My Experience in Toronto
A Youth PLACE Leader writes about attending the Leadership World Café in Toronto
So, we went to Toronto for three days. This was my first actually, my first time in The 6, so I was kind of expecting to run into Drake or the Weeknd or maybe even Jim Carrey, but alas that did not happen. What did happen, though, was an enriching and amazing experience that I will definitely never forget.
We arrived at the Toronto Pearson Airport and I was already struck by how different everything was from Calgary. I always say, the airport of the city foreshadows what the city is actually like, and I think I was pretty bang on the money from my first impression. First off, it was huge. Like really huge. Like massive. And it feels weird freaking out over how big an airport is, but it was pretty overwhelming. Second of all, and this what I found the most interesting to me, the people at the airport were different. I remember reading a statistic that said that 35.7% of Canada’s population is a visible minority, and 50% of that lives in Toronto. 50%. That was definitely evident walking through the airport. It was really different seeing a sea of very diverse faces in a crowd as opposed to just a few.
The next day we uber our way to Frontlines to meet with Toronto youth to talk about our experiences as minorities in Canada. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know the type of people we would meet, I didn’t know what unique experiences they would share, and that was the most exciting part for me. We met a bunch of them, and the chemistry was amazing. Hearing about the things that the Toronto youth had to say were so interesting. We met someone named Jada and she spoke to use about her experiences being a mixed black (Caribbean) and First Nations person. The topic of First Nations people in Canada is of particular interest to me, so it was brilliant hearing her stories first hand. That mixed with her experiences living as a black person in Canada posed a unique experience for her. We also met Levi, and he spoke to us about his experiences and not only a black man, but a black trans man. It was very eye-opening hearing what he had to say not only about his race and his gender identity.
A lot of the Toronto youths shared a few common traits. Most of them were of Caribbean descent. And the one thing that connected the Toronto youths to the Calgary youths was that we all come from immigrant families. There was an interesting moment where one of our youth ambassadors brought up an interesting point about how our families come to Canada to give us a better life and Canada doesn’t treat us well. And, I’d like to preface, “doesn’t treat us well” is a huge understatement. They also brought up the point of how many immigrant parents seem to focus more on the success and achievements of their children rather than the children themselves and how that can affect one’s relationship with their parents. That poses a paradox: a child of an immigrant is grateful that their parents brought them to a country with seemingly infinite possibilities, only to be not welcomed by the country’s people, and having the crushing pressure of become the success story of the family; something to brag about to family back home. A couple of us shed some tears. And it was great! I got to see such a vulnerable side of all my fellow youth ambassadors and it made me look at them in a whole new light.
That experience made me a better youth ambassador because it helped me open my eyes to experiences that I may never experience. It helped me become a better ally. I really value solidarity. Between races, ethnicities, genders, all of it. Meeting with the Toronto youth really cemented my value in that. I was such an honour meeting with them and I can’t wait to (hopefully) see them again soon!
P.S. Just in case anyone’s wondering, yes, I went into Drake’s OVO store in Yorkdale mall and no, I did not run into him. 🙁
-S
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