Partnership between the Urdd and Alabama strengthens

2023 Peace and Goodwill Message Visit

As more young people from Wales travelled in the name of the Urdd to Alabama in September 2023, the partnership and friendship between both regions strengthened once again. 

This time it was the representatives of the Urdd's Peace and Goodwill Message who travelled out to Alabama, following the release of their powerful message on anti-racism on the 18th of May. Go here to watch the message in video form.

During the visit, the Urdd ambassadors visited various museums to learn more about the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, such as the 'Legacy Museum' and the Rosa Parks House in Montgomery.

As part of the visit, several informal events were organised to bring together the young people from Wales and Alabama, in order to learn about each others efforts to fight inequalities today. One of sessions was a human rights workshop with students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The 15th of September 2023 marked exactly 60 years after the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed. Therefore, as part of the visit, representatives from the Urdd attended the service in order to show solidarity with the Birmingham community once again.

This is what Emily Pemberton, one of the Urdd ambassadors on the visit, had to say about her experience in Alabama:

“The trip to Alabama was an experience that genuinely taught me even though our new friends in Birmingham are thousands of miles away, their fight for social justice is ours too. You can’t experience a place like Alabama and not be inspired to see how you could make the world a better place.” 

The Urdd hopes to continue its partnership with Birmingham, as we continue to learn from each other and support our international efforts to promote justice and work towards a more equal world.