safiyah marhnouj

I have recently been selected as a member of the Ottawa Youth Engagement Committee, which works in partnership with the City of Ottawa in order to, "inform decisions and actions that help make Ottawa a better city for youth." Through the committee, my role is to contribute to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, as well as representing youth from across Ottawa. Currently, I, along with the other members of this task force, are developing an action plan on improving relations between racialized youth and city of Ottawa.

Free the Children is an organization focused on helping the community both globally and locally by encouraging youth to involve themselves in their communities. As an executive member of the We Club at my school, we are committed to global and local causes, and are dedicated to helping the community. For the past few years, we have been aiding in building an elementary school in Ecuador, as well as focused on helping the Syrian Refugees in Ottawa. Additionally, we take part in the yearly We Day Conference, which is focused on empowering and inspiring youth through a series of speeches and performances.

* Last March, I had the opportunity to spend a week at Forum for Young Canadians, a political * seminar for youth who are passionate about politics. Here, I was able to experience Canada’s * political system firsthand by visiting Parliament Hill, taking part in a Senate hearing and * being present for question period at the House of Commons. This unique experience allowed * me to gain further insight into politics, as well as giving me the chance to take part in multiple simulations and workshops hosted by various organizations.

This past February, I had the chance to volunteer as a Logistics Assistant for the week long Forum for Young Canadians Session. As a Logistics Assistant, I was responsible for organizing and ensuring that everything in terms of logistics were running smoothly. This included coordinated meetings and workshops, as well as organizing a Parliamentary Banquet Dinner.