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The Youth Issue
At one community event a young Angolan asked the panel; I would like to know from the Panel what is the future for us Angolan youth in the UK? He was not given a correct answer. For me He was absolutely right in asking that question. There are 100 of 100 young people in our community who do not know what to do. Some of them have finished school, other dropped at school or left care/social services.
The majority of our young people came to the UK as unaccompanied minors. They have no parents nor role models nor even an elderly who can direct them and advice them what to do what directions to take. As result most young people end up joining gangs, selling drugs, commiting burglary and other petty crimes. If you ask a young person why did you join the Gang They will tell you that I did not have anything to do, I have no-one to direct me. Again they are right because in our community we do not care about their future.
As result of these, they end up in Prison,. Some have even committed murder, yes murder and other imprisoned for other offences such as; drugs, burglary. If I look at these young people I feel sad, disappointed and sorry for them. They are still young a have a lot of opportunities ahead of them and a bright future as well. If they had a mentor who could guide them, they would not have committed such crime. Therefore something needs to be done if you want to preserve the future of our children and prevent imprisoment and murders. No-one else can do it for us. Not even our embassies or the British Authorities. If you leave it as it is we are going to let our children down an tomorrow we will regret it. Here we have two tasks the first is to prevent the ones who have not committed crime yet and not joined any gang. The second task is to re-educate, help those who have already committed crime not to re-offend.
We cannot ignore and exempt them they need help and belong to our communities. This applies not only to Angolan youth but also to other PALOP Youths. That is why the Welwitschia Legal Advice Centre under its Youth Project(Welwitschia Juventude Angolana) will be organising Youth Forum. Everyone's opinion, proposals and ideas counts we desperately need role models who can act as advisers and mentors to come forward. I know that we have a quite a few young people who had made in the UK. Young people who have taken the UK's educational opportunities. Likewise we have adult who can help. It is not too late.
Joao-Pedro Lunguela |
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WLAC is Making a Difference and Working in Partnership |
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Her at WLAC, we are committed to helping our clients, members and community as a whole to move forward, to overcome barries that prevent them from improving their lives. We belive in forging partnership with funders and other voluntary community organisations.
Voluntary community organisations like WLAC play a vital role in delivering services and providing resources to the community it serves. They also save councils and other local authorities in terms of financial resources. Over the past 10 years, WLAC has been helping its community members to overcome bariiers in accessing the mainstream services. Our assistance starts from the very bottom; we start by helping newcomers enrol at colleges, schools, finding accommodation and employment and registering at GP surgeries.
We are very happy to learn that some of ours past clients are now working in big companies, some have recently completed University degrees. That is what we call integration into the new society. All these thanks to first help and assistance received from WLAC. Many of these past clients come back to us either to say thank you or to do some volunteering work. This is in recognition of what the centre did for them in the past.
The WLAC is committed to developing a good working partnership with other voluntary and community organisations throughout Greater london and in the UK as whole and further afield. This is in order to complement and maximise the impact of the voluntary sector's work. We are part of BAN AIP partnership (Black and Ethnic Minority Advice Network). It was set up in 2007 in order to meet the needs of Black and ethnic minority in Greater London. Our partnership is not limited within BAN. For inastnce; we work closely with Northumberland Neighbouhood, Stockwell Community Resource Centre and Hackney community College.
Early this year, we forged links with Massachuttes Alliance of Portuguese Speakers MAPS in Boston USA. This organisation has been in existence for 40 years and welearned a lot from them. Partnershiip is about sharing ideas, opinions, proposals and information. it is not about fighting each other as if we were business competitors. After all we are all working for the benefit of the community we serve. WLAC works closely with its funders. It recognises that without their financial assistance, we would not be able to execute our projects.
Joao Pedro Lunguela
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The Reason of WLAC Existence |
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Today
English Version
The Reason of Our Existence
She e e e e e..... Youngman do not talk about politics, Aunt Chica already warned!
It is true , here at the Welwitschia Legal Advice Centre we do not talk about politics. We are not politicians either. Our work is a charitable work without profit. We are only interested in welfare of our commuunity members. We work in order to help them improve or to have easy access to the mainstream services, integrate into the British Society and at the same time maintain their culture while in the UK.
Our doors are open to all individuals of good will and faith who does not want other members of the community suffer due to lack of knowledge of their rights, entitlements and English language. Everyone who is against poverty is welcome to Welwitschia. They are hundreds of hundreds of community members who need our help and assistance and as a community organisation, we ought to help them. That is the main reason why the organisation was set up ten years ago. The main objectives are and always will be to alleviate poverty, advance education and provide recreational activities to our members.
As a community, we must unite so that we can develop further and achieve our objectives. Churches, faith groups, Dj's, Music promotors, businessmen/women, intellectuals, all must unite and co-operate, network so that the Palop community in Greater London and in Britain can have a voice and develop further. That is what is missing in our community, Unity and Love. We cannot expect someone else to do the Job for us. The initiative should start from ourselves. Other community organizations in the UK keep going forward and developing why not us? Therefore we should Unite and work together for one common goal.
Portuguese Version
She e e e e e ...... Che menino nao fala politica, a velha Chica ja disse!
E verdade nos aqui na Welwitschia Legal Advice Centre nao falamos politica e nao fizemos politica. O nosso trabalho e de caridade e filantropica sem fins lucrativos. Estamos interessados so no bem estar da nossa comunidade, ajudar a comunidade ater acesso facil aos servicos que necessitam, integrar-se na sociedade Britanica ao mesmo tempo manter e divulgar a nossa cultura no Reino Unido.
As nossas portas estao abertas para qualquer individuo de boa fe e boa vontade que nao quer ver os seus compatriotas a sofrer pos falta de conhecimento da lingua or das leis. Qualquer individuo que quer contribuir nesta luta contra a pobreza, esta bem vindo. esta foi a razao da fundacao desta instituicao dez anos atras. Os trabalhos da welwitschia nao sao so limitados a informacao e aconselhamento in diversos topicos mas sim organizamos tambem actividades culturais, recreativas, desportivas e excurcoes em varias partes do Reino Unido para todos membros da comunidade(jovens, adultos e pessoas idosas.
A equipa de colaboradores e funcionarios dedicados a melhorar as condicoes de vida da nossa comunidade reflectem a diversidade da comunidade que servimos. Aqui na Welwitschia tratamos e sempre iremos tratar os nossos membros e clientes com carinho e admiracao. Pois eles sao a razao da nossa existencia.
Uniao faz a Forca. devemos unir-nos para poder avancar e desenvolver a nossa comunidade. As Igrejas, organizacoes comunitaris, DJ's, promotores de musica, empresarios e intelectuais vamos unir nesta luta contra a pobreza. So assim que podemos vencer e melhor as condicoes de vida da nossa comunidade. A iniciativa tem que partir de nos proprio. nao devemos esperar o governo Britanico a fazer p'ra nos or outras instituicoes. Outras comunidades estrangeiras no Reino Unido estao avancar e evoluir porque que nos nao? Por isso temos que estar Unidos e trabalharmos juntos para um objectivo comum.
Joao Pedro Lunguela |
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