vancouver

Immigrants in Canada Learn to Play Ice Hockey (Scholastic Kids Press)

Jade with Karima Mohammad Karim, 17, an immigrant who is learning how to play ice hockey

I recently attended a Hockey 4 Youth practice to interview some of the players. “I’ve always had an interest in sports,” 17-year-old Karima Mohammad Karim told me. “I’ve learned so much throughout these few months.” Karima’s family immigrated to Canada from Afghanistan. 

For Jotsimran Kaur, 16, the opportunity arose from a teacher recommendation. “My teacher asked me to get involved because I’m an immigrant,” said Jotsimran, whose family moved to Surrey from India. She jumped at the chance to try a sport played on the ice.

[READ FULL STORY VIA SCHOLASTIC KIDS PRESS]

Canucks For Kids Help Newcomers to Canada Participate In Hockey, ‘Full Circle’ Moment for Hockey 4 Youth Founder (NHL.com)

Canucks For Kids hosted a group of 20 Surrey School students at Rogers Arena – a big deal for the girls who’ve only been playing hockey for three weeks.

As they took the ice, there were slips and falls, some were a little wobbly, but there’s a lot of camaraderie in the group, encouraging each other to keep going.

Hockey 4 Youth, in partnership with the Canucks For Kids Fund and with the help of the Surrey City School Board and Surrey RCMP, is assisting girls in the Surrey School District who are newcomers to Canada get involved in hockey and flourish in their new country.

Founder of Hockey 4 Youth, Moezine Hasham, is the son of immigrant parents from Uganda and the youngest of four kids. Hasham was born in Vancouver and started playing hockey at six years old, given his first set of equipment by their neighbour. Being able to participate in the sport helped him feel included and accepted amongst his peers. The game’s done a lot for him and it’s always been his goal to give back to the community where he grew up.

“It's full circle. It's all about being able to give back and we couldn't have done it without the Canucks for Kids Fund, we couldn’t have done it without Rob [Rai, Surrey School District] and this is one of six programs that we're going to start in the province,” Hasham said, mentioning the launch of their next program in Vernon.

[READ THE FULL STORY VIA NHL.COM]


This is BC: Making hockey a game for everyone (Global News BC)

Moezine (Moe) Hasham's Hockey 4 Youth program is launching this winter in Metro Vancouver with support from the Canucks for Kids Fund.

"We are effectively an on-ramp. We are that first step for these girls out onto the ice," said Hasham. "Think about the cost. It costs $4,000 to put a kid into [minor] hockey for one season."

Moe remembers very well being gifted hockey gear from a neighbour so he could get into the sport at a young age.

"Someone gave me the equipment and now that's what I'm doing with the charitable foundation. My parents came to Canada as refugees in 1972, when they were exiled out of Uganda. And we didn't have a lot of money."

[Link to Global News BC story by Jay Durant - “Making hockey a game for everyone”]