Syrian refugees settling in Downsview at The Toronto Plaza Hotel

The lobby of the Toronto Plaza Hotel, located on Wilson Avenue near Downsview Arena, hums with laughter, conversation and the scampering of Syrian children running and exploring their temporary home. Women chat in groups, many of them holding their pregnant bellies, and the men converse separately; some smoke outside in clusters while five boys play soccer.The Toronto Plaza Hotel will be home to around 400 Syrian refugees until COSTI Immigrant Services can relocate them to permanent housing.As an active and passionate participant of NGO projects overseas, General Manager Rehan Chaudary welcomes the newly landed refugees and is happy to take part in his own NGO project right at home.The refugees arrived earlier this month over a four-day period, in accordance with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to approve 25,000 refugees to live in Canada. The hotel has rented 100 rooms for its uncommon guests and expects 80 more by the end of this week.“It has really been affecting the business,” says Chaudary. “The tourists aren’t used to so many guests and local travelers are not always happy to see the Syrians. We still have walk-in traffic and our banquet halls are open, but right now we are fully catering to our Syrian guests.”The hotel is doing everything they can to accommodate the needs of the refugees.The hotel restaurant, Greenery Restaurant, has Muslim cooks who prepare halal meals for the Syrians three times a day, free of charge. The hotel also has a medical team on standby to assist the pregnant women –one who just gave birth –and tend to the children, which Chaudary describes some as “in pretty bad shape.”Chaudary has hired a few Arabic-speaking employees who communicate with the refugees and who have placed signs written in Arabic around the hotel. The language barrier has been extremely difficult for the staff as almost none of the Syrians currently residing in the hotel speak English.Recently, on January 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Clothing Drive [an initiative to collect winter clothes for Syrian refugees] and Let Them be Kids [an initiative to collect toys for Syrian refugee children] held a pop-up shop at the hotel. Volunteers gave the refugees donated winter clothes, toys and other necessities, while COSTI Immigrant Services works to fulfill the refugees’ necessities of permanent housing.COSTI has hired extra staff to speed up the housing process as they have never handled so many refugees in such a short period of time. The agency, however, strives to find the refugees homes, assist them in the employment process and offer them free English lessons.The Syrian refugees at Toronto Plaza Hotel have endured significant hardships these past few years, from losing their homes to watching bombs go off in front of them. It has been a difficult journey for them as they have fled their violence-stricken country to an unfamiliar place where they do not know the language or the culture. The Downsview community, however, has been displaying its generosity through donations, sponsorships and simply by welcoming the refugees into the community.

Student pulled out of class at Amesbury Middle School due to hairstyle

AmesburyDo we need rules regulating hair styles in schools?A black female student in grade eight, who attends Amesbury Middle School in North York, was recently admonished by her principal for wearing her hair in a natural style. The student was pulled out of class and purportedly told that she looked unprofessional and would never get a job looking the way she did. The most surprising thing is that the principal is also black. This story went viral on social media when the students’ aunt, Kaysie Quansah, took to Facebook to express her outrage at what had happened to her niece. Her post was passionate, she seemed hurt by what her niece had gone through. She stated, that the Principal “told my niece that she needs to put her hair up, gave her a hair band/scrunchie/ponytail holder (whatever you'd like to call it) and repeatedly told her to do something about her hair.”  A principal is an educator and should be a strong leader, someone who provides a positive environment for our children. When we drop our children off at school in the morning, we leave them there in hopes that they will be cared for by the best people in the community. Educators have a big responsibility; to impact our children’s’ lives in the most positive way possible. The Facebook statement contradicts this notion, “My sister was then called and told that my niece's hair was *too poofy*, *unprofessional*, that *no one would hire her with hair like that*, and if *she were working in a store, no one would buy anything from her*”.This story hit home for me, as a mother of mixed children (of Latino, black and white background) and as another social problem that we ignore on a daily basis. We must teach our children self-love not self-hate, we must teach them that what is most important is what is on the inside, how we treat people and how to be respectful of others and their situations.It is sad to see self-hate, because it demonstrates that there is a bigger issue at play here. The student’s aunt states it well, “I would like to know what gives you the authority to be the decision maker on stunting my nieces' dreams by telling her that she cannot achieve careers based off her looks. (Principal) why are you projecting your SELF HATE onto my niece? (Principal) love yourself, and allow my niece to do the same.”Kuddos to the family for making this story known to the media, which led to an outpour of support for the family.

Let us know what you think about this story. Do you think physical appearance should affect the education we receive in our schools or job opportunities later in life?

Giving up the Vote

 

Giving_up_voteIt was great to see that our recent federal election had one of the highest voter turnouts since 1993, at 68%. It also had the highest amounts of visible minorities being elected as MPs. But what about the specific turnout of visible minority groups? How did minority vote fair up in this last election? The First Nations community increased their votes so much that two ridings ran out of ballots. Thanks to social media, the youth vote also increased in this year’s 42nd election where the Liberal party won a majority. However these advancements for minorities can distract from the plight of other marginalized groups, such as Black Canadians, very few of which have been elected to parliament, and none chosen for Trudeau’s “diverse” cabinet. After interviewing several minorities in our Humber River, Black Creek riding, many minorities claimed that they voted and encouraged their children to vote. The few that did not vote claimed that their vote did not matter so they did not bother voting. Some even claimed, “All politicians are the same”. Others claim our existing democracy is too shallow. However, have we taken the time to really learn about our political system? Who were the 5 candidates running in our riding and what were their platforms? Who are the major Canadian political parties and what do they represent? What does left wing and right wing even mean? If you have not had schooling in Canada, all of this may be unfamiliar and there is rarely a crash course in Canadian politics.

Though the current political structure may not benefit the majority of people, refusing to vote makes citizens compliant to the current system. It says I agree with the decisions our government makes. As citizens our vote matters and we have the opportunity to promote positive values. Our one vote can help to change systems and reform policies. Collectively, we can promote long-term change, one vote at a time. So whether it be another federal election, provincial or the municipal election, get out and make your opinion matter by casting your vote!

Because I am a girl: changing how I view school

 

Be_a_girlAs a girl, sometimes it can be very hard to learn in school. I’ve struggled in school with my academics. In grade 6, I started going to tutoring at More Than Marks tutoring and they helped me to study more. I knew that if I was going to grade 7, something would have to change. Since tutoring, I’ve seen a drastic change in my academics as well as my socializing.I went from being a girl who was just getting by in school to getting A’s on my test and also being student of the month. I personally realized that it’s not just about doing the work or practicing, it’s really about taking the responsibility to say “Yes, I want to learn”. I can make my parents proud by achieving more in school and in life, which leads to success.

Some girls like me may think that they can’t get good grades and improve in school but if you try your hardest you will get to where you want to go. By simply asking for help when needed you can help yourself and others. For example, my family and friends have made me feel more confident about myself and they have made me feel proud. Tips that I’ve personally used are: hanging around responsible people and being respectful to others. Also, it’s very helpful to listen in class and pay attention so that you don’t fall behind. A quote I made up for myself was, “Fill up your car with hope, motivation and courage and then start driving and you’ll get to your destination!”