A Young Client's Story 

New Citizens' Gateway's youth department asked one of our young people to share his story and experiences of living in the UK. We're proud to share it with you here: 

Hi, my name is Ali*, and I am 17 years old. Last year, I moved to the UK from the Middle East. 

When I first arrived to the UK, it was boring. I didn't have any friends or activities or anything to do. I spent time just sitting at home and I felt lonely. 

That was until I found NCG. They helped me to meet new people and make friends. They have a lot of activities throughout the year like youth club and football every week. 

One of the best parts of NCG is the summer activities. We went kayaking, we hiked and even travelled to Brighton for a day! I had a lot of fun there. 

When I'm not at NCG activities, I'm at college. I'm not sure about everything in my future, but when I finish college I will study Science or IT. 

I wouldn't change much about the UK - I find everything good here! Maybe the weather - it's a big difference from the Middle East. I had always heard that British people are pessimistic and gloomy but from what I see most of them are nice. 

We are always looking for new young people to join us! If you are or know a refugee or asylum seeker aged 12 – 19 who could benefit from our activities, you can find more info and how to make a referral here. 

*Name changed for young person's privacy