New association for youngsters’ future

Two boys, Abdirahman Ali and Adan Mohammed, are the leaders. They have known one another for ten years. Last summer, in 2019, they started the association Framtida Ungdomar (Youth for the Future).

They started by helping new arrivals, especially unaccompanied refugee children, living at Brobysjukhuset.

Many of them have a Somali background.

–They needed help to fill in forms, to ring up the Social Insurance Agency, to get in touch with the employment agency, the social services and the school, to pay the rent, Abdirahman Abdi Ali reels off.

– I 've helped them to bring their families here.

He and Adan went home to the people who needed help.

– There wasn't much space. So we tried to find a place for our association with opening hours when we could meet people.

They spoke to Sven Olvegård, who is joint owner of Brobysjukhuset. In the summer they were given rooms on the top floor, three stairs up, to try out.

– It was filthy. We cleaned and tidied the place up. There were a few holes in the ceiling and the toilet was out of order, and they were supposed to fix it. But they didn't, says Adan.

– We were open three days a week. We helped people with forms, it was a meeting-place. The young people played TV-games.

– Most of the complaints were about the laundry-room, what was done with refuse, and the heating. It was very cold in the flats, Adan says.

A lot of people were afraid to make any complaints.

– They think they'll be evicted, they don't dare make any demands, he says.

The association payid 6,000 crowns a month in rent for the premises. But after two months they had to move out again. The owner wants to reconstruct the premises and make more flats.

– The owner thought we were difficult we know what rights people have, says Yasmin.

She has also become an important cog in the association. In March she and Abdi were married and she moved to Broby. Now she is trying to start up activities for girls.

Via the municipality the association came into contact with Fryshuset. With good results.

– The people at Brobysjukhuset didn't know anything about Fryshuset, so now we've brought them there, says Abdi.

The association welcomes all 16-25-year-olds in the municipality.

– And now we'll start more activities for girls. Help with homework, things like dancing and music, a language café for young people and their parents. We'll be responsible for it, says Yamin.

The three young people are aiming high, they have ambitions both for themselves and for others, they work to reduce segregation.

– I wish there had been people like us when I came to Sweden, people who could tell us how things worked, says Yasmin.

– It's our brothers and sisters who live up there, she says about Brobysjukhuset.

Football has moved into the sports hall in Broby. Along with Fryshuset, between 20 and 40 boys play football there three evenings a week. On Saturday evenings there is football for five hours.

– After that they're too tired to go out on the town, they just go home and sleep, says Abdi.

The problem is that the corona virus is spreading more and more. The planned tournament Frysfotboll had to be cancelled.

– We hope we can have it at Christmas instead.

Activities at Fryshuset have also had to be cancelled.

Can you start playing football out of doors again?

– It's cold and dark. We must have lighting. We must see if we can find some solution, says Abdi.