The New Immigrant's Magazine

Immigrant Post listens and engages the diverse communities in Toronto. We continue to cover the issues important to Toronto’s immigrant communities. You may recall the plight of Habiba – the single mother who was trailing her defiant son. You may also remember the story of Filanwaa – the youth who came to Canada at age five – and his ordeal and aspirations for a bright future despite having criminal record. In line with our commitment to serve our diverse community and provide them a forum where their stories are heard, Immigrant Post is hosting a conference on youth violence on October 16, 2010.

The current Somali youth situation requires immediate attention and constructive dialogue to address and resolve the existing conflicts between youth and parents, among youth, among intercultural power relations and dynamics, and to help prevent future conflicts. To help bridge these gaps, Immigrant Post decided to host a conference to bring the parties together.

The purpose of the conference is to pursue the ideals of social justice and to work towards the creation of equity based communities where youth and children can live in peace, prosperity, integrity, responsibility, respect for humanity and the pursue of liberty and human growth.

To create awareness of youth violence, particularly within the racialized community
To analyze the critical factors that create a culture of violence among youth
To hear first-hand stories from victims and their families who have been affected by youth violence directly or indirectly.

To generate strategies for the prevention and intervention of youth violence

The conference aims to create an environment of mutual understanding and respect and will help reinforce the dignity of our community. Hopefully, the conference will also offer a point from which to start the healing process of the victims of youth violence.

We want to promote a dialogue. However dialogue, necessitates an openness to consider the views and opinions of others and integrating new ideas and perspectives in our way of thinking and processing information.

We acknowledge that youth violence is not rooted in ethnic or cultural differences, but is the product of socio economic factors that hinder human growth and the realization of the full potential of our youth. With that said, we fully embrace the notion that diversity marked by the inclusion of all residents in full respect of their human rights is an essential condition and prerequisite for the maturity of a mosaic society based on equity and respect.

Consequently, equity and respect are also the essential elements of a constructive dialogue that aims to address the hard questions, such as how conditions that foster and generate violence could exist in an affluent Canada? Are the youth murdered in the streets of Toronto, Edmonton and elsewhere in Canada a Somali problem or a broader issue that has unfathomable implications on our collective welfare?

We need a transformative dialogue to deal with the deeper issues in relation to the ominous menace that challenge the survival of our youth. We must confront these problems in a daring and vigorous manner at their beginning phase or put in jeopardy the future of an entire generation. A single life vanished to a criminal act is more precious than any resource or wealth. We must live together as equals in dignity, peace, and respect.

Respecting others as well as self respect brings forth a desire to belong and contribute constructively to the discourse on hand thereby eliminating unnecessary conflicts that arise from feelings of alienation and the desire for respect.

The first path of this conference is to hear and probe the conditions that contribute to youth violence from the youth themselves. They will share their stories and difficulties in forging a productive life. The second course is to take note of and engage the Academics (allies) who will inform us the contemporary research on youth violence. Our allies will frame the issue of youth violence and locate it within the broader Canadian context. Thirdly, we probe the youth issues from the political terrain and ask how our politicians can help alleviate this problem. Finally, we shall listen to the stories of our youth violence victims and their journey towards healing and recovery from the trauma of experiencing the death of their loved ones.

As written here on previous occasions, equality, liberty and freedom should be the fundamental principles that guide us live and experience in a society that adheres to the values of social justice. Our children and grandchildren will welcome and benefit from our efforts to prepare for them a better future based on upholding human dignity and shunning violence and protecting the environment.

We must move on courageously and bridge in the gap between reality and cherished principles, and attempt in these distressed and desperate times creative and imaginative means to galvanize and strengthen our weary youth.

Said Y Dirie, MSW
Editor and Chair of the Advisory Board, Immigrant Post Magazine