Building on our successful anti-racism campaigning, education programmes and the Campaigning for Change project funded by JRCT focusing on the Common Travel Area (CTA), North West Migrants Forum wants to embed opportunities for black and minority ethnic people to become more engaged in participatory politics across all areas of policy on an all-Ireland basis.

Thinking beyond the Racial Equality Strategy and in the context of the growing anti-immigrant sentiments in Ireland, the growing Far Right movement and the lack of political will to implement inclusive policies, we seek to build both individual and collective skills and capacity to ensure that an anti-racist voice can be integrated and heard across systems of power and accountability north and south of the border.

Five year project: 2022-2027

This project focuses on Black history and heritage to transform the way we view NI history and to recognise the long tradition of cultural and ethnic diversity beyond the stereotype the two communities.

Activities

• Annual Black History Month Summits in Belfast and Derry in alternating years
• Workshops on racial literacy
• Exhibition about Black heritage
• Establishment of the steering committee to work with the Education Authority and experts to reform school curriculum and to include the minority heritage
• To create a Black history map and produce a book
• Resources for proposed work with schools

This project provides support and therapeutic services tailored to the needs of BME people, those seeking sanctuary, workers and longer-established BME communities in the north west. Building upon existing programmes, the project focuses on peer-to-peer support to help new arrivals settle with ease in their new environment and engage with their city and wider region.

Activities focus on partnerships between organisations, BME people offering regulated immigration advice, representation, enhanced orientation support, racial literacy, mental health and wellness.

This project has been informed by four factors:

1. Findings and recommendations from our NLCF independent evaluation
2. A significant increase in asylum seekers and refugees, including unaccompanied minors, seeking sanctuary in the north west
3. An increase in hate-motivated crimes and incidents in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area
4. A growing number of international students and migrant workers arriving in the city

Until 2028

This five-year grant has allowed the Forum to create a project packed with opportunities for young people to develop their public speaking abilities, engage in community service and network with professionals in a variety of fields.

The long-term plan is to develop sustainable youth services in the north west for diverse communities and to fully embed youth provision in the organisation.

This will enable young people to develop holistically, facilitating their personal, social and educational growth. It will also allow them to develop their voice, influence and place in society and to reach their full potential as well as achieve positions of leadership.

We are developing a working International Welcome Café as part of a Community Hub,  that works to relieve poverty and isolation amongst refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities in Derry. 

The idea is to build a sustainable social enterprise, with the café at its core that will provide opportunities for training, skills development, integration and cross-cultural understanding in very concrete and practical ways. The International Welcome Café will provide a dedicated space for outreach and income generation for some of the most vulnerable people in our community and open pathways to employment for people who have sought asylum here.

 Among its other functions, the International Welcome Café will facilitate training/apprenticeship opportunities in catering for those who are seeking sanctuary here, serve coffees/teas, snacks and authentic meals from around the world. 

The overarching aim of the venture is to welcome and offer friendship to refugees and asylum seekers and to bridge the current divide between people seeking sanctuary, ethnic minorities and the wider community.

This project aims to build capability and foster inclusion by providing tailored English language lessons to refugees and people seeking asylum in Derry, where current estimates indicate there around 250 individuals.

Most of these individuals live in hotel-type accommodations with full board, a small weekly allowance and no right to work.

People seeking asylum in Derry hail from 66 countries, including conflict zones like Eritrea, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and Palestine. They face significant challenges, including a heightened risk of developing mental health issues.

This project will enhance our current English language support services, targeting both those seeking protection and those granted international protection.

This grant enables us to provide essential services that promote social integration, digital inclusion and legal support.

Key activities include:

1) Drop-In Sessions for Women and Children: These sessions will offer a safe space for social interaction, healthy meals and community building, addressing the isolation often faced by new arrivals

2) Digital Inclusion Service: This programme will help refugee children and their families access online education, employment opportunities, and digital resources, improving their digital literacy and reducing isolation

3) Expansion of Advice Support Officer Hours: Increasing our officer’s hours from ten to 20 per week will allow us to better address the growing demand for legal, housing and integration support, especially in light of recent anti-immigrant sentiments

4) Mini Library Initiative: Establishing a bilingual library will provide resources to improve literacy, mental health and cross-cultural understanding

The grant enables NWMF to enhance our support services, helping our community members integrate fully into society, pursue their goals, and foster a sense of belonging.

Migrants and refugees often encounter difficulties attending educational or integration programmes due to language barriers and a lack of reliable information and advice on the ever-changing immigration rules and laws.

By providing information workshops and one to one support on how they can access justice, employment and education, we not only address these barriers but also open doors for participants to explore new career opportunities.

We also aim to enhance the skills and knowledge of our staff and volunteers through specialised immigration advice and support training, general advice training, social security advice and interpretation and translation training.

This is a joint project between the Committee on the Administration of Justice and NWMF.

Both organisations have a proven history of working in partnership to improve the migration system, migrant rights and to impact policy and practice.

Combining CAJ’s legal and policy expertise with NWMF’s campaigning and lived experience expertise creates a powerful collaborative movement which has already demonstrated its impact.

This project builds on this existing collaborative movement to tackle systemic injustice and inequality in key areas. It also strengthens both organisations by amplifying each organisation’s strengths and areas of expertise and formalising joint working practices.

CAJ and NWMF consider their respective organisations will both be strengthened in their capacity to tackle the systemic areas of injustice the project will focus upon, in addition a range of broader partners across the migrant and civil society sector and beyond will be empowered to engage effectively in this work.

We consider the project has the potential to lead to significant changes in policy, practice and legislation.