Our Activities Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Migrant Action

Migrant Organisers: Building alliances, finding common ground, Growing power!

8th July 2017 by ficheb

Migrant Action took part in a networking event organised by Migrants Organise, a London based charity. The event brought together a diverse group of migrant ‘organisers’ and organisations from across the country. [Read more…]

Migrant Action hosts roundtable discussion on migration and integration.

29th March 2017 by ficheb

On the 15^thof March, Migrant Action hosted a roundtable discussion on Migration in Leeds. Convened by the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF), the event brought together charitable foundations and organizations working with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in the Leeds area. [Read more…]

Forced Migration: Cause, Consequence & Humanitarian response

15th July 2016 by ficheb

In May 2016, Fidelis Chebe and Dr Jon Burnett (Institute of Race Relations) delivered a joint lecture to MA students at the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds. [Read more…]

Working in the Jungle – Calais

18th March 2016 by leeds11

Delivering humanitarian assistance in the Jungle

In December 2015 my friends and I joined the community of volunteers in the ‘jungle’ in Calais. There is no way of capturing the experience in words because it was simply overwhelming. But I would say this, our hearts were ripped by the sense of agony, despair, oppression, dehumanisation, destitution and suffering within the camp.

However, the sense of resilience, community, compassion, hope and solidarity amongst migrants and volunteers was hugely inspirational. Wrestling between these 2 compelling conflicting emotions sustains our drive and determination to do more.

Who we are

Service provision for non-asylum seekers is undefined and limited. In Leeds, migrants seeking information, guidance, advice, advocacy and integration support struggle to find where to go to for help. Many vulnerable migrants are confined to the ‘edges’ of society and face daily, the real risk of exploitation, destitution, child poverty, detention, forced removal and deportations without access to justice. Vulnerable migrants with entrenched complex needs encounter restricted access to service provision which has far reaching implications for their health and well being.

Migrant Action is set up in response to this gap in service provision working with other vulnerable migrants who are not asylum seekers.Migrant Action is an Advocacy and Rights based organisation providing information, guidance, advocacy support and direct practical assistance to vulnerable migrants. Our work is primarily focused on migrants who do not fit into the ‘neat’ categories of migration including those who have fallen through the cracks of the system. Through our work, we create a safe space and enabling environment for new and vulnerable migrants to explore their issues and options in order to make informed choices.

By delivering early and proactive interventions, we aim to reduce vulnerability across categories of migrants and navigate positive pathways to integration. Through the support we offer, we mitigate the impact of the government’s ‘hostile environment’ policies on vulnerable migrants.
We do not work with asylum seekers and refugees but signpost them to the appropriate agencies.

Working in partnership with other agencies, Migrant Action facilitates access to justice, social integration and contributes to wider migration advocacy and policy change.

How do we do this?

We adopt an early intervention, prevention and proactive in our work with migrants.

Provide a welcoming and safe space
Provide information and guidance to help migrants make informed choices
Help migrants to navigate and access good legal/immigration services
Provide advocacy support and facilitate access to mainstream services
Support integration- help migrants navigate community and social networks, training, volunteering, employment and other pathways for social integration
Activism- Working with other agencies to advocate and influence policy and social change

Who we work with

Migrant Action is set up to work with Migrants who are NOT asylum seekers.

Vulnerable migrants (trafficked victims, unaccompanied minors, refused asylum seekers, irregular migrants and others who do not fit into the neat migration categories)
New migrants ( EU and Non-EU migrants)