Celebrating Black History Month- Abdul's Story
Posted on 6th October 2020 at 16:36
The month of October marks Black History Month, the annual celebration of the history, achievements, and contributions of black people in the UK.
In support of the campaign, throughout the month our staff members have been educating themselves through conversation and online quizzes.
We also thought it was a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on a fantastic member of our team who has a remarkable story.
Abdul, a was a refugee from Eritrea, he fled the country after his mother suggested he needed to for his own safety, it was a long and traumatic journey which resulted in Abdul moving to Hull. When Abdul first came to the country he was unable to speak English which left him very isolated, he didn’t attend any education and only attended the local Refugee Council. This is where Abdul was signposted to our international football programme and he hasn’t looked back since.
Abdul has really integrated in to local community and his English along with his confidence has come on leaps and bounds over the years. Abdul had a real willingness to learn and also volunteered to help other participants on the course who were struggling with language barriers.
In summer 2019 Abdul also worked on the NCS programme. During this time it again showed his willingness to help and his ability to calm young people when stepping out of their comfort zone.
We are pleased to now have Abdul as a full time member of our team supporting elderly members of the community through our Tigers Team Mates programme helping to support those at risk of loneliness and isolation.
Abdul commented:
"Working on the Tigers Team Mates programme is one of the most rewarding things I have done. Helping out the public and the vulnerable during these difficult times is really challenging with many barriers to deal with due to Covid-19 but seeing people’s reactions and how much they are in need of that support just keeps me going and it makes me want to go out there and do the best I can every day in order for me to reach out to as many people as possible, who are in need of our services. No one should feel lonely or isolated. Here at the Trust we are determined to help reduce these issues in our community as much as we can.’’
Kayleigh Jackson, our Social Inclusion Manager said
‘’When Abdul initially came to the international football sessions, he was a very quiet and timid character. His personal development has seen his confidence levels increase over the last 3 years. This is shown through his willingness to help others seeing him volunteer twice a week enabling him to start his professional development which he is proved to be an excellent role model for other participants. Abdul has continued to develop and flourish with support from members of the Tigers Trust team. He has now gained 30 hours employment on the Tigers Team Mates project supporting the local community helping to prevent isolation and loneliness.”
For more information on our Tigers Team Mates programme, email [email protected]
Tagged as: Black History Month, Staff
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