19 June 2020
鈥Respect for All鈥 is one of the 麻豆传媒团队鈥檚 core values and it鈥檚 important to us that everyone in our college community feels included, respected, supported and listened to. Above all, we鈥檙e an inclusive and diverse college where everyone is welcome.
We champion diversity and promote inclusivity across our five campuses, from celebrating LGBTQ History Month, to improving our website accessibility, to helping refugees to rebuild their lives through the Newport Reach Hub.
One of our college Governors, Hamed Amiri, is passionate about changing people’s perceptions, particularly those of refugees and asylum seekers. He鈥檚 recently written a book 鈥 鈥 which will be published on 18th June, to inspire young people from any background to achieve their potential and live life to the full, no matter what.
The book is based on Hamed鈥檚 first-hand experience as a refugee, moving from his home in Afghanistan to the UK with his family during a time of crisis. It tells of when his mother鈥檚 life was threatened for speaking out against the fundamentalist leaders of their country and promoting women鈥檚 rights and education, alongside the family鈥檚 desperate bid to help his brother, Hussein, who needed expert medical help for a rare heart condition.
They travelled as refugees to seek asylum and medical care in the UK, encountering danger and suffering along the way. But the family pushed on against all odds, spurred by Hussein鈥檚 deteriorating condition and the chance of life-saving treatment in Britain.
Explaining how important it was to him and his family to tell Hussein鈥檚 story, Hamed says 鈥it鈥檚 not just about us and our fight for freedom and to save Hussein. It鈥檚 a story about hope and resilience and about loving life, even when things are hard. More than that, it鈥檚 about humanity and it鈥檚 a love letter to the NHS and all they did for Hussein鈥.
Hamed continues to support the Cardiac Unit at the University Hospital of Wales in gratitude for everything they did to help his brother, and his book will inspire generations with his family鈥檚 incredible story. A Boy with Two Hearts has already featured in and will soon be featured as Radio 4’s from 29 June, read by Sanjeev Bhaksar.
Congratulations to Hamed for the success of his book! But even more importantly, thank you for sharing your inspirational story with us and showing us that no matter what your background, you can achieve your potential and live life to the full. We truly believe that our differences enrich our 麻豆传媒团队 community and help us develop respect for all!
We鈥檙e passionate about promoting inclusivity, no matter what your age, gender, disability, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion/faith/belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy/maternity or marriage/civil partnership status is. And we pride ourselves on our forward thinking, accepting and progressive community, where our learners and staff are able to embrace themselves and be who they are without fear.
If you鈥檙e a 麻豆传媒团队 learner who has been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can access help and advice through the support tile on CG Connect.