Young survivors of Manchester Arena bombing fly to New York to speak at major United Nations terrorism conference
06.09.2022 - 17:13
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Young survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing are flying to New York to speak at a United Nations congress for victims of terrorism.
The UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism - being held on September 8 and 9 at the UN's headquarters in Manhattan - is designed to provide a platform for victims to share their experiences and challenges - and tell their stories of resilience following tragedy. Crucially, it also aims to ensure victims' voices are heard and their needs met in terms of ongoing healthcare and support.
Nine young Manchester survivors will attend the international conference, alongside United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, civil society organisations, experts and academics.
READ MORE: Greater Manchester's 10 most oversubscribed schools revealed in race for a place
They will speak about the launch of research project Bee The Difference, which aims to help future young survivors of terror. The Manchester Evening Newsreported how children affected by the 2017 atrocity are being urged to share their experiences of the support they have received since the atrocity.
The findings from an online survey aim to identify what help will be beneficial to young terror attack survivors and forms part of the project, which is a collaboration between the nine survivors, the National Emergencies Trust and researchers from Lancaster University.
The nine survivors will advocate at the congress for improved support for children and young people whose lives are touched by terrorism.
Alicia Taylor, 19, from Leyland, Lancashire, will present a panel address and hail the survey as 'an important step forward because it gives young people a platform to voice their experiences and bring about positive change'.
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