AN ORGANISATION which was a trailblazer in supporting early South Asian migrants in inner-city Bradford is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month.
The Bangladeshi Youth Organisation (BYO), based in Manningham, was set up in 1982 as minority communities fought battles to have their voices heard.
The BYO will mark the occasion on August 31 with an event at its centre.
Mohammed Joynal is a project manager at the BYO.
“It’s been a fantastic journey. There have been challenges such as austerity and the pandemic, but we’ve pulled through,” said Joynal, who has been at the BYO for 22 years.
“We’re proud to have had a positive impact, and we’ll continue that.”
The BYO was established to serve South Asian people in Manningham, many of whom were recent migrants, while there were also many who were second-generation, born and bred in Bradford.
In the years since – and as Bradford has become increasingly diverse – it has supported people from various other backgrounds too.
“Bradford is different now, it’s changed – but for the better,” said Joynal, 45, who was born in Bangladesh and moved to the UK aged 11.
“There weren’t many organisations to support South Asian people then. People came from rural Bangladesh or Pakistan to modern Britain, sometimes they wouldn’t know anyone here and had no friends.
“Racism was very in your face. You had the National Front and the Honeyford affair. So many battles were fought, including the campaign to have halal meat in schools.
“The BYO was set up in a cellar at 40 Cornwall Road. The things we take for granted today didn’t come cheap - we were on the frontlines.
“We’d love to speak to the elders and capture all this in a book one day.”
The BYO’s achievements have included helping to form Manningham Housing Association (MHA) in 1986.
“MHA was the first ‘BAME’-ran housing association in the north, if not the whole country,” said Joynal.
“Minority families needed larger homes - that was missing at the time.
“The BYO has also supported young people who schools had given up on. Some now work for the Home Office, in health, in education and some are on our board.”
The BYO is now “drawing up” plans to support more people amid the cost-of-living crisis.
It also runs a number of initiatives, including a ladies’ walking group, a gardening group, men’s health sessions and a cycling club.
“It’s been a great 40 years – we’re looking forward to the next 40,” Joynal concluded.
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