Inaugural Edmonton summit gears up to empower youth of African descent across Canada

Young people with African roots from across Canada are getting ready to celebrate identity, deepen cultural connections, problem-solve challengesand network at a national event in Edmonton.

The first National African Descent Youth Summit takes place June 27 and June 28 at the Westin Hotel.

"I'm so excited to be in a room with all Black people where I don't feel like I'm a weird person or I'm just the only Black person in there," said Calgarian Yssra Abakar, 32.

"I want to be around Black people. I want to party with my Black people, I want to enjoy my Black people."

The summitto empower Black youth features prominent speakers on African history, achievement, well-being, entrepreneurship, technologyand innovation.

Among them is Edmonton entrepreneur Ivan Ngandjui Touko, the founder and CEO of La Connexional a social enterprise known for its popular partiesthat showcases African, Caribbean and Latin cultures while increasing a sense of connectedness.

"I'm just counting the days to be there," said Abakar, an accountant and entrepreneur who launched her businessThe Tax Lady last year after graduating from the ANZA Entrepreneurship Ecosystem programrun bythe African Canadian Civic Engagement Council. (ACCEC).

"I don't have all of this money to be paying for advertising on Google," Abakar said. "So word of mouth is one of [the ways]. Me showing up and being there and telling people, 'Hey, I am the tax lady'.

"I really also want to learn about other businesses and I want to see how I can actually support people within my community."

Healing from systemic racism

Organized by ACCEC, the summit aims to empower Black youth through the theme: "Who we are, how we live and where we are going."

Keynote speaker, Mohamed Camara, chair of the Department of African Studies at Howard University, will provide an overview of the history and contemporary dynamics of African diasporas while highlighting contributions in various fields.

Humanitarian and women's advocate Sophie Jama Malindi will speak on the root causes of systemic racism andthe effectson the physical, mental, and emotional health of youth while offering solutions for coping and healing.

Barriers to employability and quality housing will also be examined as well as mass incarceration, misrepresentation, underrepresentation and identity.

Dunia Nur, president and CEO of ACCEC, knows first-hand the challenge of negotiating multiple identities after civil war in Somalia forced her family to resettle in Canada when she was a child.

"Yes, we carry the ancestral trauma that flows through our blood," Nur said. "This is the stuff that our community goes through."

The summit aims to help heal that trauma so Black youth can fulfilltheir potential.

"If you don't know who you are, others will define you," Nur said.

"Without a true sense of identity, you rely on external definitions. The Black youth summit aims to foster pride, community connectionand meaningful contributions through critical questioning and a guided journey to making meaningful impact."

Youth can register on the summit's website.