UTM alum’s career advocating for youth experiencing homelessness is a testament to her resilience, determination and the power of storytelling.
For UTM graduate Mya Moniz, the path to her role as a Peer Support Worker at Restoration and Empowerment for Social Transition Centres (REST Centres) was highly unconventional. Having entered Ontario’s child welfare system and experiencing such challenges firsthand, Moniz became intimately familiar with the struggles faced by marginalized youth in the fight against homelessness.
She became a client of the Region of Peel’s Restoration and Empowerment for Social Transition (REST) Centres, a BIPOC-serving non-profit organization. The connection led to an internship, eventually becoming a REST Peer Support Worker, where Moniz used her own experiences to help those on a similar path.
“People don’t want to take a young Black student seriously,” says Moniz, who has also worked with the Senior Leadership Table for the Peel Alliance to End Homelessness and the Peel Poverty Action Group. “I never had a black teacher growing up, I never had a black professor at UTM. That made me realize how far out Black people had been in higher education. Realizing that was so distressing and upsetting.”
She credits the support of the REST Centres for her ability to attend, and succeed, at university, where she channeled her childhood solace from literature into an honors bachelor of arts in English, Professional Writing & Communication and Sociology at UTM.
“Writing has always been a huge part of my life,” she says. “I like to write creatively, short stories and such, but especially through university and the professional writing program, where so much of it involves writing about your life, I’ve learned the power of healing that comes from writing.”
While at UTM, Moniz helped originate ‘Literature is ALIVE!’ with a group of her peers, creating a series of English and drama department-sponsored events to bring together students and professors for lively discussions on the scope and relevance of English studies.
Her passion for writing also became a catalyst for change, leading her to champion initiatives that amplify marginalized voices. At REST, Moniz spearheaded a writing program for youth and hosted the “Homelessness in Hiding” podcast.
“I [approached] the podcast as an archive to document what’s really happening,” Moniz says. “It’s important for youth to see that they’re not alone in their experiences, and also see people who’ve made it to the other side. Homelessness is a hard cycle to break, so having these stories that are motivating, real and tangible makes a huge difference.”
Moniz also oversaw the ‘My Story, My Power: Strength in Storytelling’ initiative, a REST program designed to empower marginalized youth with lived experiences through creativity.
“I [made] a point to prioritize the voices of those with lived experiences and the voices of those on the frontlines, because those are the people that the big archives don’t talk to,” says Moniz, who also writes for the organization’s monthly newsletter and blog.
Looking to the future, Moniz is eager to return to school and pursue a master’s degree. She has left REST Centres as of July 2024 to pursue personal projects and community engagement to prepare for graduate school.
“I’ve found a lot of peace in (studying writing),” Moniz says. “I want to research the healing power of writing for the reader and for the writer.”
Moniz says she hopes her perseverance in her studies, passion for dismantling barriers and advocacy through the written word are symbols of hope for marginalized students.
“Not only did I graduate for me, but I graduated for every little Black girl with neurodivergence who was told she wasn’t good enough,” she says.