A new research on Somali young people in the UK (Part 1)
6th January 2011
Growing Up Somali in Britain
The experience of a group of young Somali men and women coming of age in London
By Aweys O. Mohamoud
Institute of Education, University of London
[email protected]
First and foremost, I owe a great debt of gratitude to all the young people and their parents who willingly shared the most intimate details of their lives with me for the benefit of this research. They did this, in part, because they believed (as I do) that their story was an important one to tell. My ability to sustain my attention to this project over the years was, in fact, due in large part to their faith in my promise to tell their story. With the completion of my research (and hopefully the publication of my thesis in a book form soon), I hope I have kept my promise to them.
My own interest in the experience of refugees from Somalia in the UK stems from very personal issues. I am a refugee from Somalia myself, and brought up my own children in this country. The topic for this research, therefore, meshes intimately with my deepest professional, personal and social commitments. It is this story that largely determines the theoretical and philosophical approach I adopt in this study.
A new research on Somali young people in the UK [Part 2]
Jidhaan’s story
All names of individuals reported in this research are pseudonyms. Once again, I am grateful to all these young people who took the time to share their stories with me, often with many hours and in some cases as many as three times (both on the phone and face-to-face). They demanded no financial recompense for their troubles. What I can offer by way of restitution, therefore, is that I tried, to the best of my limited abilities, to get their stories right. With that proviso, here is the first story, the story of Jidhaan.
I first met Jidhaan through a friend who helped him out when he came to the mosque, „down-and-out in need of a meal‟. The friend was surprised at how amiable and polite the young man had seemed, but also how his life was ruined by addiction, hopelessness and despair. His conclusion was that Jidhaan was a „victim of circumstance‟. When I saw Jidhaan the following week, I found him to be a pleasant and likeable young man. He agreed to my request for an interview. He was in fact far too friendly and has agreed to come to my place for the interviewing.
