AYEDI Congratulates Afghan Rising Magazine and Other Initiatives Supported by ACII
By Afghan Youth Engagement and Development Initiative
Afghan Youth Engagement and Development Initiative (AYEDI) would like to congratulate the hardworking individuals behind the Afghan Rising Magazine, Banin Abdul Khaliq and Homira Haqani, for developing this platform for our diaspora. In our community, we often do not have organized spaces to express our thoughts and celebrate our achievements. The Afghan Rising Magazine is helping to address this major gap.
AYEDI would like to acknowledge and highlight the impact of Afghan Rising Magazine and the 19 other outstanding youth-led community projects that have been launched out of our Afghan Community Impact Incubator (ACII).
But first, a bit of background information about us. AYEDI was founded in 2018 with the goal of increasing civic engagement and social development amongst Afghan-Canadian youth. The premise was that our community had a need for an organization that addressed these important goals in a systematic and organized manner. AYEDI has worked on several initiatives and expanded rapidly in the past few years, from increasing Afghan voter engagement and political involvement to launching Afghan Youth Mentorship Program that supports Afghan youth gain life skills that will help them in their personal, educational, and vocational journeys. When it comes to delivering impactful programming, we’re just getting warmed up!
As a volunteer-led organization, we are aware of the challenges that Afghan youth face when it comes to launching an idea. These barriers include a lack of funding for project costs, a need for support with grant writing, and knowledge gaps in areas such as event planning and execution, to name a few. Through a unique partnership with #RisingYouth – a project of TakingITGlobal and the Government of Canada – we were able to develop and launch an incubator program, the Afghan Community Impact Incubator (ACII). This program is the first Afghan-focused community impact incubator of its kind in Canada. The goal of ACII was simple: to help Afghan youth aged 15 to 30 years old with financial and project development support to achieve their ideas for Afghan community service projects in Canada. Participants received training and guidance through workshops, resource provision, and ongoing one-on-one support as needed. Through our incubator program, we funded 20 Afghan youth-led groups and organizations a total of approximately $30,000! The Afghan Rising Magazine is one of the outstanding participants of ACII. We would like to highlight a few of the initiatives. Please note that this is only a small sample of the phenomenal projects. All of the ACII initiatives will be featured on our social media in the next couple of months, so please follow us there (@ayedicanada) to read more about them!
● Afghan Youth Book Club is a weekly book club that provides an accessible space to critically read and collectively reflect on a book centered on Afghanistan’s history and even invited the author at one of their sessions!
● A first of its kind Acting Workshop for Afghan youth, refugee, and newcomer artists that provided welcome kits and acting lessons facilitated by an actor and filmmaker
● The HOPE Project organized a networking webinar on Family Day specifically for Afghan newcomers to Canada that created a space for them to share stories and struggles, and connect with one another
● Afghans Reviving Cultural Heritage (ARCH) organized the Afghan Leadership and Reconciliation Summit: Unpacking the Hazara Experience, a conference that centered Hazara voices, discussed Hazara history, and provided allyship and action planning
● Miras Farhangi: Traditional Afghan Needlework Workshop series that teaches Afghan youth how to create Afghan cultural designs using needlework
● The Canadian Hazara Humanitarian Services organized an online webinar series for Afghan youth and their parents to discuss family relations in the context of mental health and integration into society
● Virtual Yoga Sessions for Afghan women and moms provided in Dari by a professional yoga instructor that promotes mental calmness and physical wellness support
● The School Bag Project: Bloom has provided over 28 school bags with stationary items, mental health resources, and personal items to Afghans aged 4 to 17 from a refugee, newcomer, or low-income background and have also organized a mental health seminar guided by an Afghan mental health advocate
Once again, from the AYEDI team, we are so proud of the Afghan Rising Magazine, and we cannot wait to see it grow.
Learn more about AYEDI
Website www.ayedi.ca
Instagram @ayedicanada
Twitter @ayedicanada
Facebook @ayedicanada
Cover Image by Sana Saidi