Active Citizens from Pakistan visited Oldham this week, and were inspired by a number of projects taking place in the community.
The group were shown round the area by Active Citizens who have been developing their own projects locally. The programme will act to break down cultural barriers, to develop skills, to encourage and enable independent and team working and offer the young people the chance to share their experiential learning.
Amjad Shapal, Active Citizen from Pakistan, spoke of the value of the visit: "This bilateral exchange encourages and supports us. We have learned so much and will try to apply what we've learned when we return to Pakistan." This was not the first time that the Active Citizens from Oldham had met their Pakistani counterparts. A trip to the Active Citizens Regional Symposium in Islamabad, as well as a visit to some of the social action projects taking place in Pakistan earlier in the year had created a bond between the two groups, and served to engage and motivate them. Joseph Walker, Active Citizen in Oldham and Project Officer at Groundwork said: "The trip to Islamabad was truly eye-opening. Seeing the social action projects that they were doing first-hand was really helpful, and will help me implement projects in the Oldham area."
The group from Pakistan visited projects led by such organisations as Groundwork and Voluntary Action Oldham. An example is the work being done on Springhead Community Centre in Oldham, which is being renovated by a group of local volunteers. Sami Raja, student and Active Citizen from Pakistan said: "I really appreciate the work of the British Council. It has been great to interact with the guys from the UK, and the bilateral exchange has really improved my skills and leadership qualities."
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