helping at a local daycare, tutoring English and Math to students, and helping with engaging activities for senior citizens. After working with the United Nations Associations in Canada, Mashkura started her own initiative to combat the Sustainable Development Goals and help her community become more eco-friendly.

teslock luk

Teslock Luk is a dedicated grade 12 student at Notre Dame High School who has become a role model for his peers through his positive contributions to the Notre Dame Community. He is part of the Canada Topflight Academy, a preparatory program for basketball, he facilitates workshops for Young Men Leading Change, a program that brings young men together to advocate and work towards ending gender-based violence and Youth Connections Ottawa, a suicide prevention program that builds on student’s strengths. In addition to his extensive involvement within the community, he also mentors grade 8 male at-risk students. Tesloch exudes kindness, compassion and is relentless in his journey to make a difference. He is respected by his peers, teammates and teacher for his constant commitment to helping others.

RSVP for this year's awards (October 27th, 2020)
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Celebrating Pride Month with the OCDSB

Youth Ottawa and the OCDSB celebrate the end of Pride Month with videos showcasing 2SLGTBQ student voices

In 2019, Youth Ottawa partnered with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board to offer Rainbow Bridges in participating schools across Ottawa. Rainbow Bridges is an experiential program that works with high school students involved with the school’s GSA (gay-straight alliance or gender and sexuality alliance) to innovate new ways of creating safer schools. 

To celebrate the end of Pride Month we want to shine light on the programs successful first year! Youth Ottawa and the OCDSB created a short video reel showcasing the partnership and goals of the program. 

Learn more about the program

 

The goal of this unique program is to welcome incoming grade 9 students who will be entering high school by sharing content and support from current senior level high school students. This youth mentorship program advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ students at all levels of the school experience – from the classroom into the staff room and into the community.

In spite of the challenges 2020 brought, our students continued to amaze us by shifting their projects into an online format. We ran numerous workshops about 2SLGBTQ+ equity and peer support to set the stage for the process of creating meaningful art to share with these incoming students. The result is a series of beautiful films wherein youth offer advice and encouragement to younger students as they prepare to navigate new educational spaces. 

Rainbow Bridges Video Reel

 

As a way to jump start the new school year in September, we will host a virtual film festival where all student films from the Rainbow Bridges project will be screened and celebrated. Announcements will be made this summer, so keep your eyes posted. 

We are extending our bridge in September and welcoming new schools to register for the program. If you are interested in extending the rainbow over to your school, staff and students please fill out the form below and our Youth Ottawa coordinator will be in touch! 

Register for Rainbow Bridges Today!

Register
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Stories from the classroom

Raising Awareness for Climate Change

How a civics class initiated an action plan to educate others on climate change

Problem

Young people are taking action at the local level to combat issues that are important to them. Students from Cindy Savard Civics class at Glebe Collegiate decided to raise awareness for climate change by organizing an environmental fair for younger students at Mutchmor Elementary school. The project stemmed from a need to promote civic engagement so that young people could be empowered to contribute to society. After research and development, students agreed it was important to educate younger grades about the impacts of climate change and to share concrete actions that they could apply on a daily basis.

Solution

Youth Ottawa worked with Mrs. Sivard and her students to facilitate the Active Citizenship Initiative (ACI) – a program created by Youth Ottawa. The ACI provides experiential learning interventions to Grade 10 Civics classes and employs extraordinary young post-secondary changemakers to facilitate high school student-led civic engagement projects.

Broken down into three units, the ACI program:

  • Amplifes student voices and challenges students’ creativity by brainstorming civic issues Enables innovation by allowing youth to initiate an action plan
  • Activates solutions to community challenged by helping students develop a civic-action plan on a project of their interest

Students from Mrs. Savard’s class were divided into four teams (research, planning, timeline and promotion) and each one of the teams planned a climate change-oriented workshop to teach Elementary School students in a fun and engaging way. The activities included a science experiment related to climate change, a vegan cooking activity and a storytelling session. Students were also able to collaborate with community organizations and invited Elyse McCann -Director of Community Sustainability Programs at EnviroCentre to speak to the class about Climate Change

“Youth Ottawa's program had an enormous impact on their motivation to become a model for younger kids. They felt they could make a difference, they grew confidence in their capacity and they learned what civic engagement meant. They realized that they were part of a system where they could have a real impact on their community."

- Mrs.Savard Teacher at Glebe Collegiate Tweet

Impact

Through the ACI program, students were able to engage with civics tactics, strategies and opportunities to create an actionable solution to Climate Change. Students learned skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, civic engagement and were able to successfully implement a plan and execute their event. The students who took part in the ACI program were asked how this program has impacted their perception of school. The most frequent answers were that it made their civics and careers class more interesting and that they enjoyed being able to experience more hands-on learning.

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I picked up a teddy bear, grabbed a pair of scissors…

"I was 5 years old when I learned that even as a child, we have
a need for dignity."

My name is Ibrahim Musa and I am 21 years old.

This is my story of entrepreneurship and Youth Ottawa. 

 

 

Coming as a refugee to Canada and growing up poor, I was increasingly self-conscious about myself and my family, and it was socially isolating. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and all I wanted to do was change how I looked. Because this wasn’t who I was. I wasn’t a refugee, I wasn’t poor, I was just me. 

 

At that point, haircuts were a luxury my family couldn’t afford, I remember being so sick of my mom’s haircuts that I picked up my teddy bear, grabbed a pair of scissors – cutting his hair and then mine. I was 5 years old. From that moment I learned that even as a child, we have a need for dignity. 

 

At the age of 17, I took a leap of faith and founded Cuts for Kids – a youth-led charity that believes that every child deserves an equal opportunity to succeed. We promote dignity by providing access to opportunities through connecting youth to tailored services – starting with a haircut or style.

 

It’s amazing the difference something as simple as a haircut can make – and that’s just the start.

 

Fast forward just 3 short years, thanks to a dedicated team of youth behind the scenes and support from various organizations we have been able to achieve over 1,300 haircuts. Youth Ottawa was one of these supporters and wanted to see us succeed. In 2019, I took part in Youth Ottawa’s Amplified Fellowship a program aimed at helping young social innovators grow their community impact projects. Over the summer I took part in business-design workshops and was coached by a mentor to built a business model canvas for Cuts for Kids in an effort to expand our services and reach.

 

Since working with Youth Ottawa, we’ve been able to improve and scale our operations. Thanks to the fellowship we were able to enhance our understanding of our primary customer segments and beneficiaries to improve our services, improve our donor story, develop a balanced business model, and secure over $43,000 to revenues to support further growth and impact.

 

This program has made a measurable impact in my life and the lives of youth in our city. The program is only available because of loyal donors like YOU.

 

Thank you for your generosity and with your help, more youth will be living their dreams! 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Ibrahim Musa

 
Donate today to support more youth like Ibrahim
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Teaching Pride

Teaching Pride

New Rainbow Bridges peer-led program aims to support youth transitioning into high schools

Written by: Jude Ashburn, Rainbow Bridges Coordinator at Youth Ottawa

the big picture

Rainbow Bridges is an experiential, for-youth-by-youth project where high school students involved with GSAs innovate ways to make their schools safer and more inclusive to provide welcoming school transition activities for middle school 2SLGBTQ students entering high school.

Why Rainbow Bridges?

If you are a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, then you are well aware of the challenges faced by queer and trans youth in high school. If you are not a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, then, well, it doesn’t take a PhD to understand that experiencing oppression is bad for your health. While several initiatives have popped up over the years to support 2SLGBTQ+ students as they navigate intersecting forms of oppression at school, the shifting political landscape at the moment ensures that the struggle for safer schools continues.

Rainbow Bridges is as much a response to this ongoing need as it is a response to the high demand from elementary students and teachers to create more opportunities to engage 2SLGBTQ+ students who will be transitioning into a high school setting next year. By leveraging the impact-amplifier of high school to elementary student mentorship, this program creates an opportunity for older students who have already made the transition to share their experiences in support of younger students. We have partnered with Sue Rice, Equity Instructional Coach of Inclusive Education at the OCDSB, and Dorothy Baker, Superintendent of Curriculum Services, to offer this program at participating schools across Ottawa.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of this program are:

  • To engage students in re-envisioning transitions for 2SLGBTQ+ students into high school, in order to provide more equitable and inclusive support for students in elementary sites. As a result, increase student well-being in particular for 2SLGBTQ+ students and in general for all students.

 

  • To create professional learning and networking opportunities for teachers embedded within families of schools and with students.
  • To provide an opportunity to support students leading and learning, and leveraging the power of high school students to be impact makers for elementary students and demonstrate the care that they have for their community. 

INFORMED BY LIVED EXPERIENCES

Drawing from the expertise and lived experience of students at alternate sites such as Richard Pfaff, as well as the GSA’s and equity clubs at numerous high schools, Rainbow Bridges will form a series of “community challenges” which will then be presented to participating senior-level classes. The students in these courses will then propose potential “solutions” to these challenges and create a variety of projects aimed at meeting the community’s specified need. The culmination of this work will involve students from feeder schools attending a series of events to present their work and foster connections between elementary and secondary students.

powered by experiential learning

We at Youth Ottawa know that experiential learning is a powerful vehicle for social and community change. It is crucial that marginalized students see themselves reflected on a cultural level, within the curriculum, and within the staff at the schools where they learn; just as it is crucial that we as educators who are committed to amplifying their voices to prioritize systemic change and ongoing professional development. There is no substitute for peer support, nor is there an end to our work of learning, unlearning, and relearning how to be in a caring community with one another.

an authentic moment

I moved to Ottawa just over a year ago and recently completed my Master of Education project about the ongoing work of supporting trans students in public high schools. As an educator who engages with both community-based and formalized education systems, I have found that students tend to learn best when they have chosen to learn something. There are so many ways in which our consent is never sought out by formal education systems, and I truly believe that this cumulative experience can become quite traumatic for many learners who never get the opportunity to develop a sense of agency in their learning because of it. When we are given a choice about what and how we get to learn something, the entire trajectory of our life shifts in rather profound ways because we are able to tell a new story about who we are in the world. The identity of a student can take on new meaning.

–  Jude Ashburn

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Rainbow Bridges launches next Month, and we look forward to sharing our program developments with you. If you would like to hear more about the program, or if you would just like to talk about supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth in general, please email jude.ashburn@youthottawa.ca. He welcomes all compliments and critique!

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Introducing the 21 Under 21 Awards – A New Chapter for Youth Recognition.

Youth Ottawa and RBC proudly present the reimagined Youth Awards Gala, a significant milestone in our ongoing celebration of youth achievement! Formerly the Spirit of the Capital Awards, this event has honored youth for 26 years, showcasing their positive impact on the community. Now in its 27th year, it evolves into “21 under 21,” a transformative event dedicated to recognizing 21 outstanding youth under 21.

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Love is in the air ❤️

Explore our work and impact in 2019!

As we start Youth Ottawa’s 23rd year, we continue to be in awe of the generosity of our communities. Today, we continue to fuel young leaders, but we could not do it without your support.

In our latest gratitude report, we showcase how you enabled youth to engage in critical decision-making processes, build powerful networks and innovate significant social impacts.

Read the full report to learn more!

Download the full report
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Creating safe spaces for women of colour

Youth Spotlight

Nayaelah Siddiqui is a 24-year-old student in her final year at the University of Ottawa. While in school, Nayaelah also works for Global Affairs in the International Platform Branch and is an entrepreneur, operating Empower’em a grassroots group providing safe spaces and accessible leadership programming for young women of colour in the City of Ottawa.

"When I started Empower'em 6 years ago, it wasn't something I intended to start"

Growing up as a visible minority, I faced a lot of inequalities and still do to this today. I wear a hijab and as a consequence, I have been discriminated against countless times. However, the real motivation behind starting Empower’em was when I realized that there was no space for Muslim women to share experiences and connect with one another. There was a gap in the services offered in the community and I felt like I needed a community. I decided to create a safe space to find support in my peers.

I started Empower’em specifically for Muslim women, but as we started meeting people through our events, I quickly realized the need to redevelop our mandate to include racialized women from many backgrounds. Young women from all kinds of backgrounds were coming to our events and using the space to open up about their experiences.

Our first workshop was held in August 2013. I ran a workshop on embracing your own true identity in front of a group of 15-20 people. Based on the success of the first event, I decided to continue organizing such spaces. I learned how to design posters, write grants, create a website and newsletter and finally recruited a team. Our events today welcome anywhere between 15-65 young women depending on the type of safe space. Some of our programming models works through peer support groups.

This year, we started a confidential mental health peer support group, to allow women to discuss taboo topics in a safe environment and to let them know that they are not alone in this struggle. Meeting others who are facing similar difficulties has helped participants in our program to feel like they are not alone in this fight. This program grew from my own experiences and a key component was understanding how inaccessible mental health services were to marginalized communities. Often, professional support meant seeing a counsellor who didn’t reflect or share similar beliefs and values or who wasn’t trained culturally. 

Today, the focus on all our programming is to create inclusive spaces and provide accessible programming for all marginalized women of colour in the city. 

We hope to start a sustainable mentorship program that pairs younger women of colour with more experienced women of colour so that they can have a mentor that shares similar values and beliefs as them.

“I started Empower’em specifically for Muslim women due to the need I saw in my peers, but as we started putting meeting people through our events, I quickly realized the need to redevelop our mandate to include racialized women from many backgrounds.”

About 3 years after starting Empower’em I got involved with Youth Ottawa through OYEC, the Ottawa Youth Engagement Committee. During this time I was also applying for grants to support Empower’em. One of the grants required us to find an organizational mentor. I got in contact with them and they were 100% on board to help. 

What I love about Youth Ottawa’s approach is that they actively listen to what youth need and they build upon that information, instead of immediately giving their opinions. Our relationship has grown in the past year and they’ve really pushed for the growth of Empower’em through their guidance and mentorship. Just a few examples of their support include handling funds for us, helping us create formal documentation, constantly searching for opportunities that could be useful for us, linking us to seminars and other non-profit events and most recently hiring one of our volunteer members under their Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program this past summer. Over the summer, one of Empower’em’s team members, Brenda, was involved in building a Business Model Canvas to help us conceptualize how to turn Empower’em into a social enterprise model. My hope is to get Empower’em registered as a non-profit, build a social enterprise side to generate revenue – and use our lived experiences as youth and as women of colour to give back to the community and build more diverse and inclusive spaces. Eventually, we’d also like to create an annual summit that brings women of colour from all over Canada together to celebrate their accomplishments, learn from one another, and pass on leadership skills. 

“What I love about Youth Ottawa’s approach is that they actively listen to what youth need and they build upon that information, instead of immediately giving their opinions. Our relationship has grown in the past year and they’ve really pushed for the growth of Empower’em through their guidance and mentorship.”

I immigrated to Canada just before I turned 13, a little over 10 years ago, and this is where I grew up. For any young person, these years are a vital moment in their life when they are building their values and beliefs. During these years, I found ways to integrate myself into the Canadian society by being my own self, exploring who I am and not compromising the values and beliefs that I hold. To try to fit in, many people give up their true selves, Through Empower’em, I hope to inspire young women to be themselves and feel accepted for who they are with the support of their peers. I am grateful for the support system of community organizations like Youth Ottawa who believe and support our mission. 

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Amplifying youth voices

Amplifying the stories of refugees & newcomers

Youth Ottawa and the UNHCR have teamed up to share the powerful stories of refugees in Ottawa.

We interviewed refugees from all walks of life, as a young as 18 and as old as 45 to share their own personal stories of resilience and overcoming adversity. This project addresses the theme of refugee youth experiences within Canada with the hope that these videos will be used to help encourage meaningful youth engagement/involvement in refugee issues and create more understanding of the challenges refugee youth face once they are resettled in Canada. 

The stories below are just a few of the voices of refugees in our community.

Nour Abdullah

Nour  is a student at Carleton University. She is a swimmer, a basketball player, and loves to play the piano. She volunteers for a sports organization that supports children living in low-income housing and teaches Arabic to children in a language program. She was born and raised in the city of Aleppo and came to Canada as a refugee in 2017.

Nour shares her story with us below.

Ibrahim Musa

Ibrahim is the Founder of the Cuts For Kids Foundation, which promotes dignity through access to equal opportunities by connecting youth to essential services – starting with a haircut or style. Ibrahim’s personal mission is to alleviate socio-economic barriers affecting youth, born out of his own experiences arriving in Canada in 2002 as a refugee from Iraq.

Ibrahim shares his story with us below.

Mouhamed Al-Arab

Mouhamed is a student at Carleton University studying Aerospace Engineering. Mouhamad won the Academic Perseverance award by Youth Ottawa in 2018. He arrived in Canada in 2016 as a refugee from Syria.

Mohamed Shares his story with us below. 

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Philanthropy through the eyes of their daughter

Philanthropy through the eyes of their daughter

Molly Ensom and her parents, Ron and Beverly Ensom, have been donating to Youth Ottawa for several years. Their gifts have included time, talent and treasure. Making a commitment of time, sharing their talents and providing financial support through monetary donations have all helped to give youth hope in our community.  

You, and generous donors like the Ensom Family, are the key to changing lives at Youth Ottawa.

Molly became involved with Youth Ottawa 10 years ago when Youth Ottawa’s civics program was just a one day conference to which she would bring her students. This initiative encouraged youth to be engaged citizens. Molly has continued to be an avid contributor to Youth Ottawa and has taken on a position on the Board of Directors. 

Molly’s parents, Ron and Beverly, are long-standing supporters of initiatives that enable children and youth to reach their potential. The love of giving back has always been a part of the Ensom family. Ron, Bev, Molly and her two brothers have worked for many years for Christie Lake Kids, founded in 1922 to raise the life prospects of children living in poverty.

Ron and Beverly were inspired by Molly’s passion for Youth Ottawa. Seeing her enthusiasm for Youth Ottawa’s mission prompted them to add their support to hers. 

We sat down with both Ron and Molly as they shared their story with us. We were doubly delighted to have them bring along Sam, Molly’s one-month-old son.

Where does your philanthropic spirit come from?

We think it’s really important to give back. There is a huge base of goodwill in the Ottawa community. Our family has the ability to support a number of worthy causes that have a positive impact on the community. It feels great knowing that we can help make a difference in the lives of  youth and support the dedication of program staff and volunteers. We are always delighted to hear staff and volunteers talk enthusiastically about their work.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing today’s youth?

In my 23 years working with youth,” Molly observes, “I believe the biggest challenge facing them is the lack of access to opportunities.” Ron noted that the old admonition to “Pull yourself up by the bootstraps!” assumes you already have bootstraps. Youth Ottawa gives youth the resources and opportunities to build on.

What do you want your gift to accomplish?

I want to know that our gifts assure real-life payoff for kids and youth, and will enable the organization to keep energetic motivated staff.

Tell us about a particular program involving Youth Ottawa’s work that has impacted you.

Molly observes that “Social entrepreneurship is a current concept, and I believe it is very important. Organizations are no longer assessed based on traditional metrics like financial performance. Rather, organizations are being judged on their impact on society. With social entrepreneurship, you have the economic piece tied in with social justice. When I heard about Youth Ottawa launching their youth summer program, it really stood out for me. A program that provides youth with mentorship combined with the opportunity to allow youth to become their own entrepreneurs is a win-win. The fact that this program can help youth launch their own social enterprise all while receiving business support is ideal.

 

 

At Youth Ottawa, our donors are the heartbeat of our work. We know you have your own story too! Your story of why you give is an important part of our story. We cannot open our doors to youth looking for guidance, inspiration and leadership without YOU! Your gifts are essential and on behalf of all of the youth who are impacted by your generosity … thank you!

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“There is power in your story” – Jacqui Du Toit

"tHERE IS POWER IN YOUR STORY"

- JACQUI DU TOIT

sttARTs Launch

This month we launched SttARTs (Storytelling through the Arts) in partnership with MASC and the OCDSB – an exciting program that teaches students how to tell their own stories and how to create an event to present these stories.

The launch took place at Sir Robert Borden where students from four intermediate schools across the district were welcomed to learn more about the program, meet the facilitators and learn what is expected in the coming weeks. 

About SttARTs

SttARTs was piloted last year to overwhelming success. At the end of the program, some adjustments were made based on essential feedback from stakeholders: participating students from 14 OCDSB classrooms, participating teachers and support staff, artists Jacqui and Jamaal, MASC Co- Executive Director Wendy Hartley and MASC English Program Staff, Youth Ottawa Coordinator Helene Boulay and ED Ian Bingeman, and OCDSB Arts Program and Learning coach Jennifer Boudewyn. SttARTs will be explored by Grade 7 and 8 students and will be guided again this year by MASC storyteller artist Jacqui Du Toit and Youth Ottawa’s Artistic Mentorship Coordinator Jamaal Jackson Rogers.

In the first six weeks of the program, Facilitator Jacqui du Toit will take the students through lessons of active listening, will lead them in structuring their own stories, and how to use non-verbal communication in presenting these stories. In the following four weeks, Artistic Mentor Jamaal Jackson Rogers will teach students how to promote and organize an art event where they will share their stories with an audience.

Storytelling supports many of the characteristics and skills of the OCDSBs exit outcomes: goal-oriented, globally aware, innovation and creativity, critical thinking, effective communication. The program also naturally explores curriculum expectations in drama and language arts.

“My struggle reminds me of how strong a person I am. That’s my story.” – Alaa Albadry

The launch welcomed first-year participant Alaa Albadry, who took the stage and shared with the audience her own personal story about her struggle with Eczema, and how this led to many years of bullying. Her story sent a powerful message of resilience and overcoming adversity and received a standing ovation from the audience.

“Youth Ottawa is delighted to be working with the OCDSB and MASC on this important project!  We’ve long known that hands-on, experiential learning through the arts is critical to the development of student voice; however, SttArts has been a revelation for how impactful arts education can effectively build connections to peers, teachers and community.  Jacqui du Toit and Jamaal Jackson Rogers are a dynamic duo, and students are in for a treat!.” Ian Bingeman Executive Director of Youth Ottawa

The Mentors

MASC Facilitator Jacqui Du Toit was born and raised in South Africa and is known for her animated stories from the motherland. She combines gestures, dance, singing, facial expression and dramatic impersonations that spark the audience: she captivates her audiences with more than just words.

Youth Ottawa Artistic Mentor Jamaal Jackson Rogers is a nationally recognized independent artist, creative entrepreneur and arts educator. He is the recently appointed Ottawa English Poet Laureate, a position that has not been occupied in the city of Ottawa for the past 27 years. As a mentor and arts coach with Youth Ottawa, Jamaal helps youth reach their goals within various artistic fields by teaching, inspiring and leading.

We believe that storytelling is a very important process that teaches us to love, to forgive others, to be just and to always strive to be the best possible person. We hope that this program acts as a fantastic teaching tool that will impact all participating students, teachers and facilitators. To learn more about MASC visit www.masconline.ca to learn more about Youth Ottawa’s Artistic Mentorship Program, visit our page here.