Less than three weeks ago, the new School of Social Work at the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland opened its doors to 50 incoming students, including 25 young women.

During the fall of 2013, the Friends of the University of Hargeisa School of Social Work,a committee established to lay the foundation for the creation of the School of Social Work,collected 300 social work-related books to form the first library for the program.

On November 4th, Mohamed Islam, 31, was awarded with Crime Prevention Ottawa's 2013 Youth Worker Award in a ceremony at City Hall. Crime Prevention Ottawa (CPO) is an organization which aims to reduce crime and enhance community safety through collaborative evidence-based crime prevention strategies. Mohamed Islam is a Youth Worker with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa and is the coordinator of the Somali Youth Support Project, a program run out of the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre.

The Izzah Learning Center's mission is to support women in the study of Tilawatul (Recitation) and Hifdhul (Memorization) of the Qur'an.

The center was founded by Fatima Abdi, who is finishing up a Master's of Education at the University of Ottawa with a specialization in teaching, learning and evaluation along with Aqbal Ahmed, an experienced Arabic teacher.

Members of the Somali community, and many supporters, came out to raise money for deserving community projects in late May.

The Somali Youth Support Project (SYSP), a community driven initiative operating out of Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, held its 8th Annual Fundraiser to raise money for a project of their choosing.

This year, funds were raised for the Somali-Canadian Youth Mentorship Program and a youth-led project in one of the West-End Ottawa Community Housing neighbourhoods.

A visionary group of Canadian Somali youth has been providing their peers with inspiration and guidance as part of the Somali Canadian Youth Mentorship Program. It's a program that aims to connect young people with successful professionals and university students in Ottawa. Ifrah Hassan spoke with the Muslim Link's Amira Elghawaby about the initiative.  

Too many times I hear people say “youth are not engaged enough in the community''. For young community leaders like Ahmed Sadiq, the chairman and head of the  Assalam Mosque Youth Department, that undoubtedly is not the case. 

When Ahmed saw a need for a program focused on Ottawa's young Muslims, he sprang into action. In December 2011, Assalam Mosque's Youth Department, along with a group of young, dedicated volunteers, including myself, organized the first annual “Go Halal or Go Home'' Youth Winter Conference.

This year, I was back for more, trekking all the way from the west-end to the east-end to commit my time to a “for youth by youth” initiative that I feel recognizes the real needs of Muslim youth like  myself, who in our teens and early twenties, are struggling to balance the pressures of our daily lives with our deen.

Almost everybody, at different points in their lives, thinks about their legacy and the type of impact they have made on their family, friends and community. Each individual's legacy is different but one simple fact remains the same: we all leave one. My father, Abdullahi Hassan Eyow, left a lasting legacy of compassion and sacrifice that is now felt immensely everywhere he has lived. As a Somali refugee, he knew how fortunate he was to escape the instability and conflict that has plagued Somalia for the last 21 years, yet he never forgot the shattered communities he left behind.

For Mohamed Sofa, helping and serving others is simply second nature.

So it came as no surprise to his friends and family when the Somali-born community activist and community builder was awarded the Mayor's City Builder Award.

In the 15 years since he arrived in Ottawa as a refugee, Mr. Sofa, now 29 years old, has helped initiate and implement dozens of community projects, including homework clubs, soccer teams, basketball leagues, sports nights, and celebrations for youth.