Broadmeadows youth team hosts delicious Iftar Dinner
The Brotherhood of St Laurence hosted its first youth-focussed Iftar Dinner this week. We met at our Broadmeadows office to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan and gather with others in the local community.
Our Transition to Work and Youth Transitions Support Pilot teams joined with representatives from the Sudanese, Eritrean, Somalian, Bosnian, Middle Eastern, South American and Anglo-Australian communities. We gathered at sunset to pray and break their fast by sharing a feast of savoury and sweet delights.
In his welcoming address to guests, youth coach assistant Mubarek Imam noted the strong sense of community in the room. “Everyone here has something to contribute to the lives of young people in our community,” he said.
Another of the dinner organisers, Emina Sivic, who is team leader on the Transition to Work program in Broadmeadows, explained the purpose behind the event. “Having this dinner is about recognising the young people we work with and the cultures and traditions of people in the Hume area.”
During Ramadan, two main meals are used to start and break the fast: suhoor, which is served before dawn, and iftar, which is served after sunset.
Middle Eastern food for the event was provided by Hend Harb who graduated from Stepping Stones , a Brotherhood of St Laurence program offering mentoring, training and support to women from refugee, migrant and asylum seeker backgrounds.
Our programs at Broadmeadows
The Transition to Work program helps young people aged 14–21 to recognise their skills and talents. The Broadmeadows site is one of five sites around Melbourne.
The Youth Transitions Support pilot program aims to help refugees and vulnerable migrants, aged 15–25 years old, to get the skills they need for a job and take part in the community through work, education and sport.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence works with many diverse communities and has several programs to support refugees, migrants and asylum seekers to settle into life in Australia. Find out more