“Every human being needs something that makes them busy”- Mo discusses the link between work & wellbeing
Meet Mo, a proud South Londoner, originally from Somalia. He’s currently in college, and works as our Market Stall Manager at Camberwell Green and Greenwich. We caught up with him to chat about why a job means so much more than simply earning money.
What’s it like working at the market stall?
“I’ve been running the store since April and I really enjoy what I do. The people I work with become my friends and we also have loyal customers that come back every week. We just talk about how their week is going and we just ask each other questions. I have two customers that come for gluten free bread and they always have a bit of a competition, like who is getting there first.”
“The skills you learn from Breadwinners you can use everyday, like communication.”
What attracted you to start working at Breadwinners?
“I wanted to improve my CV. I’m in college now and the skills you learn from Breadwinners you can use everyday, like communication. If you learn how to communicate with people that will open up a lot of other jobs.
“They helped my confidence and improved my English. Before I wasn’t really going outside. But since I joined Breadwinners I’ve made friends.”
What’s it like training others at the market?
“Training people really makes me happy. I’m training my second Risers which I feel proud about. You know how they feel and you like, you can feel their pain. Helping other people makes a difference inside of you. I like to work at a place that I know does good for others.”
What sorts of challenges did you face when you first moved to the UK?
“I learnt English after coming here. It was a struggle to go to school and you’re the one that doesn’t know what they’re saying so it was very challenging. Moving to another country obviously lose your friends. You stay in your house more. You get depressed. But if you keep learning, if you don’t give up and stay true to yourself, you are going to make it through. You’re going to make connections, you’re gonna make friends, you’re gonna be able to speak – you won’t be shy.”
“Helping other people makes a difference inside of you. I like to work at a place that I know does good for others.”
How did Breadwinners help you overcome these challenges?
“Breadwinners does something that a lot of other charities or governments don’t give. They pay you to work, like most charities just ask you to volunteer. So I see Breadwinners as a big win, especially because young people really suffer without a job - they stay depressed.
“Every human being needs something that makes them busy. To not make you think about other things, you need to work, to make money. Work is something that is very important so that is what Breadwinners gives us – they give you a busy Saturday.”
“It was a struggle... but if you keep learning, if you don’t give up and stay true to yourself, you are going to make it through. ”
People seeking safety in the UK are not allowed to take part in paid work until their application for refugee status is approved, which can sometimes take years. This makes getting work experience very difficult.
“They will say, do you have work experience? And I didn’t have any work experience. It’s so difficult as a young person to get a job in the UK, there is so much competition.”
“One of our Risers [people in our work experience programme] was telling me that he came to the country two years ago, he’s in a hotel and that he feels let down because he just needs papers to work. And I don’t think that’s really needed. Not letting them work any job feels a bit harsh.”
Say hi to Mo or one of our other Breadwinners team members at our stalls in London and Brighton!
Thank you Julia Hawkins for the photo