Big Read: Chasing his dream to change teenagers’ lives through sport, Hockey 4 Youth founder Moezine Hasham is making a “generational impact” — one story at a time. Written by ByDavidSingh. Presented by scotiabank │ HockeyForAll.
Amidst all of this, Moezine Hasham is racing around the rink. One second he’s instructing a player on the ice, the next he’s adjusting a student’s helmet. A few moments later, he’s rummaging through his giant hockey bag, searching for a neck guard. This event is Hasham’s doing. He’s the founder of Hockey 4 Youth, an organization that provides newcomer and high-priority teens with opportunities to play hockey free of charge, as well as partake in experiential learning opportunities off the ice.
His neighbour, Mrs. Brown, took note of Hasham’s passion for the game. Her own son played ice hockey and one day, she gathered the equipment he had outgrown, gave it to the Hashams and convinced them to enroll their six-year-old son in a league. They did and Hasham’s path was set. “Without that equipment, I’m not able to get on the ice because my parents are struggling to earn a living,” Hasham, now 44, recalls.
Clockwise from top left: the Hasham family; Hasham and his wife, Monika, with his father in 2019; Hasham poses with Nigel Dawes, Willie O’Ree and Jarome Iginla.ockey 4 Youth formed in 2015 and has since worked with over 500 teenagers from more than 34 countries of origin. It began running programs in Toronto, and has since expanded to Montreal and Ottawa, working with a total of nine high schools. By October, programming in Hamilton will be included, raising that number to 11.
The organization has worked with an impressive list of corporate partners, including the NHL, MLSE, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Canadian Tire Jumpstart and Scotiabank. Hasham’s own profile within the industry has been rising, as well. “I remember Willie [O’Ree] telling me about him,” says McBride, who was the NHL’s first Black executive. “Willie told me, ‘Oh you gotta meet Moe. You got to meet this guy. He’s doing something great.
Hockey 4 Youth’s true value is its impact beyond the game — building friendships and a sense of community; helping students get more comfortable in their own skin.rissha struggled when she came to Toronto from Davao City, Philippines in 2018. She was lonely and missing her friends back home. The 12-hour time difference made even phone conversations with them difficult, and to make things worse, she wasn’t used to the brutal Canadian winter.
Clockwise from left: Crissha at Scotiabank Arena and at a Hockey 4 Youth session; Omiya on the ice; Hillman the phys. ed. teacher.ake one look at Amir and you can immediately tell he’s a diehard sports fan. The 17-year-old Eritrean is wearing a Raptors hoodie, Blue Jays hatMaple Leafs jersey as he sits down at a cafeteria table at Marc Garneau. When he arrived in Toronto from Saudi Arabia in 2016, Amir didn’t even know what basketball, baseball or hockey were.
She felt a freedom on the ice that she couldn’t find elsewhere. Gliding around the rink, her thoughts and problems faded away, says the 18-year-old. And when the pandemic hit and Hockey 4 Youth was unavailable to students, she realized just how much the sport meant to her — and just how monotonous her days could be without it. “Studying, marks, school,” Omiya says. “The tension.” Hockey allowed her to release that tension while also connecting to a community.