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Integration TV is a Canadian-based television show founded and hosted by Hodan Nalayeh.
Contents
Overview
Integration TV is known to be the First English Television for the Somali diaspora and covers a wide variety of topics for its predominately Somali viewers, including events in the Somali-Canadian community, positive stores from the Somali diaspora and closely monitors the development and progress of The Federal Republic of Somalia.
Integration Television also aims at connecting, enlightening, and empowering the Somali diaspora around the globe.
Besides producing weekly episodes, the show includes various weekly segments including "Shaah & Sheeko" which translates to "Tea and Talk" in the Somali language. Shaah & Sheeko features Somali guests, discusses topics of interest in the Somali community, and raises awareness on universal social issues.
Integration Television currently airs every weekend on FEVA TV and features its weekly episodes on its YouTube Channel.
Host
Hodan Nalayeh is a media executive, entrepreneur, and journalist. Nalayeh was born in Las Anod, Somalia in 1976 and immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta in 1984. Nalayeh received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from University of Windsor. Before founding Integration Television in 2014, Nalayeh has served as a producer and assistant on various shows including So You Think You Can Dance Canada and American Idol.
History
Integration TV premiered on March 2, 2014 on City TV. Later in the year, the show discontinued airing on City TV and shifted its focus on producing episodes on its YouTube channel.
On May 28, 2015, Nalayeh announced that the show would broadcast its weekly episodes on FEVA TV.
Guests
The show featured various prominent guests including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Somalia's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdi Aynte, Somali-Canadian model Ayan Elmi, and renowned American Muslim speaker Nouman Ali Khan.
Integration TV also includes various segments and episodes that displays the progress of the country. On May 24, 2015, Integration TV announced that 18-year old Rashid Abdullahi from the Netherlands was premiering a summer television series on Integration TV called "My Mogadishu Summer". The show was geared towards shedding a light on the positive development in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The fifteen episode series covered events including the Mogadishu International Book Fair and showcased the youth culture in Somalia.
Philanthropy and Community Activism
Integration TV creates not only a media platform for Somali Canadians, but works toward remaining active in the community. On June 9, 2014, the Toronto Girls Soccer Association announced that Integration TV was included in their line-up of sponsors. Integration TV was also a sponsor at the 2015 Annual Halal Food Festival that took place in Mississauga, Ontario.
In addition, Integration TV uses its influential platform to raise awareness for various causes. Nalayeh is the founder of the Somali Refugees Awareness Project, a non-profit organization that advocates for Somali refugees across the world and seeks to help protect and resettle refugees that fled Somalia during the 1990 civil war.
Furthermore, Integration TV also works towards raising awareness and enlightening its viewers on mental health. On May 5, 2015, Integration TV aired an episode that included an interview with Dr. Abdirahman Ali Habeeb, a mental health professional that works with mentally-ill individuals across Somalia. Along with Al Jazeera, Integration TV voiced support in an effort to secure land to build a mental health hospital in the country’s capital. Four months later, the President of Somalia announced that that land would be donated to Dr. Habeebs cause.