Somali youth give back to the community in hopes of helping other kids achieve

OTTAWA — You know you’re dealing with a special group of teenagers when they’re eager to spend hours and hours helping other kids with homework — and it was their own idea.

For weeks, a group of Ottawa teenagers have been planning and organizing Our Community, Our City, a fund-raiser to benefit six homework clubs, places where students as young as six can get help with reading, math and history. The clubs operate out of community houses in social housing neighbourhoods such as Britannia Woods, Michele Heights, Foster Farm and others. They’re run on a shoestring, with volunteer tutors and donated supplies.

The teen organizers, who work together as the Somali-Canadian Youth Advocacy Group, are hosting the fund-raiser Friday night at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre in Britannia Park. CBC radio host Adrian Harewood is the emcee, and Carl Nicholson,

executive director of the Catholic Immigration Centre, is the keynote speaker.

“I used homework clubs when I was younger — they helped me a lot in my academic career,” says Abdurahman Hashi, 18, one of the organizers. Hashi, who just finished his first year studying accounting and social work at Carleton University, volunteers in the homework club at Foster Farm.

“The majority of the kids have immigrant parents who, like mine did, sometimes have a hard time assisting their kids with homework, maybe because their language isn’t very strong or they haven’t adapted to the culture.

“We give them tutoring, friendship, anything they need help with. We’re older brothers and sisters to all of them.”

The money raised will buy school supplies, after-school snacks and upgraded equipment for the six clubs in the west end. The teens hope better-equipped homework clubs will cut dropout rates and build stronger relationships in the neighbourhoods.

At the fundraiser, the teens will present a fashion show and skits showcasing the struggles and successes of the Somali-Canadian community as they have adapted to life in Ottawa. Some homework clubs were started by members of the Somali community soon after their arrival in Ottawa in the early 1990s.

While the teens are Somali, the children using the homework clubs come from diverse cultures.

The members of the Somali Youth Advocacy Group came together at the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, where they attended a leadership course the centre organizes for Somali teens.

“At the end of every session, there are always kids who want to keep going, who want to give back to the community,” says Sharmaarke Abdullahi, community youth worker at Pinecrest-Queensway.

“It’s uplifting to see them putting so much time and effort into a cause they believe in. They came up with the ideas for the event, they found the space and organized the entertainment, and they’ve been working hard to get the word out.”

Helping the helpers

When: Our Community, Our City takes place Friday night from

6 to 9 p.m.

Tickets: Available at the door. $15 for students and $25 for adults.

For more information:

Call the Somali-Canadian Youth Advocacy Group at

613-820-4922, ext. 389.

Source: Ottawa Citizen