First ever South Sudan Youth of Canada Conference this weekend

South Sudan Youth of Canada Conference organizer McNiel-Iyani Keri has helped put together a three-day event where participants gather to discuss and problem-solve the issues facing their immigrant community. The first icebreaking activity of the weekend is a basketball tournament on Friday. Greg Southam / Postmedia

This weekend, South Sudanese Canadians as young as 15 will gather at MacEwan University to share culture, forge connections, and discuss some of the issues facing their immigrant community.

Starting with a basketball tournament to kick off, the inaugural South Sudanese Youth of Canada Conference will feature performances, speakers and discussion tailored to first and second generation immigrants from the East-Central African nation. Around 150 people were registered, hailing from all parts of Western Canada.

Organizers, many who came to Canada as refugees in the early 2000s, are now students, doctors, and engineers wanting to share their experiences and meet their peers.

“They’ve seen some of the hardships that come with integrating as well as the benefits of life in Canada,” said McNiel-Iyani Keri, 24, one of the conference’s organizers. A master’s engineering student, Keri travelled through Egypt before arriving here in 2000.

“All these people want to pay it forward and give it back to younger people … and try to see what are things we can do to improve the conditions for everybody,” he said.

“The main motivation is, prior to contributing elsewhere, it’s important to tackle the issues at home. “

One of those issues is tribalism, a source of ongoing conflict in the state of South Sudan.

“A lot of the issues that are happening there with tribalism … are kind of transferred here with the older generations,” said Keri. “But you have all these young people that don’t really understand that — to them, they’re just South Sudanese, they embrace the diversity and the variation.”

Part of Saturday’s schedule will see attendees divided into small discussion groups to address various topics and communal issues.

“We’re not here to drive the conversations,” said Keri. “We’re just there to help facilitate it.”

Christine Amoko, 22, flew from Winnipeg to attend, having helped organize the conference remotely.

“I wanted to get involved because it’s never been done before,” she said. Like Keri, Amoko is especially interested in tackling problems but is also happy to meet the community.

“I’m just excited to meet new people, meet some more South Sudanese youth and just get connected,” she said.