Nigerian-born mom on a mission to boost immigrant kids' confidence as they settle in
'Being able to help, being able to raise leaders is priceless,' says Faith Ashogbon of Moncton
Faith Ashogbon recognized the difficulties young immigrants encounter as they get used to a new country, and the determined mother of two from Nigeria decided she had to help.
She began offering what she calls transformative programs for youth that are designed to be both fun and educational.
Ashogbon said she wants to give a voice to underrepresented immigrant children.
"If they're well-grounded, they're going to add more value to the economy," said Ashogbon, who has a master's degree in education administration. "They're going to add value to their family, they're going to add value to themselves."
In 2017, she immigrated to Moncton from 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 how their 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 Black newcomers like her children often struggle to fit into school. Her children began to question who they were, why they looked different and where they belonged.
And these questions hurt their self-esteem and self-worth.
Ashogbon's response was to devise a way to build their self-confidence and help them thrive independently in Canada.
Discovering your true identity
Ashogbon started by telling them of immigrants who have become great people. An important part of building her kids' confidence was to help them discover 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.
Seeing the progress her own children made, Ashogbon decided to create 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 families registered their children with the program. Within a few months, word had spread about its apparent success, and more parents signed up their children.
The program grew from three registered children to 20 in the early stages, and has since grown to more than 80 kids, from 10 to 20 years old.
Now, Pure Gold Foundation activities include a twice-monthly class, 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."
Ashogbon fully funded and organized program.
"The program's goal is to empower one million youth in five years," she said, giving credit to the help of parents and volunteers.
'I love the harmony that exists in this group'
Eleven-year-old Victory Oronsaye from 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," Oronsaye said.
"Pure Gold has changed my life."
While Stephen Olotu, who is 18, said all 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, Busola Ladeloye, 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.
Ashogbon said 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."
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