Migrant Action

Empowerment Advocacy Justice

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Migration Partnership in Barnsley

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Migrant Action has joined other partners to form a new collaborative platform for supporting migrant communities in Barnsley. We are excited about the new partnership working together with The Youth Association, Barnsley Refugee Advice Project, ELSH (Education Learning Support Hub)to better understand the local migration landscape in order to identify gaps and collaboratively deliver vital interventions for migrants and local communities.

The migration partnership opens up new operational and strategic opportunities for Migrant Action and its partners in Barnsley to increase awareness and access to vital services for migrants, improve collaboration between migration services and other voluntary, statutory and private services, develop and share good practice and influence system change.

The Partnership aims at forging an integrated and whole approach to migration working to prevent vulnerability and maximise opportunities for migrants to realise their potential and increase integration and social harmony. The Partnership hopes to broaden and strengthen in the months ahead. This is a very exciting development for Migrant Action as we look to brighter days ahead working in Barnsley/South Yorkshire.

Migrant Action and partners

Migrant Action hosts Consultative Workshop on Leadership Development in the Migration sector

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In an increasingly challenging migration environment underpinned by global political instability, protracted conflicts, increasing economic insecurity and a resurgence of nationalist sentiments across Europe, there is urgency for effective leadership in the migration sector. Such leadership needs to be reflective of contemporary realities of issues and societies whilst strategically focused on the bigger picture and long term challenges. 

In the development of this leadership response, people with lived experience of migration play an integral part recognising and building on their experiences. This shift from being ‘recipients’ of leadership to ‘Givers’ of leadership would add significant value to leadership and service delivery experiences across the sector.

It is against this backdrop that Migrant Action hosted a Leadership Development consultative workshop in Leeds organised by Migration Exchange as part of a national consultation on Leadership and Development in the Migration sector. Workshop participants from the Refugee Council, Leeds City Council, HANA project-Hull, Migrants Organise, MERMEC and Migrant Action shared experiences (personal and organisational). 

Participants recognising the value of good leadership in ensuring quality service delivery, growth and sustainability acknowledged that leadership development does not often constitute ‘investment priority’ for most organisations who are struggling with small budgets. Ever limited funds prioritise frontline service provision responding to client needs rather than staff leadership development. Therefore, funders have a role in shaping organisational cultures and attitudes towards leadership development.

Participants also reinforced concerns about the lack of diversity in leadership in the sector acknowledging that too many organisations in the sector have leadership and governance structures/personnel that do not reflect the communities they serve. They observed this trend reflected a wider structural problem of prejudice, discrimination and racism which is under serving people of lived experience of migration and other groups. This needs to be acknowledged within organisations and leadership take responsibility in systematically addressing it. There was also recognition that people of lived experience need to get better in mobilising and organising themselves in order to be able to influence and achieve the change they seek.

Finally, the model for delivering leadership development needs to fundamentally change. A real shift is required towards a more inclusive, nurturing, empowerment and sustainability-led model. At the heart of the new model must be a thriving partnership between migration and other sectors. Equally, a good partnership with migrant communities to identify, develop and embed good leadership.

Migrant Action will continue working with Migration Exchange on this consultation whilst continuing conversations with local partners.

New Frontiers, New Partners: Migrant Action in South Yorkshire

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Dmitry Fedotov ( Enterprise & Communities Manager- Youth Association)
Florentine Bootha-King ( Manager- ELSH)
Fidelis Chebe ( Director-Migrant Action)
(Left to right)

Non asylum seeking migrants in Barnsley and Doncaster (South Yorkshire) encounter similar challenges as those in Leeds, however these challenges are made worse due to the significant lack of appropriate support. As such, vulnerability is even more entrenched amongst migrants leading to poor migration and integration outcomes.  

Through building partnerships and working collaboratively with local community based organisations, Migrant Action effectively pursues its ambition of resolving their immediate concerns while empowering migrants negotiate pathways to integration.  Through our partnership with ELSH (Education Learning Support Hub- Barnsley), Migrant Action will become an integral part of an increasingly vibrant hub in the heart of the community thereby rendering our services more accessible to people who need our support. Our partnership with ELSH would increase access to other vital services within the hub and widely.

Equally, our partnership with The Youth Association, opens new pathways for engagement with the Roma communities in Barnsley and Doncaster to support young new arrivals and their families. Migrant Action’s engagement with the ROMA community has particular significance as there is growing anxiety amongst EU citizens regarding their right to stay in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.  

Identifying key stakeholders, building partnerships and working collaboratively to deliver support is central to Migrant Action’s strategy for consolidation, growth and social change.  We look forward to working with our partners in South Yorkshire.

Our research team

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Migrant Action is committed to its partnership with the local community expressed in variety of ways. By offering volunteering and student placement opportunities we grow our local partnership and empower individuals to make positive contribution to our work and the wider society. As an organisation, we recognise the value of research in evidencing our stance and interventions. We are delighted that these 3 ‘young researchers’ from the University of Leeds have taken a keen interest in these areas of Migrant Action’s work and wish to investigate with the view to increasing our collective understanding and capacity to respond so as to make a positive difference to the experiences of migrants.  Many thanks to Maddie, Rohde and Paddy! 

( Fidelis Chebe- Project Director Migrant Action)

‘In the shadows’: The problem of isolation among International Students

My name is Rohdé and I’m a Dutch student studying at the University of Leeds. My role within Migrant Action in the Research team focuses on international students in Leeds and the isolation problems they face moving to the UK. Research has proven that international students run into social, academic and psychological isolation when they move to a new country and I want to find out what problems international students in Leeds experience. 

By doing that, I hope I can find out how the universities in Leeds can improve their policies and support arrangements for international students and how Migrant Action as a local organisation working with migrants can respond proactively to these challenges and help contribute to a more positive experience for international students. 

De-skilling of Migrants- Madeleine Tarrant

Maddie is a third-year Philosophy student at the University of Leeds and volunteer for Migrant Action and is part of the research team. This research activity and volunteering is part of Maddie’s final year project at university and she hopes that the research would help influence and inform future Migrant Action initiatives. The project is based around the problem of deskilling amongst migrants, with a particular focus on the occurrence of deskilling in Leeds itself. 

Maddie states; ‘This is a phenomenon that is scarcely discussed in mainstream media and conversation but I hope that my research will help to change this. I am exploring the systematic nature of deskilling amongst explanations of why it occurs, and so far my research has highlighted the existence of underlying, institutionalised racism and prejudices which inform employment policies and make it increasingly difficult for skilled migrants to obtain qualification matched work. 

Through a series of interviews I hope to uncover the grievous human cost this has on individuals, families and societies. My final aim is to use my research to help Migrant Action to tackle the problem of deskilling, and provide migrants with the support and assistance needed to find appropriate, skill-matched employment’. 

Paddy Smith- Migration Briefings

Paddy is a second-year Geography student at Leeds University and is examining global migration and implications of these movements for migrants and host societies. As a volunteer and part of the Migrant Action research team, Paddy would produce a series of migration briefings to;

Unpack migration discourses and policies and their manifestations within the local community of Leeds.  The briefings would investigate and propose an alternative humane narrative to the dominant divisive discourse underpinned by anti-migration sentiments. The briefings also set out to;

Engage people from all walks of life to support Migrant Action from ranging from students to policy makers. Raise Awareness of migration issues, Challenge the overuse of vulnerability in the migration discourse – briefings would highlight the use of language as a tool of subjugation and disempowerment of migrants therefore articulate the need for a shift, Challenge hostile environment policy – take a critical focus on the actions of the government and Community engagement – consider migration issues within the local community of Leeds

Helping EU Migrants navigate uncertainty in the wake of Brexit

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Migrant Action is seeing first-hand the increased vulnerability faced by EU migrants who have settled in the UK. Many have lived here for years and to some the UK is ‘home’ but many EU citizens are anxious due to the uncertainty surrounding their status and rights to stay in the UK after BREXIT. This uncertainty is causing emotional distress and in some cases exacerbating poor physical health. Many more are victims of bad legal advice and financial exploitation in their pursuit of securing their legal status in the country. 

Migrant Action is assisting EU migrants to navigate the uncertainty and exploitation by offering advocacy support, information, advice and guidance as well as referrals to specialist advice. As part of our work we are forming partnerships with other organisations such as the 3Million-Yorkshire and InLimbo-Our Brexit Testimoniesto reach out to Eastern European citizens in need of support.  Through our services and working collaboratively with other agencies, we aim to provide practical support to all EU migrants to ensure that they engage with the EU Settlement Scheme. 

If you would like Migrant Action to help you with information and guidance please email us at info@migrantaction.org.uk

Caption: Katrine from Migrant Action meeting Vie ClercLusandu from the3MillionYorkshie and InLimbo-Our Brexit Testimonies. 

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MIGRANT ACTION is a registered Charity. Charity Number: 1207941

Office address: Roundhay Resource Centre, 233-237 Roundhay Road, Harehills, Leeds LS8 4HS

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