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FROM PEACE TO WAR  AND

THE JOURNEY HOME

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Sometimes a story comes along that every person on earth should hear - The story of Tareq Hadhad and his family is one.

Once a displaced Syrian refugee, Tareq shares with each audience the feelings and fears that gripped his family and millions more as their home city of Damascus - the oldest city in the world - fell into a bitter and lasting conflict.

The stress, inhumanity and deep sadness that haunted his family during their three years as refugees is punctuated by moments of despair and unthinkable frustration.

 
“I went to them, I said I am not a number I am a human being. Just one week before and I was in Syria - I had dreams”
— Tareq Hadhad
 

From family and happiness to war and heartbreak to a second chance - a Canadian dream - that rightly instills a sense of pride in every audience.

Tareq finishes by exploring his journey to becoming Canadian, building a small business with his father and the whirlwind of support and love he’s experienced from his new home.

Taraq Hadhad and family - Syrian roses growing strong in Canada.

We are growing up in a world that lacks leadership and certainty. If entrepreneurship connects to societies in a positive way, it will drive change. Tareq Hadhad describes his experience in Canada as a newcomer since 2015.
Connect with Tareq on LinkedIn

 

Photos by: Darren Calabrese / UNHCR

 

Speaking Topics

Explore the variety of subjects that Tareq can share with your audience. From resiliency, to inspiration, to entrepreneurship and immigration.

 
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“It’s called Peace By Chocolate, and you can find them on Facebook”
— Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

In September 2016, everything changed again for the Hadhad family. Having rebuilt their lives with the support of their adopted hometown of Antigonish, their tiny chocolate company was about to receive a major shout out from their Prime Minister.

Speaking to a room of world leaders at the United Nations, including President Barack Obama who was seated just steps away, Trudeau shared the story of Tareq and his family - in an effort to reshape how everyone in the room and around the world thought about immigrants and newcomers.


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TAREQ HAS BEEN FEATURED ON

TESTIMONIALS

TESTIOMONIALS

“The Cape Breton Partnership was incredibly honoured to have Tareq Hadhad as the keynote speaker for our annual Investor Summit. Tareq captured the audience’s attention from the moment he stepped on stage and told his family’s story with such honest conviction that it was truly powerful and refreshing. By sharing his experience of coming to Nova Scotia, we were able to learn the importance and true value of building welcoming communities for newcomers. Tareq’s leadership and commitment to giving back to the people that welcomed him and his family is apparent in all of his work and passion for entrepreneurship. The Partnership hopes to engage with Tareq again soon and looks forward to working with him to advance immigration initiatives in Nova Scotia.”   

- KEITH MACDONALD, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE CAPE BRETON PARTNERSHIP

“Tareq is the talk of the town! He was EXCEPTIONAL!!! Honestly he was even better today, than when I heard him speak in June at the Waterfront campus and I thought he was awesome then too!!! He is really honing in on his craft.

 I greatly appreciate the work and excellent communication from Vox for making this happen. I truly hope our paths will cross again very soon!!! Blessings to you, Stephanie and Tareq. You are doing incredible and valuable work in getting Tareq’s message across the province, the country and globally. He is a true inspiration!”

-DEANNA MOHAMED - NSCC PICTOU STELLARTON

"Tareq is a charismatic presenter who takes the audience through harrowing tale of survival from war-torn Syria to the outpost of Nova Scotia in Antigonish with humility, humour, and inspiration. He is the reason and the shining example of immigration going right on the East Coast of Canada!"

—MATT SYMES - SYMPLICITY DESIGNS

"Great to hear how someone can exceed if they put their mind to it. Tareq was the best I have experienced so far at NSCC. Very inspirational story that we can all learn from."

—NSCC STUDENT REVIEW

"We wish to express our most sincere gratitude for your participation at our annual SEB conference in Ottawa.

The conference was a tremendous success, not least because of your participation, and the topics and questions covered will assist in furthering the relationship between our two regions. Again, thank you for your time and effort."

Marcus Wallenberg and John Torgeby

- Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken

 

"It was such a pleasure to have Tareq present as the keynote speaker at our 20th Anniversary Conference. Tareq's personal story and message was both inspirational and moving. His authentic perspective, and ability to connect with the audience, made for a great addition to our conference."

— Carissa Campbell

Nova Scotia International Student Program


 

Watch my interview on Breakfast Television with Sid Seixeiro and Meredith Shaw