Nouh, an ambassador on Coram’s Young Citizens project for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, tells us about his interests, hopes and experiences since moving to the UK.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF
I’m Nouh, an ambassador for Coram’s Young Citizens programme.
I’m studying ESOL and volunteer doing interpreting and collecting donations for Friends of Refugees as well as my role at Coram.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
I like horse riding and back home I had my own horse who I miss a lot. I also like swimming and diving because I love the water.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE?
In the future I really want to be a sailor; it’s a huge ambition of mine. I feel it’s in my DNA and in my blood. I also hope to be reunited with my family.
WHAT’S YOUR EXPERIENCE OF COMING TO THE UK?
I’ve been in the country for 11 months and I’m proud of myself for achieving all the things I have within one year. I’ve learnt the language, I’ve adapted to the culture and I’ve integrated in society and made a lot of new friends.
I feel settled in the UK and like it’s my home. People have been welcoming to me and have acted as my family. In particular the family I stayed with when I arrived who I still keep in touch with. Through getting involved with projects like Coram and the British Red Cross I’ve made a lot of friends from different cities across the UK which has also helped me feel at home. I hope that through the Young Citizens project we can help other children and young people feel welcome and supported in the UK.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO CHANGE FOR OTHER CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE YOUNG CITIZENS PROJECT?
We’ve had sessions with Coram to talk about the issues we’ve faced and the things we’d like to change to make things better for other children and young people. One key thing is education because refugees have hard backgrounds and they struggle to be at the same level as other people. They need special lessons to make everything easier for them and access to courses and preparation for university.
Our latest project is a photography project where we’ve taken photos to show our dreams and aspirations. I hope that we will change people’s perspectives on refugees and asylum seekers through these photos and I hope that other young refugees are inspired to never give up and to achieve what they want.