Canadian Somali-Jewish Mentorship Project Information and Registration Session

The Canadian Somali Congress and the Canadian International Peace Project invite mentees from the Canadian Somali community to be part of an information and registration session on an important mentorship project between the Canadian Somali and Jewish communities. Canadian Somali university and college students as well as young professionals are encouraged to attend this event in order to learn about this project. Interested persons can apply to join this mentorship initiative and will be matched with mentors from the Canadian Jewish community who will assist them in successfully pursuing their respective professions. Date and time: Saturday May 08, 2010. Program starts at 5:30 pm Location: MC 2000 Bell Theatre, Carleton University1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario For further information contact Ahmed Hussen at 647-746-3795 or via email canadiansomalicongress@gmail.com This is a joint initiative by the Canadian Somali Congress, the Canadian International Peace Project, Jewish organizations and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.Background Material on the Canadian Somali-Jewish Mentorship Project:The Canadian Somali Congress and the Canadian International Peace Project invite mentees from the Canadian Somali community in Ottawa to be part of an informational and registration session on an important mentorship project between the Somali and Jewish communities. We strongly urge Canadian Somali university and college students as well as young professionals to attend this event in order to learn about this project. Those individuals that are interested in being mentored can fill application forms at the event launch in Ottawa in order to join this initiative and will be matched with mentors from the Canadian Jewish community who will assist them in successfully pursuing their respective professions. There will be an opportunity at the event for a question and answer session and a meet and greet between Canadian Somali university and college students as well as young professionals. The Canadian Somali Congress and the Canadian International Peace Project recognize the importance of providing mentoring to the Canadian Somali community. It is a fact that even though the Canadian Somali community is the largest African Diaspora community and one of the largest Muslim communities in Canada, it lacks a critical mass of professionals that can mentor Somali university, college and young professionals. This has necessitated the need to reach out to other communities in order to fulfill this need. The goal of the Somali-Jewish mentorship project is to aid in the creation of a successful cadre of Canadian-Somali professionals who can assume greater leadership roles to assist with the development of their own community as well as contribute to Canadian society at large. Experienced mentors do not just bring along a mentee into their profession but can also intervene at critical times to protect and guide a mentee in difficult circumstances. The Canadian Somali Congress in partnership with the Canadian International Peace Project will extend this project to other Canadian cities that have a substantial Canadian Somali population. For further details contact:Canadian Somali CongressTel: 647-746-3795Email: canadiansomalicongress@gmail.comWebsite: www.canadiansomalicongress.com

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The Canadian Somali Congress is the national advocacy organization for the Canadian Somali community. The organization carries out its work both on its own and in conjunction with other organizations. Recent examples of this work include carrying out advocacy on the Bashir Makhtal case, the Abdihakim Mohamed case, the Suad Hagi Mohamud case, working with the Edmonton Somali community on advocacy issues related to the deaths of 30 young Canadian Somalis, media outreach to highlight the problem of illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste off the Somali coast, hosting a legal and business conference and hosting a townhall meeting on immigration and racial profiling at borders and airports with two federal cabinet ministers. The Canadian Somali Congress is willing to work with any community or mainstream organization in order to address the challenges facing the Canadian Somali community.