Reflections on our rewarding experience
Early in August, the Migrant Action ‘family’ (staff, volunteers, trustees, some strategic
partners, and board allies’) convened in the beautiful and tranquil Yorkshire Dales.
In an increasingly turbulent global migration environment and a hostile UK
immigration policy response, the residential offered the time and space to reflect on
Migrant Action’s journey over the last 8 years of empowering and supporting
migrants, enabling resistance of migration injustice and envisioning a hopeful future
for migrants and migration justice.
Our authentic reflecting and courageous visioning generated a consensus for
TRANSFORMATION as our strategy for migration justice, social change and
liberative futures for migrants. Our intentionality to pursue the underpinnings rather
than the symptoms of vulnerability and migration injustice, legitimise our pursuit for
transformation as a meaningful pathway towards resilience, resistance and
sustainable structural change.
In doing this work, our whole person (body, soul and mind) is engaged constantly. It
is a rewarding and exhausting enterprise!
So, the residential was also an
opportunity for resting and collective care, as we were all reminded, rightly by the
words of Tricia Hersey, that ‘Rest is Resistance’.
We left the residential, rested, renewed, re-energised and ready in the pursuit of
migration justice through TRANSFORMATION.
Deep gratitude to the team, our brilliant facilitators from Oasis (Heather & Laurie)
and Paul Hamlyn Foundation for resourcing the residential.
Further gratitude to graphic visualiser Ali for capturing our reflections, discussions and dreams in this beautiful and resourceful visual:
Finally, also check out Sistren Legal Collective’s reflection on the residential and our collaborative partnership with the organisation:
