"I think without that they would feel lost"

Many annual programs were cancelled for safety in 2020, as the world grapples with a global pandemic, and the Police and Youth Engagement Program (PYEP) was no different.

But the supports that PYEP provided are needed by ethnocultural youth now more than ever, so the initiative was revamped to connect with youth as the Youth Navigator program.

Hanan, who was a photographer and videographer for PYEP in 2019, was one of ten Youth Navigators hired to connect with youth in their communities.

“This year I was a Youth Navigator supporting young people in the Oromo/Ethiopian community,” said Hanan. “I didn’t know something like this would happen this summer. I was excited when Ali told me about it and I applied right away.”

One of the more common struggles they faced were challenges at home, as teens grow up with one foot in their parents’ culture, and one foot in Canadian culture.

“Most of the youth, their families not from here so they have a “back home” kind of mindset,” she said.

“We just talk about honesty. A bunch of the youth had problems with their families, so we just talked about it. It made them feel better knowing that everyone’s experiencing this, not just them.”

Finishing school for the year presented some challenges at the beginning of the pandemic safety measures.

“Most of them grew up here so they’re good with the language, but they did have some trouble with masks and science classes,” said Hanan.

“To support them I was just hanging out with them playing games and talking about their problems,” she said. “I was their age once, so I went through whatever they’re going through. My mom didn’t grow up here, so I had to figure things out for myself. I know what it feels like to go through that. I try to help them out.”

During a homework club twice a week, the youth come together and they discuss strategies for teaching their parents about how the mentality they are facing in the world is different than what is expected of them at home.

“I think without that they would feel lost,” said Hanan.