“He mingles with Barack Obama at the weekend”
“What happens at the weekend then? Few can truthfully answer that Järvaveckans founder Ahmed And…. This weekend he’ll mingle with Barack Obama and the european young leaders.”
“the e-Mail with the invitation came to his private address some time ago,” says Ahmed…. First, he couldn’t believe what he saw, but it went up slowly for him that it was actually himself, Barack Obama, the former us president, who now wants to meet him in Berlin this weekend.”
“– Obama is one of my great role models. I had to think for a moment that in order to be able to believe it. But I’m very proud of what we have done with Järvaveckan has spread all the way to the other side of the Atlantic, ” he says.”
“Along with 300 other young leaders, he should mingle and chat community involvement and development.”
” I don’t know who else will. But it is very exciting, and it’ll be fun to meet you. There are so many amazing people who want to reduce the gaps, working for the climate, the innovation and also stick together states and Europe.”
“he Himself is a gränsöverskridare. Born in Mogadishu, grew up in Tensta, stockholm, trained at the top school in New York city, jobs in the UN, and now back in Stockholm and Tensta. But with a new experience, and also opportunities.”
“– I often get asked if I was Swedish, ” he says, pointing at his neat blue suit.”
“– But I have never been anything else than I am myself. I am somali, Swedish and a little bit of a New Yorker. That is what I am, I can’t be anything other than myself. I live in three worlds.”
“The three worlds has resulted in Järvaveckan, which is a meeting place to discuss community issues. Meetings are often the origin of new ideas, ” says Ahmed….”
“– This is how I got my best ideas. The open air cinema, which was the precursor to the Järvaveckan, came when I worked in Geneva. It was such an expensive city to live in, but where they all gathered and saw the movie from different countries of the outdoors and had a picnic with cheese and wine.”
“A meeting need not necessarily give power directly, many years later, it can be talked about suddenly pop up in a new light and give new ideas,” he explains. The big difference between Sweden and the U.S. think he is a curiosity in other people.”
“That’s what he wants to accomplish with Järvaveckan, and even with his job as an expert at the Stockholm chamber of commerce. It is also about to break the borders and prejudices, from both sides. The image of what an immigrant and an american is and can be is stiff, he thinks.”
“– For example, is it enough many people who do not expect to find such as I am here, at the Stockholm chamber of commerce.”
“But the job at the chamber of commerce is perfect for him, he thinks.”
“– I get to work with integration and social sustainability, I am most interested in. And which platform I get, I meet the entrepreneurs and business people and can talk about how we break the segregation.”
“He is concerned that the gap is growing and the society falls apart – it is a threat to development, he thinks.”
“Sweden needs labour in so many areas.”
“– in 2028, will the foreign-born account for over 30% of the population in the working ages, ” he says and adds in almost the same breath that also 80-plussarna will be more – and they need to be taken care of.”
“Then it is not acceptable to think”
“– I am concerned that so many children in the utanförskapsområden never reaches the approved of the school.”
“He thinks we are a tad naive in Sweden when it comes to defending our democracy and what we have achieved. He intends to be understood in its ancient homeland, the war-torn Somalia.”
“– You must not take democracy for granted. I know what can happen if it goes wrong. Sweden is great, but we must not be satisfied. We can get better, ” says Ahmed….”
“Ahmed…, 33 years, founded the Järvaveckan 2016 – a parallel to the Almedalen week with invited politicians, authorities and companies.”
“… working as an expert with a focus on the integration of the Stockholm chamber of commerce. He has previously worked with integration in the american embassy. Prior to that he worked for Interpeace, an international peacebuilding organization linked to the united nations with headquarters in Geneva.”
“He was in high school the scholarship Courtney Ross scholarship, and has earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies at Marymount Manhattan College in New York.”
“Ahmed … grew up in Tensta and has roots in Somalia. He now lives in Hjulsta and has a large family in his vicinity, consisting of parents and siblings.”
“Source: Obama Foundation”
