Youth Create Change: A Conversation with Young Albertans

We held our first webinar on July 9th to discuss racial inequality for youth and the steps we can take to create a more equitable world. Our webinar panel discussion will be facilitated by Shaye Erskine, a member of Action Dignity’s Calgary Coalitions Creating Equity, and included four panelists and a spoken word poet.

To watch the webinar recording, please click here.

Panelists included: 

Nicole Mfoafo-M’Carthy: Nicole immigrated to Canada from Ghana in 2001 and is a graduate of the Bachelor Health Sciences program at the University of Calgary, majoring in Health and Society. She will begin medical school at the University of Toronto this fall. Nicole has developed a mentorship program that provides support and guidance to girls of immigrant backgrounds from the ages of 9-13. Recognizing the disparities and barriers youth from marginalized and underprivileged communities face in pursuing careers, Nicole founded the non-profit Career Match. Career Match provides workshops, career fairs, and mentorship opportunities for youth while collaborating with communities to empower youth and their families.

Chloe Streit: Chloe is a 17-year-old student, going into the twelfth grade in the fall. She goes to school at CBE-Learn online school as well as the Career and Technology Centre, specializing in cosmetology hair. She started a petition to encourage the Alberta government to change their cosmetology curriculum to be more inclusive of black hair, and has thus far reached over 13,000 signatures. The petition has also made news on Global News, CBC News, Breakfast Television Calgary, as well as CTV Calgary.

Semhar Abraha: Semhar is the UCSU Vice President Academic for the 2020-2021 Academic year, as well as fourth-year Arts students majoring in International Relations and minoring in Arabic Languages and Islamic Studies. She has a great passion for avidly addressing barriers faced by black and racialized students, hence she is working on advocacy policy for the adjustment of admission criteria. She is also lobbying for the collection of Race-based data that will help combat systemic and institutionalized racism in Canada. Semhar is very passionate about improving the lives of others and therefore works with many not for profit organizations like Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association and Calgary Catholic School District to ensure immigrants’ and refugees’ needs are being heard and represented in the legal, medical, educational and social aspects of life.

Sara Emiliano Lado: Sara is an 18 year old graduate from Saint Joseph’s Collegiate High School. She was born in Sudan, came to Canada when she was three, and has been following human rights initiatives for the past few years. One of her goals in life is to fight for a more equitable world. She hopes to do this by fighting against social and economic marginalization, and advocating for those who cannot. Sara hopes to demonstrate to her peers that even the slightest action, such as writing a letter, can inflict change.

Keeshi Akinrinmade: Local slam poet who will be joining us to end the event with a slam poem she wrote.