Nigerian-born mom on a mission to boost immigrant kids' confidence as they settle in

FaithAshogbonrecognized the difficulties young immigrants encounter as they getused to anew country, and thedetermined mother of two from Nigeria decided she had to help.

She began offering what she calls transformative programs for youth that are designed to beboth fun and educational.

Ashogbonsaid she wants to give a voice to underrepresented immigrant children.

"If they're well-grounded, they're going toadd more value to the economy,"said Ashogbon, who has a master's degree in education administration. "They're going toadd value to their family, they're going to add value to themselves."

In 2017, she immigrated toMonctonfrom the West African city of Lagos,where she'd worked as a human resource professional.

When she and her husband decided to move to Canada, she did not immediately consider howtheir children would be affected.

"We were all excited to come here because everything,we thought, was going to be rosy," she said. "But along the line, I found that my kids were kind of struggling."

Because of cultural differences, young Blacknewcomers like her children often struggle to fit into school. Her childrenbegan to question who they were, why they looked differentandwhere they belonged.

And these questions hurt their self-esteem and self-worth.

Ashogbon'sresponse was to devise a way tobuild their self-confidence and help them thrive independently in Canada.

Discovering your true identity

Ashogbonstarted by telling them ofimmigrants who have become great people. Animportant part of building her kids' confidence was to help themdiscover the benefits of being part of a new community.

"I came up with different types of teachings, teaching them about who [they]are," she said.

WATCH | Faith brings hope to newcomer youth:

A newcomers experience turns into an opportunity to help others

1 year ago

Duration 2:27

After moving from West Africa, Faith Ashogbon wanted to help other immigrant families adjust to life in N.B, so she started a program to empower Black and newcomer youth in the province.

Seeing the progress her own children made,Ashogbondecided tocreate a support system to help ease the transition for others. This led to her founding the Pure Gold Foundation youth program.

In 2020, three African familiesregistered their children with the program. Within a few months, word had spread about its apparent success, and moreparents signed up their children.

The program grew from three registered children to 20in the early stages, and has since grown to more than80 kids, from 10 to 20 years old.

Now, Pure Gold Foundation activities include a twice-monthlyclass, summer camps, fun hangouts, book reviews, workshops and conferences, and the royal gathering, an event that aims to boost the self-confidence of the youth. Children registered with the foundation are called "royals."

Ashogbonfully funded and organized program.

"The program's goal is to empower one million youthin five years," she said, givingcredit to the help of parents and volunteers.

'I love the harmony that exists in this group'

Eleven-year-old VictoryOronsayefrom Nigeria says her favourite thing about the program is sharing with her friend what they learn.

"We like talking about our values and things that we appreciate about ourselves,"Oronsayesaid.

"Pure Gold has changed my life."

While StephenOlotu, who is 18, saidall the youth program children have one goal to be the best version of themselves.

"To me, it really means everything because here I'm able to discover not only who I am but also meet people during that journey," he said.

A member of the volunteer team,BusolaLadeloye,said she got involved because she wants to help raise future role models.

"I firmly believe that we need to be involved in the lives of our youth," she said.

Ashogbonsaid being able to help immigrant families and children has become her life's goal.

"I feel happy.I feel purposeful," she said. "This is why I was born."