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Inspiring and empowering young people
When Idriss Richy Kamatcheu came to Bristol from Cameroon, he had very little knowledge of the UK, no friends and could speak very little English.
In a year, the 19-year-old had not only learnt English and made friends, but additionally gained employment and a place at Bangor University, with his achievements recognised by youth awards event Empowered.
“I remember being at the Empowered event last year, in a room full of chatty people, enjoying the buzz of the atmosphere,” Idriss (above) recalls.
is needed now More than ever
“There were important people there, like Marvin Rees, who is now the mayor of Bristol. They seemed nice and I found it so weird that after just one year after coming to Bristol, I was now meeting the leaders of the city.”
Idriss’ determination and passion for education made him stand out to Babbasa, the social enterprise organising Empowered.
“Babbasa helped me realise what I’d achieved,” Idriss says. “When my teachers nominated me for the Education award at Empowered, I couldn’t believe it. It’s kept me motivated to do more because I saw that hard work pays off.”
Empowered 2016 takes place on July 15 at The Station. The awards event will once again be celebrating the achievement of young people from Bristol’s diverse and under-served inner city communities. The event also aims to provide a platform to showcase young peoples’ talent and inform them about local support services.
You can sponsor, nominate or mentor a young person through www.empowered16.eventbrite.co.uk. Contact Amy Gallivan on amy.gallivan@byep.org.uk or 0117 329 0717 for more information.
Read more: My Bristol favourites: Poku Osei
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