A seventeen year old shares his story of fleeing his home country and arriving in Canada.
Jalal is seventeen years old. His father had a successful career back home as a government official, and as a professor of Dari and Pashto literature at the university. A writer and civil rights activist, Jalal’s father made the difficult decision to leave Afghanistan when it was no longer safe for his family to live in their home country. Fleeing first to Pakistan and then to Albania, Jalal’s family was able to move to Toronto in the summer of 2022.
Jalal joined the Creative Summer Camp at NYCH, where he met other Afghan youth. Together they learned more about life in Canada, went on trips around the city, learned about the school system, finding employment, and how to take care of their mental health. Through creative activities and skill-building programs, they were able to explore and express their feelings about interacting with a new country, people, language, food, and more. After many months of living in uncertainty and fear, Jalal was able to relax and feel seventeen again.
“After a year of not going to school, I was very happy to be learning new things and making friends.” — Jalal
Even though Jalal and his family are happy to be in a safe country, they often think about their families back home and grieve the lives they have lost. “We had our own house in our country. My father had a very good library and we used to study in that library every day. We had our own laptops, printers, mobile phones, and books. We couldn’t bring any of our things with us. We are like birds without a nest.” Jalal often thinks of his family and friends still living in Afghanistan, saddened that he isn’t able to help them find safety as he did.
Jalal is working hard at school, is looking for a job to help support his family, and dreams of becoming a police officer one day. “I like helping people”, he says. “I hope to have a good future. I want to be a good police officer.” When asked what he would like to say to those who are arriving from his home country, he says,
“Never give up. Every day when you wake up, take a deep breath, and start again”
