Stream 3 : Engaging Youth and Minorities – a Change Agent and Value Creation -NGO,
2:30 pm

Immigrant Youth Engagement

Wali Farah is the Manager of the award winning Multicultural Liaison Officer (MLO) Program of OCISO. The MLO program is one of the most successful partnership programs in the country particularly in Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa community. Wali spearheaded the MLO team of 20 members for the last 6 years. He has built a network of partnerships and supports for the program. He has initiated a number of successful projects such as OCISO’s, Immigrant Youth Project, Newcomer Orientation Week (NOW), Welcome and Information for Newcomers (WIN), Step Ahead Project and Reconnection with Diversity Project. He is a member of Board of Directors of Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI).

Wali is dedicated to helping to welcoming immigrants and refugees in Canada, particularly to Ottawa and Ontario. He is well versed with the current immigration and refugee issues.

He is OCISO’s representative in a number of organizations and committees such as: Member of the Parent Involvement Committee of the OCDSB, Member of the Settlement Workers in Schools Program Coordinators. Wali was a member of the Ottawa Mayor’s Task Force on Somali Youth in Ottawa. 

Wali has been working for OCISO for the last 13 years and has extensive experience in settlement and integration issues of today’s immigrants. He is skilled extensively in the areas of building partnerships, community mobilization, media engagement, fundraising, project management and has excellent leadership skills.

Above all, Wali and his wife have four young children; two boys and two girls.