For me, going to the Emmaus Europe General Assembly is really exciting. It wasn’t something I had thought about when I first came to Emmaus. When I first moved into Emmaus Preston, people mentioned it. Then I found out more about the opportunities for companions.
I became a companion representative for Emmaus Preston because I love travelling and getting on the train to Birmingham and Leicester to meet people from other Emmaus communities and explore the city. It’s not every day you walk down the street and see city skyscrapers.
Being a rep helps with my mental health. I’m getting out, doing something different. In this role, I can go back to the community in Preston and say I contributed to decisions within the Emmaus UK federation and this was made possible through Emmaus.
My plans for the Emmaus Europe General Assembly
With the European Assembly, I’m looking forward to the atmosphere in Romania and the location. I like being in new places. I’m interested in different places and different languages.
I am looking forward to discussing support for companions who would like to move on from Emmaus with training. I am looking forward to the workshops at the European Assembly and experiencing how different Emmaus communities work in Europe.
I remember talking to a guy from an Emmaus in Hastings about how different communities in the UK are, and I’m looking forward to comparing these on a European scale.
I went to the Assembly for Emmaus communities in the UK last year. There were four companions from Emmaus Preston and four companions from Emmaus Burnley. That’s how I became a companion rep and applied for the Emmaus European Regional Assembly this year.
I went to the UK Assembly again this year and spoke on stage about being part of the Companion Committee. I spoke about why I’m a companion representative. I’m doing this to give everyone a voice in the community.
Solidarity is important for me
I want to look a lot more into the solidarity we can do. I want to find out more and pick people’s brains about what could be implemented here. Borrowing ideas would be good. For me, I see it as a way to give back and help. It builds up morale knowing we are there for each other. It is team building and helping others at the same time.
Emmaus is a big community thing. It is a big federation. The value of that is that we are all the same, because we are working together to end homelessness. That’s the target for everyone. Some of us are doing it a bit differently, but we are all working towards the same goal.
You can find out more about Emmaus Europe here.