The Faces of Change: Máire and Abdourahman
After celebrating many of The Agency Alumni Agents in Series 1, we’re shining the spotlight on the powerhouse team behind The Agency of Change. These are the passionate creatives who turn ideas into impact - visionaries working together to inspire change and drive our mission forward.
Máire and Abdourahman are Alumni Agents from The Agency Belfast and Southampton respectively.
They share their journeys and insights they’ve gained from The Agency by creating projects and bringing positive change in their communities. The two also reflect on how their personal experiences have informed their outlook, as changemakers and storytellers.
In 2025, Máire and Abdourahman stepped into the roles of Agency Correspondents, helping to tell the story of The Agency and capture what it’s like up close, through content such as videos, photos and interviews. The aim is to showcase the Agents’ journey through the programme and capture The Agency sessions and methodology in creative ways.
Máire Q&A
Use one word to sum up your experience at The Agency Belfast. Why did you choose that word?
Definitely inspiring. Ever since I first joined the Agency in 2023, my perspective on life has changed a lot and I have found that finding my desire has impacted both my thoughts and personality as a whole.
What was your Agency idea/project? Why is it important to you and the community?
I co-created a podcast called Silent Struggles with Ashleigh, dedicated to breaking the stigma around eating disorders as it is a mental health issue that is incredibly marginalised in my community.
Listen to the podcast Silent Struggles here.
What advice would you give to new participants joining The Agency?
Do not take it for granted and put your all into it! If you don’t you will regret it later.
Belfast Agents participating in the maps session of The Agency programme. Image captured by Máire.
What kind of storytelling inspires you most? (example: films, video, book, music, poem, video games, etc.)
I am most inspired by theatre because I love how you can experience a whole new world when playing a character.
If you had total freedom, what’s a story you would love to tell?
I would love to share the true generational impact of the Troubles in Northern Ireland today with those who do not live here or quite understand it, as it is significant in our community.
If you could instantly spark one change in your community or in the world, what would it be?
I would love to change the prejudice in both my community and the wider world. Within Belfast, prejudice is a main barrier to so many goals, such as social harmony, as people tend to base their opinions on others due to their religious beliefs.
Do you have a favourite quote or motto?
My favourite quote is a biblical one - Romans 8:18. I try to live by this verse as it teaches us to always think of the positive things ahead rather than dwelling on the dull present.
If your life were a song, what genre would it be? Feel free to recommend a song too!
Probably post-hardcore. My favourite song at the moment is ‘Hold On Till May’ by Pierce The Veil. I think it expresses the deep connection between mental health and music as an outlet.
Abdourahman Q&A
Use one word to sum up your experience at The Agency Southampton. Why did you choose that word?
Inspiring. It was so motivating to see everyone's different journeys and struggles, and also see them have the will power to continue even at difficult times within the cycles.
What was your Agency idea/project? Why is it important to you and the community?
My project was called Space 2 Create. It was about young people expressing themselves through different mediums, in this instance art and poetry. We started off with simple exercises then at the end all of the work would be presented as a mural. This was especially important project to me as the world had just suffered the aftereffects of covid pandemic and a lot of young people suffered mentally so my project offered a platform to showcase their repressed emotions and stretch their creativity.
Southampton Agents sharing their projects at the Festival of Ideas. Image captured by Abdourahman.
What advice would you give to new participants joining The Agency?
I would honestly just say enjoy the whole experience, no matter how far you go. You don’t get opportunities like these everyday so make the most of it.
What kind of storytelling inspires you most? (example: films, video, book, music, poem, video games, etc.)
I grew up on folklore and poetry as my inspired medium, it's because there's something magical about just hearing the raw words and emotions of a person in real time without any music or studio interference. That's what inspired me from the likes of Benjamin Zephaniah to tell my story regardless of boundaries as nothing can trump the power of words.
If you had total freedom, what’s a story you would love to tell?
The story of how parents migrated to the UK and made a name for themselves even during those harsh times.
Do you have a favourite quote or motto?
“When you pray for rain you gotta deal with the mud”
If your life were a song, what genre would it be? Feel free to recommend a song too!
Blues/soul definitely for me its upbeat, full of culture and oldschool classics. Song - “I'd Rather Go Blind’ by Etta James.
Get to know more about Abdourahman through a poem written by him:
Between two shores
I was born where the rain falls heavy,
but raised where the sun speaks loud.
Two worlds call my name—
and I answer… to both.
The UK says, “fit in.”
Gambia says, “remember.”
And somewhere between English mornings
and Gambian sunsets,
I’m learning to be me.
See—
they told me to choose.
But how do you pick between heartbeat and soul?
Between where you came from,
and where you’re growing into?
So I write—
not just to rhyme,
but to breathe,
to scream,
to say I exist between two shores,
and both belong to me.
I am not half.
I am whole—
the bridge between two homes,
the echo of my ancestors
and the dream of tomorrow.
I am both…
and I am free.
Enjoyed this read?
This was the Seventh article in series 2 of ‘the Faces of Change’. 
