Refugee and newcomer youth ambassadors appointed in Omagh

A LOCAL support group has appointed three young people as youth ambassadors for the refugee and newcomer community in Omagh.

Aya Alrawashdea, Mohamad Al Waki, and Bahaa Bayanerand have been chosen by Erano (Empowering Refugees and Newcomers Organisation), a refugee and newcomers support organisation based in Omagh.

The trio have already had the unique experience of shadowing the chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Barry McElduff as he carried out his daily schedule of work. As the year progresses they will have more opportunities to get to know the local area.

Cllr McElduff enthusiastically welcomed the initiative and thanked ERANO for creating the opportunity.

He said, “As other nationalities don’t always operate with the same model of governance as we have in Northern Ireland, the main thrust of the programme is to encourage the young people within ERANO to learn how the community works. The chance to learn about the role of the chairman, the role and function of a councillor, as well as see inners of different departments and the processes that must happen and how this all impacts on the local community and daily life is an experience for them and will help them develop a deeper understanding how local governance works.

“We hope to see the participants of this, and future young ambassador programmes, use the skills and knowledge from this experience as a stepping stone to continue to explore leadership and local democracy further. Over the coming months they will experience different situations and have opportunities to use their leadership skills.”

This program will continure next year and ERANO will be looking for young people to participate in events, come forward with ideas, and actively get involved in developing the future of ERANO.

The program is available for all ethnic minority young people over the age of 15 years old. If you wish to get involved come to the ERANO office and have a chat about future opportunities.