Saying 'no' to hate at Mahdlo

Saying “No” to hate at Mahdlo

Mahdlo hosted a Hate Crime Awareness event on Wednesday (18 October) to showcase the work their Young Ambassadors have been doing to prompt discussions around what hate is and how to tackle it.

The Young Ambassadors have developed their own 'Get to Know' campaign over the last year, about getting to know each other’s differences – scripting videos with Oldham Youth Council and Oldham Theatre Workshop, hosting events and even travelling to Guildhall in London to talk to MPs about their concerns and ideas for change.

Ayra Ali, 15, an ambassador, welcomed guests by saying: “We came together as a group as we felt strongly that a change needed to be made about the increasing amount of hate crime arising in the news and media and our own experiences.

"In this day and age, diversity is growing and everyone has their differences.

"By working in this group as anti-hate ambassadors, we would like to promote tolerance and equality among all people, starting with the town of Oldham.”

Graham Foulkes, father of Oldham born 7/7 victim David Foulkes, spoke of his own experiences of overcoming loss and confronting hate. He showed support for the work being done by young people in Oldham, and said: “It is up to us to make things happen, to remove hate from society.”

This sentiment was echoed by Chloe Cousins of The Proud Trust, who explained that her organisation supports Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Young People in the North West of England by providing safe spaces, networks and social opportunities, but that in an ideal world the support wouldn’t be needed because everyone would co-exist peacefully.

The event at Mahdlo was held under the banner 'We Stand Together', in partnership with Oldham Youth Council which was launching its Ally School Pack and also helped to raise awareness of the work of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

Mahdlo is a Youth Zone in the heart of Oldham for eight to 19-year-olds.