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Multicultural youth council asks for dedicated anti-racism funding

Regional Multicultural Youth Council says grassroots organizations working to combat racism and discrimination could do more.
Multicultural Youth Council
From left: The Regional Youth Multicultural Council's Amir-Ali Golrokhian, Harasees Singh and Aarianna Roberts speak to Thunder Bay city council on Monday, September 30, 2019. (Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY – A group of youth want the city to establish a dedicated anti-racism funding envelope to help support grassroots organizations.

Representatives from the Regional Youth Multicultural Council went before Thunder Bay city council on Monday night, advocating for money to be made annually available for groups to combat racism and discrimination.

“We know there are a lot of organizations around Thunder Bay that do our type of work and they would be able to do so much more if they were provided the funding to work to the best of their abilities,” Amir-Ali Golrokhian said.

Harasees Singh, who moved to Thunder Bay four years ago, said a lack of available funding lessens potential contributions for organizations.

“The City of Thunder Bay has done a lot to support multiculturalism and combat discrimination. We’ve come a long way but there is still a ways to go,” Singh said.

The representatives acknowledged the city’s Community, Youth and Cultural Funding initiative, a $2.7 million program, but insisted that its criteria is different from their objectives.

“We believe there are different issues they’re addressing,” Golrokhian said of what the youth council is seeking compared to the Community, Youth and Cultural Funding program’s mandate.

“Of course, there are some overlaps but we know a lot of organizations have difficulty qualifying for that funding because their goals and their work doesn’t work as much as providing activities and fun but more on educating people on racism.”

While the group said they could use $30,000, they emphasized their request was not just about one organization receiving funding.

“This fund is not just for us but for any organization that chooses to apply to it,” Singh said. “We don’t want to just say that we want your money, but rather anyone who deems themselves worthy of it should be able to get it.”



About the Author: Matt Vis

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