New Frontiers, New Partners: Migrant Action in South Yorkshire

4th March 2019 by ficheb

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.

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