Agenda item

5.1

Ahmed Mohamed and Khalid Ismail, founders of Infinite Skills, were in attendance for this item.

5.1

Ahmed Mohamed gave a presentation on the journey he had taken with Khalid Ismail in establishing Infinite Skills. His role within Infinite Skills was in education management and teaching, and Mr Ismail was involved in curriculum design and teaching. He explained that he had fled the Somali Civil War in the 1990’s, and whilst settling in Pitsmoor had faced language and cultural barriers. He had also experienced racism, and some of his peers had been drawn into crime, but he then discovered education which he felt had been the key to liberation from these disadvantages. He outlined Mr Ismail’s background, and explained that he had faced similar barriers, which had led to them becoming long term friends. Together they had set up Infinite Skills as a non-profit organisation, as a way of celebrating their success and giving something back to the community. Their aim was to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities, and to share a vision of empowerment by creating a platform for change. They hoped that by sharing their lived experiences, they could help individuals overcome barriers, strengthen communities, foster resilience and growth, and encourage an ecosystem of recruiting from within. He outlined the services offered by Infinite Skills, which included a focus on health and wellbeing, and he highlighted a few successful case studies.

5.2

The Chair thanked Mr Mohamed and Mr Ismail for attending the meeting and sharing their interesting experiences.