Saja Abu Thwabeh is the Program Coordinator of the YMCA Newcomer Youth Leadership Development (NYLD)
The Rotary Club of Brampton welcomes Saja to our meeting. Saja immigrated from Jordan in 1999 and the YMCA has played a huge part in her journey in High School. The NYLD is a year-round program that supports newcomer youth 13 to 24 years of age. There are eight sites across the GTA. They focus on addressing the needs of settlement and integration, community involvement and leadership.
Some of the benefits of the NYLD program include:
- Make new friends
- Improve English and communication skills
- Increase self confidence
- Gain volunteer experience by getting involved in the community
- Learn and share Canadian culture
- Build skills for academic and career success
Suhail, a member of NYLD accompanied Saja and she spoke to the group about her experiences. She has been a member and an intern in the program for almost a year and this is the best decision she has ever made to join the program. The program offers opportunities and the workshops include culture, resume writing and knowledge. She has made amazing friends. At school she has difficulty relating to her peers but when she is in the newcomer program she feels confident. The friends she meets in the program understands the struggles of a newcomer. Her advisor has been a huge support. She gets to help people who recently joined the program, she is a better communicator and the program has given her the experience and volunteer hours and she feels she is making a meaningful contribution to the community by getting involved.
The NYLD Program depend 100% on funders and donations to make the program possible. Saja thanked the Rotary Club of Brampton for their generous support that has helped the YMCA to provide services to youth and families in need.