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Junior Achievement Award – Mohamed Bangura AKA Tiger

Mohamed Bangura is our nominee for Junior Achievement Award. Mohamed, AKA Tiger, is a focal point for many youths and young adults. He has established an entertainment business for himself. He recruits young and promising talents, train, and promote them using his own resources. A case in point is Slim Savage and the Winners of the 2017 AC Awards Entertainers of the Year. Tiger also promotes and collaborates with other artists. A case in point is the recent concert – Zoezoe2Fresh & LB Spiffy Canada Tours he hosted here in Edmonton last Friday.

Outside his busy schedule, Tiger provides guidance to youths that seek such supports and is always willing to help with facilitating rehabilitation for the needy.

Judges: Considering the fragile nature of youths and the therapeutic value of the entertainment industry, I hereby nominate Mohamed Bangura for the Junior Achievement Award.

Junior Achievement Award – Tabitha Nyaziel

One of the expensive gift you can share with someone is your time.  Time is one of the many things I have been giving my community. Most of the time I don’t have positions to act upon but a caring heart that sees the needs. Now though, I’m currently volunteering as a youth leader in the Edmonton area.  On the 3rd of August, we held our very first youth celebration. We honored our youths in their educational journeys. But first we took them back to their roots by teaching them our cultural dances. The practices we did took us almost four months.  I’m now finding ways to officially open a center for our youths so that this amazing work carries on.   We also had been fortunate enough to be part of Africanival. Our youths shared the stage with many other backgrounds.  

A part from community, I also serve at our church.

Here are few things I’m still involved in.

I have been the chair leader for the Nuer Sunday school at Grace Lutheran Church in Edmonton.

I have been the lead coordinator of Sunday school between English and Nuer services.

I have been the leading bible study teacher for children in Nuer service.

I’m currently acting as the head of education/communication. This position helps with bridging the two services together and work together.

Apart from all of that, I’m a mother of two beautiful girls. I’m student currently at Concordia University. I’m pursuing a four year bachelor degree in the field of psychology. I’m also a professional driver. I drive students from home and safely to school. And I love to write songs and sing them.

Junior Achievement Award – Amal Mohamud

Amal Mohamud – Arts Nomination for the Somali media program on OMNI OMNI Edmonton and OMNI Alberta channel has agreed to present a program called Somalis in Alberta. I love that OMNI promotes inclusion, diversity and multiculturalism.

If you didn’t know, OMNI is a Canadian Multicultural channel. The Somalis in Alberta program comes on every Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. and every Sundays at 8:00 a.m. My project highlights and showcases the contribution and important work the Somali community does in Edmonton. My project covers a wide variety of topics for its predominately Somali born and Somali Canadian viewers, including events in the Somali-Canadian community. For example, the Somali Canadian Women and Children Association is a non-profit organization that established in 2010. Their mission is to assist women and children in need— particularly the needs of Somali families and individuals living in Edmonton. Canadians can also enjoy this because this will give an insight and glimpse of what the Somali culture is all about. My job consists of editing, shooting, planning, coordinating, pitching, promoting, interviewing and producing these projects on my own. Then submitting them to OMNI’s team. The reasons and motivation behind the project: We are all influenced by media- television, film, music, internet culture – almost more than we are influenced by our surroundings.

I feel that the representation of minorities matters and, in my case, growing up I never saw someone that I was able to relate to, that looked like me. When characters who resemble us are portrayed in a positive context, we are empowered with the knowledge that we also can be those positive things. For that reason, I decided that it was my mission and purpose to give voice to the voiceless. Being a part of this project is important to me. Ask yourselves if you know any Somali reporter, actress or filmmaker in Canada? The lack of diversity and negative media representations of my community has motivated me to tell positive Somali stories. Often times in the media Somalis felt – and still feel – that their portrayal in certain sections of the media as criminals is grossly unfair and totally unrepresentative. It’s important minorities in Edmonton know they are included and celebrated. The Somali community is the largest African group in Alberta. This project will allow me to celebrate Somali stories and also educate others about the misconception they have about the Somali community in Edmonton.

My project is unique, fresh and offers a whole different perspective that’s never been done before. And most important this is the only mainstream media project at the moment that focuses on representing and showcasing the Somali community in Edmonton. As a Somali woman who grew up in Edmonton, I do not have any role models in the media field that I could relate to. I want to make sure the next generation don’t feel that way. The expected outcomes of the project in terms of work produced or results anticipated: Representation in the media has beneficial effects on the audience. Representation matters. In our society, the media has the potential to play a very powerful role in shaping human’s interests and ambitions. This project will showcase the hardworking, compassionate, talented and driven Somali Edmonton individuals that makes a difference in this city. These individuals will inspire and be role models for Somalis who never saw themselves be represented through the media. This will be a motivation for others to better themselves and make Edmonton proud. Edmonton is one of the most diverse growing cities. Let’s show an outsider what and how unique our people who live here are. Also, Canadians will get the opportunity to learn about the Somali community.