Wellesley Institute

Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.

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Midaynta Association of Somali Service Agencies Metro Toronto

Identifying Urban Health Issues Among Somali Youth

Principal Organization: Midaynta Association of Somali Service Agencies Metro Toronto
Principal Investigator: Mohamed Tabit

Researchers held 5 workshops with Somali residents in Toronto to discuss the urban health issues facing Somali youths. Both adults and youths participated in discussions offering different perspectives. Shared concerns included the quality of education, lack of role modeling/parenting, and difficulty in the job market. Youth and adults alike were concerned about poor housing, lack of resources in schools, and the low expectations teachers had of Somali students. The researchers used these findings to direct future urban health research. Following up on concerns about the education system, researchers partnered with scholars at York University to form the Community Coalition for Enhancing Immigrant and Refugee Education.

Identifying Urban Health Issues Among Somali Youth

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Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.