At 16, Sal Sabila founded Youth Gravity, a grassroots organization based in the Greater Toronto Area, focused on creating brave spaces for immigrant and racialized youth to discuss difficult topics, including mental health, community belonging, gun violence, domestic abuse, and hate-motivated violence. Youth Gravity has received funding from various levels of government, including municipal and federal, to conduct research and implement programs that capture the lived experiences of racialized youth from underserved communities and identify gaps in policy and research. In 2020, Youth Gravity became one of the first youth-led initiatives funded by the Ministry of Public Safety Canada to elevate youth voices in the effort to counter radicalization to violence within Canada.
Sal Sabila’s decade-long dedication to youth leadership and community advocacy has been recognized locally, nationally, and internationally. She was the 2019 Queen’s Commonwealth Trust Award recipient, a 2020 RBC Top 25 Immigrant Award finalist, and a 2022 Women in Leadership Award recipient. Recently, she was awarded the “Identify N’ Impact” award from the Mayor of Toronto for her advocacy work. Sal Sabila is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Migration and Diaspora Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Under her leadership, Youth Gravity continues to thrive, making meaningful contributions to the lives of young people in Canada.
The Summit was more than empty words – it made clear that a solution-driven approach is the only way to fight hate. That’s why the working group activities, which are results driven are going to be critical in defeating violent extremism. The Summit brought together the best minds in government, private sector, academia, and civil society. Being surrounded by these experts sparked new ideas – some of which I’ve already implemented or have written about.
