Jamila’s story
Jamila was 17 when she arrived in the UK as a young refugee from Eritrea.
She had experienced a traumatic journey across The Channel and felt scared, alone and overwhelmed. Her home country is a militarised authoritarian state 5,783 km away, whose ongoing human rights crisis forces children and young people like Jamila into exile, in search of safety.
In 2022, Young Roots supported 103 young refugees from Eritrea who were often unaccompanied and survivors of harrowing trauma.
When Jamila arrived in the UK, she was placed into contingency accommodation in London, where she made a friend who already attended Young Roots’ youth activities and accessed our Casework service.
I was so scared...they ask you so many tricky questions and things that you don’t know
Jamila refers to the Young Roots community as ‘friends and family’.
Jamila started attending our Brent Advice and Support Hub; a welcoming space where she could access much-needed support, rebuild a sense of trust and belonging, and start to heal.
To have somewhere consistent to go each week is so important to the young refugees we work with. It can help young people to feel safe, supported, and positive about the future and to meet others with similar experiences.
With Young Roots, Jamila started to grow in confidence and believe in her future.
At our youth club, she organised a silent disco - with world music snacks and disco lights. It was a huge success.
“Young Roots give me chance to have the full responsibility, it’s not about the party...they don’t care if that’s messy or not perfect, they believe in me...
Seeing my work out there made me feel like I can do anything.”
In the summer, Jamila joined Young Roots for a fun trip to the beach. Jamila later reflected on how important the trip was in giving her new and positive associations with the sea after her perilous and traumatic journey across the Channel.
