Harehills ❤️ Love

Meet Fabehah, a passionate advocate for her community

Harehills, a vibrant neighborhood in Leeds, often faces negative stereotypes. But as Fabehah, a resident and passionate community activist, reminds us, there’s so much more to this place than meets the eye.

I first met Fabehah back in 2022 on a visit to Breaking Down Barriers at one of their weekly events at St Cyprian’s. Adam Aslam introduced us so Fabehah could tell me about the amazing random acts of kindness they were doing. She was one of the Breaking Down Barriers youth ambassadors at the time.

The spirit of kindness and passion for her community nurtured in the amazing, and now sadly ended, Breaking Down Barriers program continued to burn in Fabehah. She reached out to share her fantastic documentary, and I was blown away! I wanted to share some of our conversation with you and then an interview where she could have free rein in answering questions about the documentary and her passion and views about Harehills.

Conversation with Fabehah:

• Fabehah’s Poem: To kick off our conversation, Fabehah recited a powerful poem she wrote about Harehills:

Harehills. Is it a place of drug dealers and crime? Harehills. Is it a place of worth or a waste of time?
Is it a place of sirens that create the frighten? Or is it a place of disaster waiting to happen?
Harehills. Oh Harehills. This past year we have lived and cried.
Harehills. My Harehills. Oh how I wish the world could see the positive side.
We have the uniform shop, we have KFC. We have Harehills road , a place for you and me.
Harehills. A place of a caring community.
Harehills. A place of harmony and unity.
A place of laughter. A place of love. A place of a family that will rise above. Harehills. Harehills.

• Her Documentary: Fabehah then shared her short documentary, “Harehills – Taking Back the Narrative,” which showcases the positive aspects of her community. It features young people sharing their narrative, amazing drone footage, and clips from events you’ll have seen covered in previous advent calendars from a different perspective. You can watch it here, and I highly recommend you do:

• Interview Questions: I couldn’t resist asking Fabehah a few questions about her work and her passion for Harehills:

Q: What inspired you to create the documentary?

Fabehah: Being a resident of Harehills, I’ve had to deal with a lot of negativity from people outside the community. Whether directly or indirectly, their comments made me question why those who don’t belong here always have something negative to say.

Harehills is my home; I’ve lived here all my life. I can’t imagine my life without it. This community has shaped who I am today. Yes, I’ve witnessed the knife crimes, the stealing, and the drug raids. But I’ve also witnessed the councillors risking their lives to save others, the shop owners supporting local families with basic necessities, and the neighbours sharing meals. And that’s not even a fraction of what proves Harehills is a loving community.

These comments, whether unintentional or not, inspired me to make this documentary. I want to show that Harehills truly is “a place of a caring community.”

Q: What do you hope viewers will take away from watching your documentary?

Fabehah: I want to show that this is my community, and if anyone has any negative comments, I hope this documentary will change their views. The documentary is based on MY Harehills, MY community, MY family. I am taking back the narrative.

I hope watching this documentary will change any unconscious biases and encourage viewers to imagine themselves in Harehills. Is this what they would like to hear people say about their community?

Q: How have these experiences shaped your perspectives and passion for our community?

Fabehah: As a former active member of Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) and a participant in multiple youth groups around Harehills, such as Shantona, CATCH, and Junior Sports Hub, I realized their main objective is to provide hope for young people. These groups support character development and encourage us to step out of our comfort zones.

By supporting the photography project organized by BDB, I realized the importance of architecture, its history, and how much it has shaped Harehills. Projects like these have helped me grow and express myself. Another BDB project, the culture kitchen at St Cyprian’s Church, was a great eye-opener to how diverse Harehills really is. Without this diversity, we would be lacking the cultural heritage that we all know.

These are just two of the many projects organized by BDB that have changed my perspective on Harehills. BDB has really shown me what a “caring community” truly is. It consists of a wide range of diversity, different religions, and a willingness to support others. This has shown me that we all need each other to strive in our future and become the best versions of ourselves.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of Harehills, especially young people?

Fabehah: The future of Harehills relies heavily on its young people. They will be the ones who make Harehills even better than it already is. Attending youth groups and getting involved in the community can really help support their confidence and allow them to meet like-minded people.

My personal hopes for the future of Harehills are to carry on our legacy of being a diverse community with a lot to offer. I hope we can provide every family with the support they need, whether it’s benefits, housing, or even something as simple as registering with a GP. For the young people, I hope they become great role models and leave a lasting impact that their future selves will be proud of.

This community has an outrageous amount of support and knowledge. If you need help with your benefits, your neighbours and local food banks have you sorted. If you need someone’s contact number, don’t worry, the uncle down the street has you covered. Everyone knows something.

My main youth support worker, Adam Aslam, once told me, “When it’s your birthday, you are celebrating you being born, but you often forget that your mother went through nine months of hardship for your birthday, so your birthday is her birthday.” Everyone has different knowledge about how the world works and how we must function as a society.

This is what I love about Harehills: the endless support, the vast amount of knowledge, and the caring people. Without it, Harehills would not be Harehills.

Fabehah’s Other Work:

In addition to her documentary, Fabehah has also been featured in other projects highlighting the positive aspects of Harehills. You can find some of her work here:

• Harehills – Classroom Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No5nvSJ7x7Y
• Breaking Down Barriers: https://harehillslove.uk/2022/02/05/breaking-down-barriers-by-building-up-good-feelings/

Join the Conversation:

If you’re interested in learning more about Harehills and supporting its community, I encourage you to watch Fabehah’s documentary and follow her work on YouTube.

Let’s celebrate the true spirit of Harehills together!