Story & photos: Lisa Swift
The Outreach Improvement Project held its third Annual Conference in February in the Town Hall, to celebrate the achievements of Somali residents, particularly young people.
The organisation was set up by young Somali adults to reach out to young people and improve their prospects for the future. Their annual event brought together Somali people from across Sheffield.
Imam Mohamed Ali, from the Al-Taqwa Mosque on Andover Street, addressed the conference:
“OIP is a great project that has come from the youngsters, who are educated Islamically as well as academically, and they strive hard to unite our community.”
Saeed Abdi, from Maan Somali Mental Health, spoke about the history of Somalis in the UK and some of the issues people still face:
“Our community have higher than average mental health problems, high unemployment and under-achievement in schools. But we have to be positive about what we can achieve here in Sheffield, through our homework clubs and youth support.”
Young people presented a play, showing the difficult choices they must face and how young people can turn their lives around. This was followed by a presentation of awards.