• Lifestyle

    Nazha Galeb: An Instagram micro influencer who leads with advocacy

    Inspiring the next generation of Instagram influencer-activists Photo provided by Nazha Galeb. From Lebanon, Nazha Galeb is better known to her followers as @nanaaghaleb. She is a medical laboratory student at the University of Balamand. Originally a visual artist, over the last few years, she’s become an Instagram lifestyle micro influencer and activist with now almost 70,000 followers. Youth Mind sat down virtually with Galeb to delve into her relationship with her platform and how content creation ties into her brand partnerships and activism. *The interview has been edited for brevity. Establishing her platform Youth Mind: Tell us a bit about yourself, your content creation and how it ties into…

  • School

    The gamble of education

    Tuition fees remained stable for domestic students throughout COVID-19. However, post-secondary isn’t always accessible or recommended for everyone. In 2019, Conservative Leader Doug Ford made cuts Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding. This left many young people to figure out other avenues for funding their education.  Some Ontario graduates share their experiences and advice for youth who are considering post-secondary. Academic fulfilment and work transitions Brie Bennett’s York University theatre degree and gender and women’s studies certificate left them unfulfilled amid attention problems and isolation. “I was expecting this deep enrichment and connections, and I was very separated from myself, from my industry and from my peers,” they said. They…

  • Careers

    A healthy first job

    The Ontario Workplace Health Coalition (OWHC) is redefining the healthy workplace.  As per the World Health Organization, a safe workplace no longer merely means the absence of physical hazards and employee wellness “the absence of physical disease.”  According to OWHC, “valuing employee mental, physical and psychosocial well-being” helps keep organizations and businesses healthy. That makes them more profitable, which in turn helps “support a healthier Ontario.” However, for youth starting work, it may be unclear what a healthy workplace looks like. They may also be unsure how to contribute to their workplace, given their role’s limitations.  Roles, responsibilities and practices Gloria St-Denis has been Cornwall, Ont.’s, Medical Arts Pharmacy’s human…

  • Creative

    Grateful

    I live for peaceful moments by the lake midday during summer, the gratifying feel of spring rays on frigid cheeks,  rivalling the shy blush of peeking tulips  after months of hibernation. I love the solemn nights I share with a good book during the rainy fall, the floating feeling  in my tingling toes after taking off ski boots  on a snowy afternoon after the slopes, the furious love I feel for loved ones,  pointed fingers and arguments and all, the ongoing, unspoken conversations maintained with friends  regardless of distance,  our spontaneity and their unwavering support  hovering from afar. I’m grateful for this body of which I don’t always approve, that…

  • Creative

    resilient 

    we fall, sheltering our brimming bones in our hands with the tips of our antiseptic, reddened fingers, again and again and again, our bodies, our ever-travelling, changing homes, readying themselves for another wicked winter wave as the maples shed their fire in spoonfuls over our heads, kids grabbing at them giddily, in handfuls. uncertainty tickles chills on prickled skin as the cold creeps in, darkness stagnant in minds that lull  on repeat, radio static in flickering, monochrome backgrounds. the channels change, the story repeating itself in hypnotic, robotic loops. are you human? check these boxes to prove it. once whispered, joy-filled bedtime stories echo emptily in desolate, overcrowded spaces, bad…