BLACK YOUTH
Windsor man giving hope
When Mehari Hagos and his family came to Canada looking to escape the violence in Eritrea, they found themselves in the midst of a different kind of war in Windsor. Bombs and bullets defined the conflict that surrounded their life in Eritrea. In the rough Glengarry neighbourhood where they settled in Windsor in 1994, they witnessed the violence that revolved around drugs.
Hagos saw a friend’s older brother get stabbed on an outdoor basketball court and die from the wound.
“In Eritrea, we would see people being shot,” the 30-year-old said. “We came here to a different kind of violence.”
Hagos rose above the turbulent backdrop of his own youth and now gives back to kids from that same Glengarry neighbourhood through a popular after-school fitness program.
His story has been captured on video as part of Violence 360, a prevention campaign developed by a Toronto-based organization as part of a government sponsored Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. “It’s about violence prevention,” said Jessica Yamoah, founder of Innovate Inclusion, which is using social media to “amplify the voices of five black youth.”
The other voices of young black men and women come from Ottawa, Hamilton and Toronto sharing stories of overcoming rape, racial profiling or serving jail time. Hagos’ video debuted Sunday at St. Clair College’s Centre for the Arts before about 20 children, many of them part of his MH100 fitness program.
“These kids look like me, they are me,” Hagos said. “This was my calling. I want to make a change. I want to help these kids change their whole life.”
Hagos started the after-school fitness program nine years ago at the Windsor Water World gym. “Fitness is my gateway to these kids,” Hagos says in his video. He weaves in lessons about nutrition and money management along the way.
“If these kids fall off, they’re going to jail or they’re doing drugs,” Hagos said.
He entices them to stay with the reward of new athletic shoes at Christmas.
The Kicks for Kids Foundation he started has handed out 5,000 pairs of shoes to date. “Shoes are everything to kids,” he said. “They look good, they feel good. It’s a reward, but the life lessons I’m giving them are way more important.”
He’s watched kids grow up through his program, including Munis Tutu, who starts for Canada’s No. 1 ranked basketball team at Carleton University.
Now, he’s got a dozen or more kids moving on to university, college or jobs. A recent stop at an Italian restaurant on Erie Street saw him reunite with four former fitness kids working at the eatery. “It makes me feel great to see that,” he said. “This video will help me get my message across to others.”
All five Violence 360 videos are available on YouTube and will be posted to Innovate Inclusion’s website.
The violence prevention campaign is just one part of a $47-million, three-year provincial plan to support black youth and help eliminate systemic, race-based disparities.