OVER a hundred young people in Bradford gave up their Friday night to take part in the first-ever youth conference of its kind.

Youths from across the district came together at Mary Magdalene CIC for the Bradford Youth Palestine Conference - a chance for young people to speak about the Palestinian cause in a safe environment and learn its history.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: A PowerPoint presentation being delivered at the conference A PowerPoint presentation being delivered at the conference (Image: UGC)

The conference was organised by Muhammed Ali Islam, Tahir Shah, Mujtaba Ahmed and friends of Mary Magdalene Church and reached young people from all backgrounds and ethnicities.

Muhammed Ali Islam said: “We all know what’s going on, we can see the catastrophes, but we wanted to create a space for young people to discuss this and to educate them about Palestine’s history.

“We had speakers workshops and we wanted people to be able to speak their opinions.

“This conference was about making a statement that we’re not shy or scared but we will speak out for any injustice across the world.”

The youth conference’s main aim was to educate and raise awareness about the Palestinian cause and teach young people about the 1948 Nakba, and the Balfour Declaration and where this story started.

Ali further added: “It’s important to highlight that this event was held in Manningham, an area that’s been known in history for its activism.

“It was refreshing to see so many people and to know that young people care about this cause, but also, they wanted to learn.

“So many people said they felt demonised for holding their views they’ve been attacked but where does freedom of speech come in now?

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Young people at the conference in Bradford Young people at the conference in Bradford (Image: UGC)

“We want to teach people how to have these conversations and how to use the right language when they do.”

The group who organised highlighted the youth conference’s will aim to tackle all injustice across the globe and will educate young people about a number of causes.

“In Bradford, we have the largest population of young people and it’s about teaching the next generation the importance of this cause.

“We’ve had some really positive feedback and people appreciated the setup.

“It’s about coming together as a community and standing for the causes that bring us together.”