“’You can’t come outside like that no more. You messin’ up the whole look of the building,’ he told me with a screw face. I just stood there looking back at him for some seconds. I was just learning how to translate the Black American version of English and their slang. ‘What is it that you are talking about?’ I asked him. Immediately he started laughing at my accent, my way of talking. ‘All that got to go,’ he said, pointing to what I was wearing, from the kufi on my head down to my shoes.”
The above quote is from a popular book called Midnight, written by author Sister Souljah. I chose this quote because it summarizes in a few sentences what this four-part blog series will be about – newcomer youth.
It is human nature to want to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, but as newcomers there are times when we unknowingly and unwillingly stand out. Through gestures, garments, and the tell-tale sign of an accent, newcomers are sometimes subject to isolation, discrimination, and a general sense of not belonging. Over the course of the next four blogs, I will cover a number of issues that will attempt to address the question of how accepting this nation who prides herself on multiculturalism really is of the people who choose to call Canada home.
In the first blog, we will be reflecting on the many reasons youth leave their countries to start new lives elsewhere, as well as highlighting some of the challenges all newcomers face despite race, country of origin or age. The second part of our series will explore the conflicts that arise at home between youth and their parents/guardians when culture and language clash. Along with culture, we will be taking a closer look into the adaptation process of young men and women, determining if one group has more of a challenge adapting and avoiding the pressures to conform over the other.
Social inclusion in the form of programs provided by government agencies and NGOs will be the topic of our final written piece. Although this series will be centred on immigrant youth, the focus of this piece will be on the Canadian population, and the resources we have set aside to assist newcomers during their transition. In this piece we will also discuss some of the cuts and changes being made to immigration in Canada, and what the implications of such cuts and changes will be. Finally, we will wrap up this series with a video clip comprising the real-life experiences of youth and adults, who at one point in their lives immigrated to Canada.
This series was inspired by the experiences of the youth who are involved with both the ACT for Youth and NOISE projects, along with the emphasis both ACT for Youth and NOISE place on youth involvement in the community. In addition to the influences stated above, influence for this series was also drawn from the community in which both projects are based, a community that has historically been an immigrant community – the Jane and Finch community.
” I immigrated at 16 from Iran and on my own. I was forced to leave due to political activities as a student leader. I miss leaving everything and everyone I knew. No high-school reunions, no attending grandparents’ funerals, not a lot of family to rely on, even if it’s only to reminisce about ‘good old days’. I love the rule of law in my new country, more individual freedoms and the ability to speak out about what I want. I dislike that I must fight to prove I’m an equal being here, even in 2012.” – Pedram, 20, immigrated from Iran to USA.
“Moving to the Canada is the most exciting and scariest thing I have ever done. I love it here, even the cold winters. I miss home and my family everyday, but the challenges I face every day make me stronger.” – Sheddow, 24, immigrated from Nigeria to Canada.
A special note to our readers:
Over the next four weeks, please feel free to share some of your experiences as a newcomer to either Canada, or another country. I hope you all enjoy this series and I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy!