"The YMCA prepared me for the future!"
After arriving from Jamaica in July 2008, Omar attended the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce YMCA's day camp.
Only 18 years old, Omar has a quiet strength about him. He's mature, soft-spoken and incredibly determined! He wants to become a university professor because he feels that "we need to appreciate what we have been given. This gift of life, we cannot keep it to ourselves."
After arriving from Jamaica in July 2008, Omar attended the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce YMCA's day camp. There he met Galia, a youth worker who took him under her wing. In September, Omar began high school. After noticing that he was having trouble with his French, Galia found a tutor to help him until the end of grade 9. He also participated in several Youth Zone activities, including an exchange trip to Regina.
Omar is a role model for other youth. He knows how to motivate them and feels it is important to never judge them. Still involved with the YMCA, Omar has been volunteering with the Homework Help program for almost two years. "I can totally relate to them! Now it's my turn to help them with their French!"