Birmingham Afternoon Tea

(Afternoon Tea, Birmingham City/England, 13.06.2015)

After hosting my first afternoon tea gathering in London/UK, I have received endless requests from young Somali girls in other cities and around the world. The aim of my events and gatherings is to equip young people through education and learning. Also, encourage girls to be more active in our community and offer invaluable networking opportunities - a chance for attendee's to connect and liaise with other influential young people. 


The most exciting request I received so far is from Mogadishu/Somalia, one girl who is currently living in Mogadishu tweeted me and personally invited me to host 'Empowered Young Women' event in Somalia. One of the easiest ways to empower women around you is to be a role model to them. 

Empowered Young Women Afternoon Tea in Birmingham City/England.  

Before visiting Birmingham city, I came across Adrain Jones Report, The unexpected community. He states that, "Somalis in Birmingham represent a newly emergent community, which has grown dramatically in size over the past 5-6 years, with many members of the community not having come directly to Birmingham as refugees but via other European countries as European Union citizens. There is no accurate data regarding the size of the city’s Somali population, although community estimates indicate a population of some 40,000." 

I was delighted to host Empowered Young Women afternoon tea in Birmingham city to find out more about Adrian Jones report and also meet young people to hear their stories. After receiving help from the lovely Sagal abdi who is also International Citizen Service returned volunteer, we have decided to host the gathering at "Six Eight Kafe" around 12pm on saturday the 13th of June 2015. 
Six Eight Kafe is Independent coffee shop, voted one of the top 50 coffee shops in the UK by the Independent. (Oh I just love Independent Coffee shops. Join the fight against tax dodging, Corporate Tax dodging is unfair. David Cameroon lets off corporations tax dodging estimated £150 billion while concentrating on benefit fraud which is massive 0.7%  Oh Dear) I need to stop talking about David Cameroon and Tax dodging. Off -Topic ladan :/

On Saturday the 13th of June 2015 Young Somali women from London and Coventry made their way to Birmingham city to empower each other. Approximately 30 hard working, educated young women came to the gathering. The lovely Sagal Abdi shared her ICS journey and future plans with the girls. Munira Hussein also talked about mental health issues in the Somali community. We used Social Media such as Twitter and Instagram to share the day with the world. The girls loved the gathering, we discussed important issues, laughed and even shared tears.

If you are not on a mission to empower the women of the world, you should still be kind. It will show that, you respect all women and appriaciate them. Not Only are you settinga good example, you are showing the world that women can be power house but still sweetheart at the same time.

Check out the conversation on Twitter and Instagram  

"I feel honoured to speak at the Empowered Somali Women Event in Birmingham city discussing the issue 'mental health' with the girls.A huge thanks to Ladan Takow and Sagal Abdi for putting together an inspiring event" Munira 

"It was great to attend such an inspiring gathering of beautiful sisters and listen to the amazing stories. I hope other cities experience this gathering too" Kawsar

"I have met so many beautiful young girls Masha allah, loved it. Many more of these gathering to come" Amal Huessien.    

My next stop..

However big or small organising an event requires complicated level of planning, particularly when the unexpected occurs. Even the simplest tasks can be tricky, from planning meeting rooms, ordering food and to sorting out parking space. Fundraising for different charities has taught me that, memorable events don’t just happen. Holding an event takes planning, I will never forget the long meetings with my volunteers in random Coffee shops. To be Honest, I need my own office to work on my projects and schedule my meetings. (Soon Insha allah) 

After the Placement with Restless development I have decided to oraganise an even to complete 'Action at home'. I have to take part in at least one project that benefits our local community or seeks to bring about positive social change. Action at Home is an essential part of International citizen Service and every volunteer must complete at least one project within six months of returning home. My Action at home was the 'Empowered Young Women' Event. There are complex global issues and challenges facing our world today. Taking part in the ICS enabled me to use my knowledge and experience to consider my own perspectives about the world. I always wanted to make a difference in my community and I am passionate about women's rights issues and promoting gender equality. 

Planning Empowered Young Women Event has given me the confidence to get involved with leading charities around the world campaigning for women's rights and gender equality.The event was widely publicised by many websites, including 'Elmimag', 'Hiiraan Online' and 'Sccope'. All these Websites aim to provide a creative outlet for individuals eager to showcase their talents in areas including creative writing, 
poetry, blogging, photography and fashion. The journey also gave me the opportunity to connect with young Somali women in the UK; start my own network and tackle gender issues in my community. In the future, I would love to host more events around the world. Ladan will always find excuses to travel around the world and meet interesting people.

The first Empowered Young Somali Women event was hosted in Brunel University in London and we would love to host our second gathering at a University in Birmingham. The aim is to equip and empower young people through education and learning. It will also encourage young girls to be more active in their communities and will offer a networking opportunities- a chance for attendee's to connect and liaise with other influential women  

The event date is set for 13th of June from 1pm to 5pm. Approximately 15 girls will be in a attendance. If you are from Birmingham city, we would love you to join us and celebrate this rare free young women empowered gathering...... Follow me on Twitter for more details about this network @ladantakow

    

(Empowered young women...Birmingham City/England, Date: 13.06.2015)