Shadya Yasin ( so, Shaadiyya Yaasiin; ar, شادية ياسين) is a Somali social activist, poet and teacher.

Personal life

Yasin was born around 1984 in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. Later living for a period in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, she emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1998 while in her teens. For her post-secondary education, Yasin studied at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. She held a double major in International Development and African Studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 2007. She is presently working toward a master's degree in education at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Career

Professionally, Shadya is a certified teacher. Since 2008, she has served as the network coordinator for the York Youth Coalition, a Toronto-based NGO. In this capacity, Yasin manages 18 youth service agencies in the Weston-Mt. Dennis area. She is also on the

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities. Shadyasirall

In 2011, Yasin along with other Somali-Canadians led demonstrations in support of Somali Prime Minister

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ( so, Maxaamed Cabdullaahii Maxaamed, ar, محمد عبدالله محمد; born 11 March 1962), also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who served as president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022. He was prime minist ...

(Farmajo), who had been forced to resign in June over the Kampala Accord. She concurrently helped organize a youth walk to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

to raise awareness of that year's severe drought in Somalia. Additionally, Yasin has connected Toronto youth with First Nations communities at Moose Deer Point, located close to

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

. Within the framework of the Creating Global Citizens initiative, she has traveled with at-risk urban youngsters to Tanzania in order to inculcate youth volunteerism. In December 2012, Yasin also helped plan the yearly West Won Festival showcase in Weston-Mount. Besides teaching and activism, Yasin is a published poet and spoken word artist, having performed in a number of venues. As part of her course requirements in York University's CAP program, she played a young Hawa Jibril in ''Bridge of One Hair'', an original musical production inspired by the veteran Somali poet Jibril's verse and life. Yasin has also worked with many arts projects aimed at children and adolescents under the auspices of the AGO.

Awards

In 2013, the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' named Yasin among its annual People to Watch in recognition of her extensive social work.

References

External links

Shadya Yasin, York University, BA '07
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yasin, Shadya 1980s births Living people Ethnic Somali people Somalian activists Somalian women activists Somalian poets Somalian emigrants to Canada York University alumni 21st-century Somalian women writers 21st-century Somalian writers Somalian women writers Somalian women poets