South Sudanese Youth of Canada

From the mid-80’s to early 2000s, under Immigration and Refugee Act, immigrants from then Sudan, and after 2011 separation, now South Sudan were settled to major cities of Canada. These cities became home and families have worked towards integrating to Canadian society. The first generation South Sudanese-Canadian merged (Age 0 - 35 - This generation includes those that were born in Canada and those that came at younger age). Canada became home to this demographic. However, with parents culture shocked and the new generational conformed to Canadian society, arose challenges; Families were and are impoverished to destitution because of lack of language, gang violence, gender-based violence, mental health and isolation (lack of sense of belongingness). Since then, the South-Sudanese community leaders have been working together towards improving and bettering the epidemic prevalence among families. One of the approaches was to reconnected families and youth (the generation) with their heritage and culture to support each other in successfully integrating into Canadian society. However, these initiatives have largely been directed towards adults and specific group/tribes. Little has been done to address the concerns of South Sudanese Canadian youth (SSY), who immigrated to or who were born in Canada, and also face issues involving integration into Canadian society. Due to these unaddressed concerns, youth from this community who may or have faced adversity in their academics, social engagement, and overall adjustment to Canadian society decided to work among themselves for better outcome at various platforms.