Who We Work With: The Issues

There are 5000 – 8,000 Somalis living in Liverpool. Large numbers are unemployed and many are young people, particularly young men who have left school with few or no qualifications. This limits their employment prospects, results in low levels of motivation and limits aspirations.

The issues facing young people that we support and respond to are:-
• Lack of English language skills. This is a fundamental problem that underlies many others.
• High unemployment
• Low educational attainment
• Poor diet: traditional meals use a lot of oils and fat
• Low levels of fitness: as a result of low levels of provision specific to our target communities there is a growing trend towards poor levels of fitness and obesity.
• Increasing levels of obesity
• Lack of culturally appropriate support.
• Lack of community facilities.
We have continued to talk with young people and listened to their needs and interests. Our programme is a direct response to these conversations and as a result we have a good standing in the community