Wexford soccer group helps refugee youth adjust to life in Toronto

One of the best ways to kick off summer is to hang out with friends at a local park. And playing sports is a great way to meet new people and build a community. SO1 soccer program in Wexford is helping newcomers and refugees take a shot at adjusting to life in Toronto. Drivel pass when? When Green has the ball, you got to say pass, pass, pass, shoot. Oh, you can shoot it. Score. It's what the Scarborough Simbas know best. When the ball drops in 54321, the soccer group in the suburb of Wexford is not only having fun, it's also helping newcomers make their move to Toronto a little easier. This is fun. Mohasma Mutaj has been coaching the team since the beginning. The area that we're in, we have a lot of families, refugees and newcomers who had settled here. Some are very recent refugees and newcomers. There's amazing soccer clubs in the area. However, none of them are free of cost. And we want to, you know, bridge that gap that exists and create these opportunities for the kids to feel welcome and have access to football, which is an amazing universal sport. Simba is run by Muslim Children's aid and support services. Local kids have been participating in the free program every summer since 2020. What a shot. It is a lot about a vote that tends to be longing and that sense of acceptance, you know, in. In a team and in the community and feel as they are in a safe environment to rebuild their identity and who they are and and a sense of resilience. 11 year old Elizar Al Jawabri came to Canada from Syria by way of Jordan in 2016. She's played with the Simba for four years. When I play soccer, it makes me feel happy and motivated. My coaches motivate me because. They when I do something wrong, they tell me to try and try again. A 2014 study suggests 69% of newcomers feel that sports helped them learn about Canadian culture during their first three years here. That includes parents watching from the sidelines, too. When I came here, I was not have any friend. They don't have I don't know anyone here. And my kids too, they don't know anyone. And I find the program. I came the first time I feel like save and comfortable. And my kids, they know a lot of friends and me, too. I find a big family here. Signing off I'm Anita Lee of the Green Line, reporting with City News.