重口味SM

How U of T student Yasmin Rajabi combined community activism with a degree in public policy, city studies

Photo of Yasmin Rajabi
鈥淚 am someone who鈥檚 very invested in my community,鈥 says Yasmin Rajabi, a U of T Scarborough student who graduates on Monday (photo by Ken Jones)

Yasmin Rajabi's passion for community activism started early 鈥 and prompted a desire to learn more about how local government works.

Rajabi, who graduates Monday from the 重口味SM Scarborough with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in public policy and city studies, is the founder of a non-profit organization called Young Women鈥檚 Leadership Network (YWLN), which helps young women over the age of 14 build their leadership skills through civic engagement.

鈥淚 am someone who鈥檚 very invested in my community,鈥 says Rajabi. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very action-oriented individual with a passion for change that leads me to fight for more equitable and fair environments for all.鈥

When Rajabi was eight years old, her family fled ethnic and religious persecution in Afghanistan and came to Canada. 鈥淲e picked Scarborough because we had family here, and I know that鈥檚 a lot of the reason why so many immigrant families continue to settle in Scarborough,鈥 she says.

Scarborough became home and Rajabi grew up in the Malvern neighbourhood, surrounded by people who inspired community involvement from an early age. 

When she was 13 years old, a close friend invited her to get involved with the YWCA, which works with young women and girls in local communities and schools.

鈥淒uring the time I was there, they had a lot of programs that focused on civic engagement, and I think that really sparked a passion,鈥 she says.

She learned about the importance of voting in elections, making it a point to take her parents to vote for the first time during the 2014 provincial election.

鈥淭he governments, and in turn the policies we vote for, have a large part in determining how we live our everyday lives,鈥 she says.

With her non-profit organization, she continues to work closely with the YWCA. The first group of girls she brought to city council for a Young Women鈥檚 Leadership Network event were students from the YWCA Council.

鈥淭he students got to chat with a city councillor, sit in the mayor鈥檚 seat and the council chambers, and they felt an ownership of City Hall,鈥 says Rajabi.   

Over the past six months Rajabi has had the opportunity to get a look at the inner workings of City Hall through the Prot茅g茅 Program. The mentorship program pairs young women who aspire to be involved in local politics with female city councillors and staff.

Rajabi said in an interview earlier this year that local politics is where work really gets done. 鈥淚n municipal politics you actually see more immediate change happen, and because it鈥檚 local it has a much larger impact on the people around you,鈥 she says.

Read more about Convocation 2018

During her time as a student, Rajabi served two terms on the Scarborough Campus Students鈥 Union.  And since completing her work at U of T Scarborough 鈥 and wrapping up her Prot茅g茅 Program projects 鈥 she continues to work in policy through the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship.

Looking back, Rajabi says the most important thing she鈥檚 learned from her time as an undergraduate student is how important community is to advocacy work.

鈥淵ou will not be able to accomplish your goals without including the people that are directly impacted by your work,鈥 she says.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 UTSC or the larger community, people bring expertise from their own experiences, and often times they possess the knowledge to tackle broader issues.鈥

 

The Bulletin Brief logo

Subscribe to The Bulletin Brief

UTSC