Donegal Youth Service launch Arabic Leaflet to welcome Syrian Young People to Donegal

Donegal Youth Service launch Arabic Leaflet to welcome Syrian Young People to Donegal

Donegal Youth Service have just launched a leaflet of their services in Arabic as part of a project that aims to welcome Syrian young people to the county. The official launch took place on Wednesday the 23rd of October in Letterkenny.

Donegal Youth Service want all young people to feel included and welcome to take part in any part of the service, regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexuality, or any other factor. This is what inspired the project which was created in partnership with the Donegal Local Development Company Resettlement Programme, with funding from the Community Foundation for Ireland.

Youth Worker Frankie McGreevy who has been working on the project for the past year said: “This leaflet is part of a larger welcome project that has given us an amazing opportunity to work with and learn from Syrian refugee children and their families, who have shown great strength and resilience having survived the Syrian war as well as the perilous journey to get to these shores.”

Left to Right: Frankie McGreevy Youth Worker, Lorraine Thompson DYS Regional Director, Gareth Gibson Youth Information Manager, Eyad Meshael DLDC Resettlement Programme Intercultural Support Worker, Nadine Berri one of the Syrian cooks, Billy Banda BIC Project, Ciara Cronin DLDC Resettlement Project Coordinator

The leaflet which is entirely in Arabic encourages young people to visit Donegal Youth Service and join any part of the service that interests them. Language doesn’t need to be a barrier, as advances in technology mean that staff can find a way to communicate with any young person who comes through the doors. Donegal Youth Service have worked with young people from all over the world, and make every effort to ensure they all feel welcome and included.

Syrian couple Nadine Berri and Bilal Abd El Jalil who cooked an authentic feast for the local community pictured with one of their children.

The launch took place as part of the Irish Refugee Food Fair, an initiative from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in partnership with Slow Food Ireland which gave asylum seekers and refugees an opportunity to showcase their culinary talents, with events taking place all over Ireland. Donegal Youth Service was delighted to host the event in Letterkenny, with Syrian couple Nadine Berri and Bilal Abd El Jalil cooking an authentic Syrian feast for the local community.

For a copy of the leaflet, or for more information about DYS programmes and services then please contact DYS on (074) 91 29630, e-mail admin@donegalyouthservice.ie, visit www.donegalyouthservice.ie, or call in to us at 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny. Stay up to date on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. Donegal Youth Service is a registered charity. Registered Irish Charity Number: 20050696. Do you have a fundraising idea? We would love to hear from you!