Inspired by a candidate's visit, first-time volunteer campaigns in 4 languages
Samantha Craggs | CBC News | Posted: June 4, 2018 4:46 PM | Last Updated: June 4, 2018
First in a series of profiles of campaign volunteers and what inspires their activism
CBC Hamilton interviewed first-time campaign volunteers from major political parties and is asking what motivated them to get involved and what is important to them. This is the first story in that series.
Noor Mohamed was asleep in his family's downtown apartment when his mom shook him awake. There were English speakers at the door, she said, and Mohamed needed to talk to them.
I'm feeling some lightning is coming in the future. - Noor Mohamed
Mohamed's family is from Somalia, and came to Ontario from Syria seven years ago.
So Mohamed, 24, does most of the household English speaking. The person at the door was Hamilton Centre Liberal candidate Deirdre Pike, and after a brief chat, she convinced him to volunteer.
Now Mohamed, who will cast his first Canadian vote this week, is in the thick of Pike's election campaign. He works two jobs, so he wants a $15-an-hour minimum wage. He wants to go to college and can't afford it, so he likes the Liberals' changes to OSAP.
"All of this is what people my age are dreaming about," said Mohamed. "We are dreaming, and we feel like those dreams will come true."
Mohamed is one of many Hamilton millennials who, previously unengaged in politics, are volunteering in what they see as a pivotal election. Mohamed door knocks for Pike, talking to voters in four languages. He speaks to a lot of new Canadians from Syria.
Growing up, Mohamed lived in places where people died for their political involvement. He was born in Mogadishu in the midst of a decades-long Somali civil war. His family fled after someone assaulted his mother and she lost her vision.
The family bounced around to countries like Yemen and Syria. Today, five of them live in a three-bedroom apartment.
Mohamed, the oldest of seven kids, works as a translator at Hamilton Urban Core, and also at Rogers Wireless.
He volunteers as a youth advisor for the YMCA's program for newcomer youth. He also volunteers as a friend to newcomers through Wesley Urban Ministries.
Mohamed sees the people he helps struggle with child care. He wants it to be more affordable. He also likes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Still, a big reason he's volunteering with Pike is because she asked him. She was the only candidate to knock on his family's door at Wellington and Rebecca. When he door knocks now, he wears a suit.
People who meet him seem to see potential in him, he said. "I don't know what they see about me, but I'm a really, really lucky person."
Whoever wins this election, Mohamed says he'll stay involved. Maybe he won't be a politician. And maybe his party won't win, or even his candidate.
But "I feel like I'm going to do something too one day. I'm feeling some lightning is coming in the future."