Regina's Hany Al Moliya joins Prime Minister's Youth Council
Regina's Hany Al Moliya, who is studying to be a computer engineer, has joined the Prime Minister's Youth Council.
Before coming to Regina in 2014, Al Moliya, 23, helped fellow Syrian refugees living in camps in Lebanon while working for UNICEF.
Even though he is legally blind, Al Moliya took up photography and documented his experiences as a refugee, having fled his hometown in 2012.
He has also helped newcomers settle in Regina.
"I want to make a difference in Canadian life," Al Moliya said about his joining the council. He said he also wants to contribute to the country that gave him a chance to rebuild his life.
"I had a tough life in a refugee camp and I got a chance to come to Canada and that changed my life," he said.
He said he wants to bring more people with disabilities into the workforce and will draw on his own experiences with visual impairment.
"I would like also to share some ideas to help Canadian youth to find themselves [and] to be inspired by others using arts and technology at the same time," he said.
Al Moliya said he hopes his story, of facing challenging circumstances, will resonate with other youth.
"When you want to make it possible, you have to really see that you can do it," he said, talking about the power of having a positive outlook. "You have to believe inside that it is possible."
He said he took up photography despite many people advising against it.
"A lot of people told me that 'You can't take pictures' because of my vision," he said. He was undeterred.
"I'm going to go take pictures because photography, for me, it not about using the camera as a technical device, it's using the camera as a tool of expressing myself."
He also noticed that while in the refugee camp, other photographers would come and go. Al Moliya wanted to capture a deeper experience on camera.
"I was there. I could document the life … because I have the time," he said. "I know what the people are suffering from."
He was among the first group of young Canadians selected to join the council. More will be added.
Al Moliya was recently in Ottawa where he met with other members of the council.
"It was great," he said, impressed by the range of people gathered. "The different ideas, the different interests. It was great to have 15 minds around one table sharing ideas about the big topics … from employment to education."
He said expectations are high, among the group and they are ambitious.
"I want the youth council members to think about the future of the country and … the kind of lifestyle that the new generation should have," he said.
