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SIXTY YOUNG PEOPLE, FAITH LEADERS AND LOCAL COUNCILLORS CLEAN UP EVINGTON! On Saturday 20th February 2010, which was also the UN Day of Social Justice, young people from across the city took part in a “Big Multi Faith Tidy Up”. The scheme was organised by the Leicester Inter Faith Youth Hub and Leicester City Council's Street Wardens. They hit the streets with litter pickers, bin bags and collection tins and,, thanks to support from local businesses and a matching donation from former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, they raised over £500 for the Malaria No More charity.
The Leicester Inter Faith Youth Hub is made up of a group of young people from all backgrounds and are part of the St Philip's Centre and Faiths Act Network, whose motto is ‘think global, act local'. They are keen to show that young people want to make their local community a better place. During the litter pick, over 25 bags of rubbish were collected by volunteers, which made a real difference to the Evington Road area. Faiths Act Fellow Michael Tweed said, “This £500 raised today by young people in Leicester will buy 100 bed nets for people in Africa. This will help protect 100 African families from malaria, for five years! Young people in Leicester have shown today that faiths really can act together.” As part of the project, young people put together a large collage of how they were inspired to get involved. As one young person put it, “Respect of different faiths is important, as it counters prejudice and pride.” For another, it was “Good to give something back to the community.” Another young person wrote on the collage, “Together, we can change the world.” |
