India Rainbow Community Services of Peel organized a one day Youth Forum on 20th October at the Canadian Coptic Centre, with a theme centered on ‘Embracing Duality of Cultures’. The event was well attended by youth, parents, counselors, funders, teachers and members of various youth organizations.

The purpose of the event was to celebrate the many accomplishments by participants of the Youth Leadership Project (YLP) and to provide a common platform where South Asian youth could collectively address the many challenges they face in bridging the cultural gap. The Youth Leadership Project started in July 2011 with the aim to assist newcomer South Asian families and first generation Canadian youth who struggle with social isolation, depression, peer pressure, family and dating relationships, pressures of high academic expectations and the stress of cross cultural and cross generational integration . The focus was to empower youth to make crucial links between western and eastern perceptions of interpersonal relationships, education, social norms and cultural identities; and the impact these perceptions will have on their future as adults.

The day had a packed agenda with educational & informative activities. The morning began with ‘O Canada’ sung by volunteers Ayaz and Mohd. Mushahid on the harmonium – to lend a South Asian cultural touch to the anthem.

In her welcome address, Kitty Chadda, Executive Director, talked about the many issues faced by youth, their families and the everyday challenges that they face in school; and how it affects their mental well-being. “Youth should be empowered to talk more openly about their mental health. Furthermore, we as a group of service providers need to work together to find answers to the various problems facing our youth today”. She stressed that there aren’t enough youth workers to address this issue and cited the fact that over 500 or so interventions were handled by the lone Youth staff at India Rainbow, and roughly 50% suffer from mental health illness and or suicidal ideation She made an open call to all present to collectively put our resources together and come up with strategies to address the issues faced by youth, particularly suicide, bullying, mental health and wellness.

Sid Sawant, an exemplary South Asian youth, an actor and photographer, in his keynote address spoke of his journey and the trials and tribulations he encountered in getting to where he is today. He related to his middle school and high school years and stated that school is not only about learning – it is about social and personal relationships, developing one’s personality through extra curricular activities and forming a balanced outlook. He spoke encouragingly about having a 93.5 % average and still not being accepted in the university of his choice. This, he said can be devastating to some, but with the support of his parents, he changed courses and is perusing what he loves – acting and photography. Sid faced many internal struggles but got out and re-grew himself. “At times I felt like I was in no-man’s land – a brown kid growing up in a white world”, said Sawant. “I used art as a form of outlet to release my pent up emotions”, he added. “Canada is a land of opportunity and the reward is magnificent if we can embrace the duality of cultures and look upon it as a privilege and an opportunity, instead of letting one culture totally define you”, he concluded.

Jakki Buckeridge, Supervisor of the Child, Youth, and Parenting Program along with Swati Shah, Project Coordinator, gave an overview of the CYP department and YLP as well as acknowledged the members of the Youth Advisory Committee who assisted in the grant writing, development of the many project activities and a dedicated Facebook page. They talked about the journey of the YLP; its beginning, where it presently stood and future plans for the project.

A well-acted out skit depicting the life of a newcomer South Asian youth in conflict with family values was befitting the day’s theme. It highlighted the challenges faced by newcomer families and the ever present cultural and generational gap that continues to plague many a parent-youth relationship. Poonam Patel, Community Youth Worker, also spoke about how depression, bullying and social media can affect mental health. Interventions rise significantly at the start of the school year, as students struggle to adapt to new environments, friends and cultures. However, she urged youth to remind themselves that they are part of a bigger community and that help is always available.

Rajani Rajeev, a mentor with the project said, “The main reason I joined this project was because I wanted to help youth and make them feel that they are a vital part of our community and thereby boost their confidence”. “I’ve also had a taste of what bullying feels like at school, and promised myself that when I grow up, I would be there for those who need support”.

What is a duality of cultures? Why are bridging communication gaps so important? Why is it important to recognize the impact of settlement and mental health issues? These were some questions debated during the panel discussion which followed the ‘Peace Tree’ a song recited by Ayaz and Mushahid. Manju Panchapakesan, Director Operations, then recognized all volunteers and Charanjit Luthra, Board Director and Treasurer of India Rainbow gave out certificates to all volunteers.

 

Enjoy the skit put together by India Rainbow Staff and Volunteers.

A couple of singing performances by Ayaz and Mushahid

India Rainbow’s Child, Youth and Parenting (CYP) department has organized a one-day Youth Forum on 20th October, with a theme centered on ‘Embracing Duality of Cultures’. This event will feature inspirational talks, panel discussions, presentations, and entertainment. During the event, participants of the Youth Leadership Project will reflect on their experiences, and on challenges faced by immigrant South Asian youth and parents and how it impacts mental health and wellness. The hope is to empower youth to become effective leaders in the community and for families to feel confident that integration and culture can blend successfully. Please feel free to share this information with parents and youth (12 years and up) who you think will benefit from this event.

Attached is an invite with further information. Please note that all attendees have to RSVP. This is not a drop-in event.

Please register with Swati at 905-275-2369 ext 249 or via email: sshah@indiarainbow.org latest by Monday Oct 17th.

India Rainbow Community Services of Peel’s, Youth Leadership Project was launched in July 2011 with the objective of reducing isolation and to engage youth who have, or are experiencing academic challenges, mental health issues, family conflict and issues arising from duality of cultures. The project achieved this objective by offering activities that embraced both the South Asian and Canadian cultures. One such activity involved a visit to the Canadian National Exhibition on August 23, 2011. The mentors and mentees were paired and put in groups to be together for the day where they got an opportunity to explore many things Canadian – from the multicultural food court, to rides and games, shows, skating demo by Olympian Joannie Rochette, sand sculptures, cooking demos and the international shopping bazaar. Most importantly, it was an opportunity for the mentees to spent a day away from their parents, and be with their mentors during the rides and games, lunch, and all through the bus ride. For the mentors, it was a time to build on the trust already established, by being their guide and allowing the mentees to make decisions for simple things like what rides to go on, what may not be suitable, what to eat for lunch and how to be safe among hundreds of people – mostly strangers. The trip was the first opportunity for most youth participants to experience this medley of Canadian activities. The CNE trip was another opportunity in building up a long-lasting and effective mentor-mentee relationship. Ishy Dahri, a leader on the program said, “CNE was a really good experience because it was a great introduction to fun-filled Ontario and it exposed me to the many cultures that make up the Canadian cultural landscape.” The Youth Leadership Project was first piloted in 2008 and effectively reached out to South Asian immigrant youth and their families. This summer, the Child Youth and Parenting program of India Rainbow was able to enroll a larger group of 35 leaders and participants. South Asian youth 18 years and older were trained to be effective leaders and mentors to their paired mentee. They learnt about rapport building and encouraging healthy decision making and engaged each other in various summer activities. The trained volunteers had the opportunity to reflect on and demonstrate the learning experiences they gained from their own personal challenges while embracing South Asian and Canadian cultures. The Youth Leadership Program was funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration; and led by a team consisting of Leadership Coordinator, Swati Shah and Youth Worker, Poonam Patel.

No surprise at all.  India Rainbow Community services did it again. Staff and Volunteers took day to day activities to new heights.

On August 18, 2011 Rainbow Centre went that extra mile. They put on an activity that involved and encouraged the integration of youth and seniors. The youth ranged from twenty-six months to twelve years old.  The youth joined the seniors with crafts, helping them make picture frames. They were extremely creative.

Later that day, each and every youth performed for seniors. Some played the piano, some danced, some told jokes and trivia and others exhibited their individual talents.  The youngest one joined with hesitation but later would not stop dancing. It was so delightful to see her.  This exuberant display of talent arranged by the staff and volunteers and their encouragement, patience and hard work cannot be minimized overlooked or ignored.

I conclude by adding that on behalf of all the clients at the India Rainbow Community Centre, I take this opportunity to thank all the staff and volunteers for taking this day and activities to the next level and making it a very pleasant and exciting day for one and all.

Written by one of our clients.