#yegdiversity

Visual artist, Amin Amir, is no stranger to the overwhelming feeling of arriving in a new country – uncertain about finding a place in a new community, with a new set of cultural norms. For this reason, when Amir was approached by the Balan-Baalis Creative Solutions of Edmonton and Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op to bring arts classes to children of the ethno-cultural communities of McCauley and McDougall, it was a natural fit.

“Art is a universal language; one that anyone who whether literate or illiterate can understand,” explains Amir. “It expresses feelings and emotions and can transform lives.”

As a former refugee, Amir has been able to easily identify with the young participants who have struggled to cope with settling in a new country. Not only does he have a shared lived experience of migration, displacement and resettlement, but as a father he also brings the aspiration of raising strong and healthy children who have lived through the refugee experience.  With an innate understanding of the cultural identity “crisis” experienced by many youth, the pressure of navigating between the expectations of their families and the of mainstream society, and experience working with children/youth on art projects in Somalia after completing his artistic studies in Russia and in Canada, Amir has been able to inspire the group of budding artists.

Naima Haile started a similar arts program while still living in Somalia. She noticed that the political unrest in the country was having a negative impact on the children in the community, which prompted her to become a founding member of Balan-Baalis Creative Solutions, bringing together creative forces to spread a little joy back into the community. “Kids should smile spontaneously, but they were so tense,” recalls Haile.

Upon moving back to Canada from Somalia, Haile remarked that children from immigrant families in Edmonton faced similar pressures, and strongly believed that art could once again be used as a way of bringing joy and creating a sense of community. The Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op (MCHB) stepped up to the plate as a partner, lending their expertise of 24 years of working to support Edmonton’s newcomers. Together, with funding provided by the Edmonton Arts Council, a series of free summer art camps for children between 7-14 years of age were created, drawing a large crowd of Somalian, Iraqi, South Sudanese, and Ethiopian youth.

According to Haile, the camps are designed with three objectives in mind: 1) to be used as a way for children to express themselves in a safe, fun, and creative way; 2) to provide marginalized children with limited exposure to art with the the opportunity to explore different artistic projects was a way to foster creativity and self-expression; and 3) to support these children in exploring their cultural identities and who they are here in Canada.

Since the camps started at the beginning of August, the program has grown significantly – starting off with four students, and growing to 20 by the halfway mark. And the summer camps have not only been a hit with the children of McCauley and McDougall, but some of the parents of the participating children have also benefitted from the creative space. Several mothers of the campers have opened discussions about creating similar art classes for women in the community, and are looking to partner with MCHB to make these classes a reality. According to Kiki, one mother of a camper, participating in art has allowed her to calm her mind and relax: “Coming from a different culture, with language barriers and other things, things are tough all the time. Art is a good way to quiet the mind.”