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.

Participants explored the changing landscape of migration and the opportunities that exist within the city of Leeds, to promote a progressive and proactive agenda on migration and integration. The discussions captured service provision and good practices of services working together. Participants highlighted the opportunities generated through strategic migration partnerships and collaborative working across services and with migrant communities to provide services, reduce vulnerability and build resilience. Participants explored new and stronger partnerships with communities and other sectors including businesses, universities, arts and sports in order to enhance opportunities for empowerment, social participation, integration, economic development and community cohesion.

The discussions also highlighted the role of government’s austerity agenda, Brexit, global conflicts and the impact of these on migration and integration in Leeds. Responding to these challenges, participants identified community engagement, effective leadership and a coherent migration/integration strategy as essential requirements for Leeds to continue being a welcoming, diverse, economically vibrant, resilient and cohesive city. Charitable Foundations and migrant organizations recognized the link between a progressive migration agenda, integration, economic development and community cohesion.

The event offered a good opportunity for the funders to meet and build new links with Leeds based organizations as well as get different perspective of migration and integration outside London. Migrant Action is passionate about empowering migrants to make the positive choices, advocating for migrant rights and creating safe pathways to integration. By doing so and working in partnership with other organizations, we help to reduce vulnerability and empower migrants to live independent and fulfilling lives.

We are immensely grateful to Paul Hamlyn Foundation and all the organizations who attended the event. Through working together, we are hopeful to promote a progressive agenda for integration for asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants in Leeds!

If you would like to find out more about our work or support us, please contact us via facebook or email; info@migrantaction.org.uk

The Migrant Action Team!

Migrant Action was established in 2016 as an Advocacy and Rights based organisation providing information, guidance, advocacy support and direct practical assistance to ‘vulnerable’ migrants. Migrant Action works with migrants who have fallen through the cracks of the immigration system including (but not restricted to) stateless people, those who have been unable to regularise their status and those on temporary visas. We work to ensure equity of rights and justice for migrants, and although the primary focus of our work is not with asylum seekers and refugees, we do signpost them to appropriate … Read more ..

Happy New Year from Migrant Action

Dear friends of Migrant Action,

In a few hours, we will be saying ‘good-bye’ to 2021 and ‘welcome’ to 2022. Thank you for your solidarity and support helping to strengthen Migrant Action’s advocacy and pursuit for migrants’ rights & justice in an increasingly challenging and complex environment. The essence of our work is even more relevant now!

Context

BREXIT, the ‘New immigration bill which reinforces the ‘hostile environment’ policy targeting migrants, the Climate crisis, Covid-19, Systemic racism, negative press narratives fuelling anti-migrant sentiments by sections of the media, protracted conflicts, political violence, human rights violations, economic exploitation, and political marginalisation of the global south.

These developments constitute a disturbing environment for migrant’s rights & justice. Firstly, it engineers and sustains vulnerability and the precarious conditions that trigger more mobility of migrants across and within countries. Secondly, it entrenches and exacerbates an infrastructure that undermine migrants’ capacity to access justice, deepen inequality, racial & social injustice and routinely negate migrant rights and dignity. In essence, such an environment poses an existential threat to the dignity and humanity of migrants.

Our Response

Migrant Action is adapting and responding to this changing and complex context. We have expanded provision and adapted service delivery model to proactively support vulnerable migrants during the pandemic and beyond. We enhanced our delivery of crisis interventions to prevent homelessness & destitution, increased access to immigration advice for people with insecure immigration, increased integration support for new migrants, assisted more EU migrants to regularise their immigration status in the UK after Brexit. Our advocacy work continues to promote equity of rights and justice for migrants. Essentially, Migrant Action continues to a lifeline and safety net for vulnerable migrants in this challenging environment.

Migrant Action has also strengthened its capacity and resilience in pursuit of transformational social change. The current context demands more urgency to challenge anti-migrant sentiments and policies, tackle structural inequalities, climate change, systemic racism, and social injustice. To this vein, our strategic advocacy through ‘Strengthening Hands’ partnerships to grow migrant ‘voice’, as well as our collaborative research, capacity building and campaign-based activities have been impactful.

Looking to the future

Migrant Action anticipates operating in an even more challenging context as it grapples with the issues undermining rights and justice. However, we have emerged from 2020/21 with more capacity and resilience to respond to present and future challenges working as a team with staff, volunteers, trustees, partners, funders and of course, those we serve- migrants. Therefore, we look forward to 2022 with greater hope and fierceness commitment to rights and justice for migrants, a fair and humane immigration system and for a more equal, just, and peaceful society in which everyone including migrants can realize their full potential.

Dear friends, your solidarity remains invaluable and integral to our success, even more so, now!

Thank you and Happy New Year!

Fidelis Chebe

Director