I am a refugee from Sudan who came to Canada under a government assisted refugee program (GAR) in July 2000. I arrived here with my wife kwaci Nywala and three of our children - Keak, Nancy, and Tessie. I settled in Windsor and Windsor remains my home.
I started my work with the Y in 2006, after my graduation from St. Clair College, but before my employment with the Y, I had a very strong relationship with the Y. My mentor and my former colleague at the YMCA, Mr. Beyene Haile, was the first person I met at the Y, and he provided me and my family with valuable information and resources.
Before my employment with the Y, I started developing my relationship with the Y by volunteering in Windsor. I became a President of Sudanese Community Organization of Windsor and Essex County and during my tenure in that office I engaged with the Y in different capacities including being an active member in attending information sessions and community events. As President, I signed an agreement with the Y to provide my community with resources and volunteers. We worked together to teach Sudanese Women, who were unable to attend classes, English through different settlement service providers in the city. The relationship between the Y and my community continued until the time I became an employee of the Y. At that time, my community Centre became a satellite office for the Y where we delivered settlement services offered by the Y to communities of different backgrounds.
I am currently a Newcomer Settlement Advisor at the Y, and my core mandate is to provide information and referrals to newcomer’s clients. This involves detailed assessments that capture the newcomer’s capacities and assets. These assessments are guided by the core principles and values of the Y in terms of accuracy and protection of the information collected.
Throughout my professional experience and employment journey, I have developed a keen interest in areas such as finance, conflict resolution, and community programming with a special interest in volunteering and helping others. My employment at the Y aligns with my aspirations and helps me provide necessary support to the most vulnerable group in our community, new immigrants. I believe that the diverse and collaborative environment at the Y is appealing to newcomer communities. In my opinion, the Y is a place where newcomer community members foster and grow as well as achieve their settlement goals and aspirations.
I truly believe the Y is the best place I can imagine working. At the Y, the entire Newcomer Services team has a central source of truth and passion to help others. They know exactly who’s doing what and when. As a team we track all our tasks and stay aligned on our team goals. This has been especially important recently during COVID-19 and when the YSWO’s K2 system was introduced as this enabled our team to manage shifting priorities and take on new challenges – an example of this is how we provided virtual settlement services to newcomers who had never used a computer.
My team is composed of colourful professionals with different backgrounds in ethnicity, education, language, and experience. In short, our team is a little UNITED NATIONS. Yes, it is true every team member is different, but we all benefit from the clarity, coordination, and collaboration put at place by our management.
A little more about me: I am an African from Sudan, and currently, I am South Sudanese national after Sudan split into two countries in 2011. My favourite pastime is reading - especially historical books and legal cases. My favourite food is rice with yogurt (as well as traditional food) and I love drinking fresh milk from the farm. I love dealing with numbers and when I am in a bad mood, my mathematics books are my refuge where I get relief and find a solution to my issues and problems. My family is composed of a very large extended family that are supportive of each other.
My personal life experiences have taught me that lifelong learners and doers are the everyday changing engines of the world. For this reason, I am eager to build upon what life teaches me and continue to pursue new opportunities to learn and grow.
I have a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Juba and Post Graduate Diploma in Development Economics from the University of Khartoum (both from Sudan). I also hold an Advanced Diploma in Accounting from St. Clair College and many training and certificates.