The Somali Youth Association of Toronto held their annual Youth Recognition Awards in north Etobicoke on Friday night, celebrating the academic, athletic, leadership and spiritual achievements of its youth members. Here, eight of the 13 youth recipients show off their award plaques. Staff photo/CYNTHIA REASON
SOYAT Youth Recognition Awards celebrate 13 individuals
The Somali community's best and brightest young minds were honoured last week at SOYAT's Youth Recognition Awards in north Etobicoke.
The Somali Youth Association of Toronto, a not-for-profit, youth-led organization that strives to empower youth and their families to improve the quality of their lives, was established in 1992 and has grown to include more than 300 volunteers and members serving more than 2,000 Somali youth a year.
On Friday, Feb. 4 night, SOYAT recognized 13 such youth for achievements ranging from the academic, to the athletic, to the spiritual at a gathering at Forum Banquet Hall that drew more than 300 local Somalis and supporters.
Haney Mussa, a member of the SOYAT board of directors and the evening's keynote speaker, urged youth in attendance to keep striving towards their goals, no matter what bumps they happen to encounter along the way.
"It doesn't matter how many times you fall, it's about how many times you get up. As you're struggling and moving along - getting up, falling, getting up, falling - I want you to know that you are necessary to us. You are our survival. It doesn't matter what you have done in the past, you still have a future," she said. "You are an inspiration...you are the generation that we have been waiting for. You are our legacy."
This year's SOYAT Youth Recognition Awards went to:
SPIRITUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Idiris Moallim, "an excellent example of an individual who has taken the initiative to better his community" by assisting to host conferences that helped raise Islamic spirit during Islamic Awareness Week. Idiris is also part of a youth-led project whose main focus is to mentor other youth in bettering their lives.
- Kaltun Ali, who has displayed "a significant contribution to religion within her school and community" over the years. Kaltun is also very active at her local mosque, helping to plan many Islamic conferences.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD
- Yassin Mahamed, a local youth who was actively involved in bringing Pathways to Education program to the Rexdale community. A community activist throughout his entire school career, Yassin is currently on the leadership committee at his school, where he leads the library volunteer group, photography and UrbanNOISE groups.
- Farah Abdi, a volunteer with the Somali Student Association at York University, where she currently studies. Despite only coming to Canada four years ago, Farah has already has played "a significant role in enriching the lives of others" through her volunteerism at such organizations as The Caring Village, The Spot, and the Relay for Life.
LEADERSHIP AWARD
- Fardowsa Abdi, who was described by presenter Luis Eduardo Mejicano, aka "Spin", a youth worker with Toronto Community Housing, as "by far the most amazing youth worker I've ever met," he said. "Her passion and enthusiasm are infectious and she yields an abundance of positive results everywhere she goes." Fardowsa helped local youth by advocating up to $100,000 in capital repairs for the communities that they live in.
- Samriye Hassan, who has demonstrated "outstanding leadership within his school," and has dedicated many of his summer vacations as a youth coordinator for the West Humber Summer Enrichment Program.
MOST IMPROVED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Ahmed Guled, a Rexdale Pathways student, was on the verge of failing last year, but through improved attendance and overall work ethic, has seen his marks "skyrocket to an above B+ student." Ahmed aspires to attend Ryerson University for occupational health after graduating high school.
Successful Career Achievement
- Liban Abukar, who works in the department of Economic and Social Development as a program developer for Toronto Community Housing. Liban is a graduate from York University, graduated with honours in political science and plans on pursuing a Masters in Public Policy.
- Fowzia Mahamed, who serves as an Equity Student Advisor with the Toronto District School Board and also works as a settlement worker at a local middle school. In December 2010, Fowzia coordinated and implemented the Somali Youth Conference hosted at York University. She is a previous recipient of the YMCA Peace Medallion award for her community work.
ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Hussein Abdi, who won for his achievements in the sport of basketball.
- Khatra Mahdi, for her "outstanding athletic achievement" through consistent performance in soccer and basketball. In every league she has joined since the age of 7, Khatra has won MVP and lead scorer awards.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
- Asmahan Hussein, a local student who received scholarships from numerous universities, and is currently maintaining an 85 per cent GPA at the University of Toronto, where she's majoring in Health Studies and plans to pursue a masters in Health Administration.
- Mohamed-deq Sabriye, a lifelong honour roll student who currently maintains an average of 85 per cent, which puts him in the top 10 per cent of his graduating class. His future ambitions include pursuing a career in engineering.
THE INAUGURAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Hawa Jibril, renowned Somali poet and author of the bilingual book "And Then She Said: The Poetry and Times of Hawa Jibril".
This article is for personal use only courtesy of InsideToronto.com - a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.
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