“The elders can help the younger people learn about their culture and where they are from.”I was born and raised in Somalia. I came to Canada in October, 1990 before the civil war started in my homeland. Some of my family are in Ottawa and others are back home in Somalia. It was difficult as a first generation immigrant in Ottawa. I suffered a lot of culture shock initially. The black community in Ottawa was small in 1990 but that number has really grown over the last thirty-two years.
When I came to Canada, I was young. I got married in Ottawa and raised my family here. My children went through school. Although not all of them finished school, a couple of them did go to Carleton University to study. Even now, my children experience a gap compared to other young people. Even though they graduated, they don’t have the same connections to jobs in the government or in the private sector as other young people. Many youth can network more easily because family members and friends work in jobs in those sectors. My children still face barriers because they don’t have the same opportunities to connect.
I speak Somali and I also speak Arabic and English. We encourage our children to speak different languages. We say that if we did it and we succeeded, they can do it too. If they don’t give up, one day they will get it.
I have a lot of things on my walls and in my home to remind me of my culture and where I came from. I still have some traditional clothes that belonged to my parents. We also enjoy eating Somali food at places like the Alhuda Restaurant on Bank Street.
I like to help in my community. I am a caring person and when I see my elders and seniors, they remind me of people back home. I feel very comfortable when I help them. I have been working as a volunteer in the community for a while.
When I see a need, I like to help. My colleagues and I were thinking of some way to help in the community so we came together and decided to start a new organization called Daryeel.
In the Somali language, that means love and caring. We see that there is a need for the youth and the seniors in our community so we volunteer and try to help them. Many youth were born in Ottawa or Canada and they don’t know our culture. We see how important it is to have the youths interact with the seniors. The elders can help the younger people learn about their culture and where they are from.
My advice to newcomers is to get involved in your community. Also, especially if they are young, I encourage them to get an education. Take English as a Second Language courses, go to high school, college or university. Once they educate themselves, they can get ahead. The key, absolutely, is education. That is the light of life!
To connect with Ifrah, visit: https://daryeel.ca/