One out of millions, 2018.

My video tells the story of how hard it was for me and my family to get to Canada. It tells the story of how we went from war in Syria, walked to Jordan, and then lived in tents for a month in Jordan. Our house in Erbid, Jordan was in deteriorating condition, and my father had a very difficult time finding a job. It was very hard. One day, a friend of my father's told him about UNHCR. We registered with them in the hope that one day we would be able to find a better place to live. Three years later, we received the incredible offer to go to Canada.

We are so happy to have had the opportunity to come here, to Canada. It's not for the money but for the security and our education. Canadians welcomed us and were so helpful. There were people that helped us get furniture, find halal food, register for school, and arrange for ESL classes for my parents. This is beyond what we had hoped.

I chose to animate my story as I have been interested in animation for a long time. It was challenging, but I feel like I was able to represent my story better than I could have in other ways.

*This video was made in Media Art for Newcomer Youth (MANY), a pilot program of the Arab Community Centre of Toronto and Charles Street Video that reduced barriers to media art creation, supported youth through tailored workshops and one-on-one mentoring by culturally affiliated artists, and worked towards promoting the capabilities that youth value. MANY was supported through Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding.