Youth Groups in Minnesota Reach Out to Somali-Americans

Too often young Somali-Americans have made news for all the wrong reasons.
年轻的索马里裔美国人常常因为种种劣迹而上新闻。
Some young people have fallen victim to drug abuse or the appeal of gang violence.Others have turned to extremist ideology.
一些年轻人沦为了吸毒的受害者或帮派暴力的帮凶。其他人转向极端意识形态。
But youth organizations in the American state of Minnesota are trying to change that.Somali groups there have taken steps to keep young people away from bad influences.
但是美国明尼苏达州的青年组织正试图改变这种状况。该地的索马里组织已经采取措施阻止年轻人受到不良影响。
One such effort was a basketball tournament for Somali-Americans living in and around the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.The competition was the idea of 12 youth organizations representing Islamic centers.It gives the players a chance to build up their basketball skills and gain self-esteem.
其中的努力包括住在明尼阿波利斯市和圣保罗市及其周围的索马里裔美国人之间的一场篮球赛。这场比赛是代表伊斯兰教中心的12个青年组织的主意。这给了球员一个增进球技，赢得自尊的机会。
Zakariye Ibrahim played for the al-Rawda team, which won the competition.
泽卡瑞耶·易普拉辛为艾尔-罗达队打球，该队赢得了比赛。
“Today we have succeeded in winning the cup after beating the finalist Umatul-Islam club.We had worked very hard for this and we are so excited about it.”
“今天，我们决赛击败乌麦托-伊斯兰俱乐部后，成功地赢得了冠军。我们为此付出了很大的努力，对此我们非常兴奋。”
Minnesota is home to 20,000 Somalis, more than in any other state.More than 80,000 Somalis live in the United States.
明尼苏达有20000名索马里人，比其他任何州的都多。超过80000名索马里人居住在美国。
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation says about 12 people have joined militant groups in Syria in recent years.The FBI adds that more than 20 men have joined al-Shabab militants in Somalia since 2007.
美国联邦调查局称近几年有12人加入了叙利亚的武装组织。联邦调查局补充说，自2007以来，已有超过20名男子加入了索马里青年党激进分子。
Recently, nine Somali-American men were accused of plotting to join ISIS, the militant group also called ISIL.A federal judge in Minnesota sentenced them to prison.
最近，九名美国男子被指控密谋加入ISIS，该激进组织亦称ISIL。明尼苏达州的一名联邦法官给他们判处监禁。
Beza Tesfaye is the conflict and governance research manager for the aid agency Mercy Corps. She has done research in Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland on why young people join extremist groups.
伯撒·特斯法耶是援助机构美慈组织的冲突与管理研究经理。她在索马里、索马里兰和邦特兰就为什么年轻人加入极端组织，已经做了研究。
Tesfaye found that, unlike what many believe, it is not poverty or unemployment that are the main reasons Somalis join extremist groups.Instead, the strongest influences are young people who feel their interests are being ignored, especially in political decisions.They also feel discriminated against based on their tribe or ethnic group.
特斯法耶发现，不像很多人认为的，贫穷或失业不是索马里人加入极端组织的主要原因。最最主要的影响因素是年轻人觉得自己的利益被忽视，尤其是在政治决策方面。他们也因部落或种族而受到歧视。
Tesfaye said it is important to give young Somali-Americans chances to do something meaningful in their communities.
特斯法耶说这是给年轻的索马里美国人机会，让他们在自己的社区里做些有意义的事情，这一点很重要。
“This included activities like volunteering, doing awareness campaigns around salient issues that young kids cared about,” she said.“Essentially just giving them a platform to express themselves in addition to giving them the skills they need to express themselves through education.”
她说：“这包括志愿活动，围绕孩子们关心的突出问题开展宣传活动，本质上只是给他们一个平台来表达自己，除了给予他们技能，他们需要通过教育来表达自己。”
Tesfaye said that a combination of civil involvement and civil society reduced the number of Somali youth taking part in extremist and political violence.
特斯法耶说，公民参与和公民社会的结合减少了索马里参加极端政治暴力的青年人数目。
“The key takeaway is that civic engagement and civil society is a real need if we are trying to address the root causes of violence and we have evidence to support that,” she said.
“关键的一点是如果我们要解决暴力的根源，就需要公民参与和公民社会，我们有证据支持这一点，”她说。
Programs like the basketball tournament are designed to provide activities to help young Somali-Americans stay away from negative influences.
像篮球比赛这样的项目旨在为年轻的索马里裔美国人远离负面影响提供活动。
The organization “For Youth by the Youth” created the tournament.Yusuf Mohamed leads the group.
“依靠青年，为了青年”组织组建了这次比赛。约瑟夫·穆罕默德领导这个团体。
“The reason we started this program was when we saw what the youth are going through and how they were involved with gang fights among themselves,when we saw how they are suspected or labeled as extremists,we started to bring them together in order to prevent them from getting involved with drugs.We found a place where they can stay fit and stay busy and avoid negative influences.”
“我们之所以开始这个项目，是当我们看到年轻人正在经历些什么，他们如何相互间参与群殴，当我们看到他们是如何被怀疑或被标记为极端分子，我们开始把他们聚到一起，以防他们卷入毒品。我们找到了一个地方，在那里他们可以保持健康，保持忙碌，避免负面影响。”
One of the basketball players, Abdullahi Bare, agrees that sports can help young people like him.
阿布杜拉·贝尔是篮球运动员之一，他认为运动可以帮助像他一样的年轻人。
“This kind of tournament brings us together as brothers.We come together and when we finish the games we eat together and communicate as well.”
“这种比赛让我们相聚，成为兄弟。我们走到一起，当我们完成比赛，我们一起吃饭，一起沟通。”
The basketball event in Minnesota has been taking place in each of the past three years.
明尼苏达的篮球比赛在过去的三年里一直在进行。
I’m John Russell.
约翰·罗素为您播报。