Meet the Co Armagh woman who has been awarded Social Enterprise NI’s young person of the year- for her active involvement in establishing a ‘dedicated safe space for LGBTQ+ young people and adults’.
Hannah Agnew has opened up about the vision behind the setting up of the café and the instrumental role it plays in the community.
Café Amach is located on the premises of An Tobar wellness centre, Silverbridge, South Armagh.
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“The aim of it is to provide a safe and visible space for young queer people. A space that a younger version of me at 16 years-old couldn’t even imagine having- especially coming from a rural area. It’s the first of its kind in South Armagh," she told Belfast Live.
“The important thing about spaces like this is that whether you’re in the LGBTQ+ community or not- being engaged with it and embracing diversity is beneficial to everyone.
"It puts people in the position where they can support family members or a friend. I think generally it tackles and confronts negative experiences that a lot of people may have had in the past.
“Café Amach is a vision of trying to change how people perceive things in rural areas, from the inside and out. I think South Armagh is a community with so much to give and so I feel like it’s a perfect place for it”.
The 25-year-old said how winning the award was ‘a pleasant surprise’ and told of her delight that south Armagh was being recognized as an area that is welcoming of diversity.
“I was really pleasantly surprised that I had won the award. I often have imposter syndrome with these things. I went out that night for the craic- it was nice to have a night out with everybody so we could celebrate all the work that’s been happening in Amach and An Tobar.
"It feels as though the work that has been put in has been validated and it’s nice to feel that you’re doing something to help your community.
“It was amazing to be recognised because I think a lot of the time rural areas fall into the shadow of larger, more urban areas with regard to this sort of thing.
"That was the massive thing about keeping the facility in South Armagh- I don’t think it would have the same effect have it been situated in a town or a city."
The name Café Amach translates from the Irish language as ‘Café Out’ in English, which in this case is an acknowledgment of the LGBTQ+ community.
Hannah continued: “There is something quite powerful about using the Irish language paired with something involving the LGBTQ+ community. I think for queer people in rural areas, for the most part they feel that they need to keep their Irish identity separate.
“Talking about South Armagh for example, when you think of this place you might think of the GAA and agriculture or different things that people may associate with here. A lot of the time that doesn’t traditionally seem to match with queer people in a visible way. So, by connecting those things, it almost highlights that that you don’t have to go somewhere else to be yourself- It can happen here.
The Cafe regularly hosts social events and encourages anybody who is a ‘member, a friend or ally of the LGBT+ community’, to come along and get involved.
“I can only speak for myself, but from what I’ve experienced since we set up in March- I’ve received nothing but a positive reaction and support from the community. Amach and the entire project has experienced no adversity or opposition whatsoever- it’s fantastic. There has been a lot of interesting engagements including the ‘BYOB’ events and so much more”.
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