Shadya Yasin (Shaadiya Yaasiin)

Who is she?

Shadya Yasin is a Somali social activist, poet and teacher (Wikipedia, Shadya Yasin). See Somalis in Toronto.

Early life

She was born in Somalia around 1984, and lived for a time in Tanzania and Kenya (Wikipedia). She moved to Canada in 1998 as a teenager (same source). She earned a BA in international development and African studies at York University in 2007 (same source). She is a certified teacher (same source).

Community work

Since 2008 she has been network coordinator of the York Youth Coalition, which links 18 youth agencies in the Weston–Mount Dennis area of Toronto (Wikipedia). She sits on the Ontario Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities (same source). She has taken young people to Tanzania to volunteer and linked Toronto youth with First Nations communities at Moose Deer Point (same source).

In 2011 she was among Somali-Canadians who led rallies in support of Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmaajo), who resigned that June under the Kampala Accord (Wikipedia). That year she also helped organise a youth walk to Ottawa about the drought in Somalia (same source).

Poetry

She is a published poet and spoken word artist (Wikipedia). At York University she played the young Hawa Jibril in Bridge of One Hair, a musical based on the poet's life and verse (same source).

Recognition

The Toronto Star named her among its People to Watch for 2013 (Wikipedia).

In short

A Toronto teacher, poet and youth organiser who came to Canada in 1998.