Regular Activities
We run a Saturday school from 10.30am – 1pm for children to learn Kurdish and Arabic, art and Kurdish dancing. We have a Wednesday evening class for adults to learn Kurdish from 6 – 8 pm. In the summer we sometimes go to Albert Park and do art and sports outside. There is lots of space to run around in and be safe. We have also given birthday parties for some of the children attending the school.
We provide an information service for advice about paying bills, dealing with the local council, driving licence, insurance, English classes etc. Basically anything that is a problem when people move from one country to another with very different systems of living.
Recent events
October 2007 – we held our first Annual Report at St Mary’s Centre, Middlesbrough which gave some of the children a chance to practice public speaking, ate tasty and healthy Kurdish food and danced to some live music. Some people were very lively.
August 2007 – we had a prize giving ceremony and party for the children and gave them all certificates for their hard work. Then we enjoyed ourselves.
April 2007 – we went to Danby Lodge in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors for a day out, a picnic and dancing to some live music on original Kurdish instruments, the saz. We were surrounded by green fields, trees and nature and it felt very different to hard gray pavements and roads and redbrick terraced houses. It was fantastic!
Future Plans
We are talking to some people who make Kurdish costumes to arrange for them to make costumes for the children who can wear them when they do Kurdish dancing at local schools and other community events.
We would like to include some of the Kurdish teaching activities on this website later on and be able to show short video clips of our events.
We know that some of the young single people living in Middlesbrough have problems and are thinking about some different ways we could help. Football? Music? Let us know.
We would also like to provide computing classes for working people on Saturdays and offer more social support to other groups of people.
We have secured funding until December 2007 so our most important plan for the future is to look for some more funding which will last for 5 years as we need more space to provide more services with support.
