Hockey 4 Youth Foundation Launches Free Hockey Program For Newcomer Girls And Teens (iHeartRadio)

Hockey 4 Youth Foundation launched their first ever free inclusive hockey program in Windsor for newcomer/diverse girls and teens who face barriers. WFCU Centre. Dec. 21, 2023. (Photo by AM800's Aaron Mahoney)

An exciting opportunity for newcomers at St. Joseph's Catholic High School. 

Hockey 4 Youth Foundation has launched their first ever free inclusive hockey program in Windsor for newcomer/diverse girls and teens who face barriers.

With support from the Quenneville Family, 34 girls of diverse backgrounds from St. Joseph's High School took part in their first practice at the WFCU Centre Thursday. 

The girls arrived at the arena shortly after 11 a.m., received an introduction to the program, got dressed for practice, and then took part in their first skate. 

[READ FULL STORY VIA IHEARTRADIO]

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]

New Program Teaches Neurodivergent Girls How to Play Hockey (CTV News Ottawa)

A new program for neurodivergent girls in Ottawa is teaching them the game of hockey, with many of them coming from backgrounds where they would never get the opportunity to do so.

Hockey 4 Youth, an organization launched in 2015, has a goal to break barriers for kids, focusing on newcomers to Canada and high-priority youth. The new program by the organization is focusing on neurodivergent girls in Ottawa.

"This is our first program where we're working with girls who are neurodivergent," said Moezine Hasham, the executive director for the Hockey4Youth Foundation.

"They might have different forms of trauma. And so for us, at the end of the day, it's all about social inclusion through the game of hockey, which is so beautiful to play."

[READ FULL STORY ON CTV NEWS OTTAWA]

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”]

'Their win is my win': Newcomer Leafs fans hope history will be made (CBC Toronto)

Growing up, Abrar Al Mouktaran and Brittany Morrison didn't know anything about hockey. 

A resident of Syria, Al Mouktaran, 23, says she didn't know the sport existed. Morrison too, a resident of Jamaica, says she had no knowledge of the game.

Now, both young women say they have learned how to play hockey and have fallen in love with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Al Mouktaran moved to Canada with her family in 2016, while Morrison, 19, came here with her family in 2017.

The two are among many new Canadians who have become huge fans of the team.

When the Leafs try to win their first playoff series in 19 years on Thursday, Al Mouktaran and Morrison said they will be watching and hope history will be made.

[Read 'Their win is my win': Newcomer Leafs fans hope history will be made in Game 5 via CBC News]

Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest (Instagram Reel)

Scotiabank invited the girls from our Hockey 4 Youth programs in Montreal North and St. Laurent to their Girls HockeyFest at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Sunday, March 26. They were hosted by Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) players Marlène Boissonnault, Rosie Demers, Alexa Vasko & Jessie Eldridge and Montreal Canadiens alumni Eric Houde & Gaston Gingras.

Hockey 4 Youth Ottawa Girls Program (CBC News - Ottawa)

“"It's a sport that honestly, I never actually pictured myself doing in my life because I was always so scared and I just thought, you know, might as well try it," said Bahja Jama.

Fellow student Rouba El Khatib, who applied what she learned roller skating in Lebanon, said she realizes the benefits of playing ice hockey.

"I really forget anything I'm annoyed about outside of the rink and I just play with spirit and have a lot of fun, score some goals," said El Khatib.

"It always feels different and [it's] so fun being on the ice and playing whenever I'm on the ice."

[Read ‘Newcomers hit the ice thanks to group making hockey more accessible’ via CBC News]