“i am happy here, now”

Identity searching among newcomer youth in Toronto

Resilience, strength, and the determination to make things better mark the stories of “i am happy here, now”. As a culmination of Media Art for Newcomer Youth (MANY), the exhibition presents the independent works of nine newcomer youth from Nigeria, Sudan, Syria, and Iraq. In these projects, youth explore how they negotiate their sense of self during a time of rapid change, adolescence and (re)settlement.

MANY is a five-month pilot program of the Arab Community Centre of Toronto and Charles Street Video. It reduced barriers to media art creation, supported youth through tailored workshops and one-on-one mentoring by culturally affiliated artists, and worked towards promoting the capabilities that youth value. This project is supported through Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding.

Youth

• Bayan Abdelkarim
• Chioma Okogbue
• Jesse West
• Majd Alsheblaq
• Mary Osuiwu
• Pelumi Kehinde
• Reem Zeyada
• Temy Ibikunle
• Zahraa Wohaib

Artist Mentors

• Ebti Nabag
• Jawa El Khash
• Daniel Ousta Jabbour

Program Coordinator: Kasia Knap