Itinerant Works coordinated the London Somali Democratic Engagement Project, in partnership with Migrant’s Rights Network and the Open Societies Foundations. The project supported young people from the Somali community in London engage with the democratic process around local, regional and national government.
The project engaged with a group of young British Somalis over a period of 10 months to research and set out the needs of the community are in terms of access to decent jobs, housing, better education and healthcare access. Through a process of research and advocacy, the project aimed to strenghten the skills of the participants and assist them in becoming spokespeople in support of their community’s needs in dealings with politicians, public service providers and the media.
As a result of the experience, the participants founded their own organisation called Iswada (’leading together’) to provide mentoring support for other young British Somalis. Now in its 3 year running, they have recruited more than 30 mentors in different industries, who are lending their time to provie mentoring opportunities for young people from Somali background, aged 16-25.
The project engaged with a group of young British Somalis over a period of 10 months to research and set out the needs of the community are in terms of access to decent jobs, housing, better education and healthcare access. Through a process of research and advocacy, the project aimed to strenghten the skills of the participants and assist them in becoming spokespeople in support of their community’s needs in dealings with politicians, public service providers and the media.
As a result of the experience, the participants founded their own organisation called Iswada (’leading together’) to provide mentoring support for other young British Somalis. Now in its 3 year running, they have recruited more than 30 mentors in different industries, who are lending their time to provie mentoring opportunities for young people from Somali background, aged 16-25.
