About the Summit

‘Being Seen and Heard’, the YSMENA Research Summit!

This is a knowledge sharing event grounded in the results of the YSMENA project, Canada’s first ever study on the sexual health realities of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) diaspora youth. We had exciting panels, presentations, and discussion sessions led by community practitioners, health workers and youth in a packed schedule over two and a half days and we hope you find them all as valuable as we do.

Our summit is anchored to an overarching theme that spoke to visibility, representation and recognition of MENA youth realities

in their families, communities and societies. Insights will be shared for how MENA youth navigate relationships, sex and sexuality alongside their cultural positioning; barriers faced, resiliencies developed; and, youth-identified interventions that would be most relevant. Sessions highlight the experiences and narratives of youth who identify across the spectrum of sexual and gender identity, and explore implications for the health and social service space. As part of our objective to center youth voices, we also draw on the interventions recommended by study participants. Our hope is to facilitate a deeper discussion for how we can translate this analysis into action and strengthen sexual health related service responses for MENA youth.