Essex student to represent UK at international event

Essex student Efua Pokoo has been chosen to represent the UK at an international relations workshop, which hopes to lead to better cultural understanding.

Efua, 19, who is studying International Relations at Essex, will travel at the end of this month with aid agency CAFOD to Lebanon’s capital Beirut, for the two-week workshop where she will meet with other young campaigners from the Middle East and Europe.

“My mother has always been active with CAFOD within our local parish and volunteers would come and speak in church about upcoming campaigns – she really inspired me,” said Efua. “I have never travelled to the Middle East, but I have various family members with Lebanese heritage. I thought this exchange was a wonderful opportunity and jumped at the idea.”

The international workshop, organised by charity Caritas Lebanon, aims to bring young people from different backgrounds together to share ideas and gain the skills needed to create positive changes in their communities.

Whilst in Lebanon, the volunteers will work alongside families on community projects, such as house renovations and summer camps, and help to devise plans for future community projects.

Efua added: “Young people need to engage on certain issues – like the environment, and communications - and I hope that by meeting like-minded individuals from all walks of life, it will broaden my mind set and ideas. I am really looking forward to visiting Lebanon, as I never thought I would get a chance to visit the Middle East.”