Yahya is an individual supported by Reena who dreams of getting involved in politics. This is his story.
My name is Yahya and I was born in Karachi, Pakistan. Growing up, I was always supported by my family. They always encouraged me that no matter what obstacles I faced during my life, I could always achieve success if I believed it was possible.
I moved to Canada in 2008. This was one of the biggest challenges in my life but was also a huge positive change for my future. From the time I arrived, I started watching Canadian politics and news on TV and became very interested in current affairs. I was very inspired by David Onley who has polio and everything he has done for Toronto. This inspired my dream of getting involved with politics.
In high school, I began to volunteer at a nursing home. During my volunteer placement, I realized that in “giving” my time, I was “getting” a lot back. I saw that my presence was able to change people’s lives for the better. Through working, I also became inspired to create future goals and the opportunities seemed endless. In 2015, I became a part of Reena and started the Channels Vocational Program. I started working with the staff to create my goals and take steps towards them. While working on my job skills, I’ve had the awesome opportunity to get involved in the community and meet influential people such as the Minister of Community and Social Services, Dr. Helena Jeczek.
In summer 2015, I was very excited to volunteer at the Para-Pan Am Games with the help of Channels staff. It was a challenging but very rewarding experience! I really enjoyed meeting athletes from all around the world, making friends with other volunteers and being a part of such a large scale-event. It felt like the whole world was watching. One of the best parts of my experience was that I got to meet the Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne! I have always seen politics as a way of changing the world and impacting others lives for the better. People say that politics has a more negative side than a positive side, but I believe if you see the positive side you can change a lot in the world. I see myself as a fighter because I’ve fought a lot of issues over my life so I want to use my experience to inspire people. Ultimately, if we fight against the negative issues in our society, we can find solutions. We can make the world a better place.
