We are very well educated on past events that have occurred involving discrimination against one another and are taught that we are all equal despite the colour of our skin, our race or religion. Overlooking the lessons of our past, today in 2016 history repeats itself as Syrian refugees receive a very unwarm welcome from many Canadian citizens. As part of the youth in Canadian society the subject of whether Syrian refugees are worthy enough to be living in Canada has been brought up to us several times, each time with a different point of view. Many of our decisions we have made revolving around this topic, have been based on what is found on social media and most importantly what we are told by our elders and what we comprehend from their actions. But it is time we start looking at the facts and the full story without any interference to discover that all Syrian refugees are equally entitled to living in Canada as any other Canadian citizen is.

An abundance of young Canadians believe Syrian refugees are bringing danger into Canada while jeopardizing the lives of all Canadians due to the information their ears get filled with. But how can anyone say that without physically encountering these war survivors and becoming educated on where they are coming from? Many believe the arrival of Syrian refugees in Canada is just as easy and fast as the arrival of a package ordered online. If only it were that simple! After the submission of millions of applications, the applicants’ history is thoroughly reviewed before a selection of applicants are chosen for a one-on-one interview where personal information is validated. Those who have been identified as having a lower security risk by living in Syria such as women, complete families and persons identified as vulnerable due to membership in the LGBTQ community are chosen to come to Canada assuring the safety of everyone. Moreover, biographical and biometric information is collected, security screenings including immigration checks, law enforcement, and the checking of security databases took place. Likewise, Canada Border Services Agency confirms each individual's identity before departing and after landing in Canada. Once the refugees reach Canadian airports a final verification check is completed (Government of Canada). Do you still feel as if Syrian refugees are dangerous and got into Canada too easily? These are innocent people who have never committed even the slightest crime yet are unfortunate to have had suffered in a warzone they called home, losing family members and friends almost everyday.

Furthermore, after conducting my own research on Syrian refugees I was devastated after learning about the truth of who these people genuinely are. The conditions almost all of these people have had to go through fills my heart with pain and sorrow as I can't imagine that across the world there are people who see death as a better option than living, because for them living is dreadful and cruel. Life in Syria has become a living hell for Syrians and we are able to help.

One of the many stories I came across of Syrians, who were at the time applying for immigration to Canada or America, was a story of a Syrian scientist. Many times I've encountered people saying "What good will these refugees be for our country?" but it is not about what they can do for us but what we, one of the richest countries in the world, can do for them. After I read this brave and brilliant man's story I was feeling a mix of emotions, enthralled, shocked, yet helpless. As a 15-year-old girl I know I can't do much yet I had this urge to do whatever I could do give this man the life he deserves. This man whom I don't even know the name of yet am able to sympathize towards, is a man who fulfilled his dream of becoming a famous scientist in Syria as he created inventions and pleased everyone, including his own family with the compound he designed and constructed to live in. His life was perfect until an unforeseen attack targeted his home. With a missile destroying parts of the compound he created, 16 people were killed in the residential area, 7/16 being his family including his wife and one of his daughters. Despite the fact that the day of the attack he died with his wife and daughter, with nothing left behind this man took his other two children to Turkey to try and achieve something. "I have a PhD but I’m not allowed to work without a residence permit. There is a university here that is teaching with a book I wrote, but still won’t give me a job. In order to survive, I’m forced to create designs and give them away to Turkish citizens, who take all the credit and pay me barely enough money to cover the costs of my materials. One of my inventions is being used right now on the Istanbul metro to generate electricity . . . I just want a place to do my research," stated the scientist in an interview for the Human's of New York. This man is powerful, intellectual, and is fully capable of achieving so much more than what many Canadians have achieved or could ever achieve. So the question of whether Syrians can benefit our country is similar to asking if the sky is blue or not. Stupid and pointless.

In addition, many Canadians also have a problem with the amount of money that is being "wasted" on Syrian refugees, and many believe that this money should go towards causes such as the homeless in Canada. Evidently, these people are unaware of the fact that Canada spends $7 billion annually on the homeless scattered around Canada, (Lookout Society) and is planning on spending a maximum of $1.2 billion over the span of six years on Syrian refugees (The National Post). That's a total of $200 million/year spent on Syrian refugees, in comparison to $7 billion/year spent on the homeless. Considering this, in no way is Canada "wasting" money on these Syrian refugees. In addition, for those who genuinely feel like the cost of saving lives is not worth it, they must re-evaluate their mindset because where I come from spending money to save an innocent life would never be considered as "wasting" money.

Over the past couple years during the Syrian civil war more than 200,000 people have been killed (The New York Times). In other words, the amount of "dots" you would see when examining a cell under a microscope, is the amount of people who have been killed in Syria. These are innocent lives who are seeking safety that we can provide. Virtuous people are dying in the worst ways possible. However, there are Canadian citizens out there spreading hateful and inconsiderate messages regarding these Syrian refugees, while brainwashing the youth with the same inhumane thinking, and encouraging people to hate others based on false information. If the older generations are not smart enough and continue judging and discriminating against other's, particularly based on false statistics, then it is time the youth become the wise and justly make decisions based on the truth without any influence. I am positive after taking a look at the full picture and becoming educated on Syrian refugees, young Canadians will be able to spread the message of Syrian refugees being equally entitled to living in Canada as the next person. But this will only occur once the youth become knowledgeable on such matters and are then able to share their understanding in the future to next generations, as Ebner Eschenbach says, "In youth we learn; in age we understand."