Forum Bulletin - Spring 2024
Meet the Forum
Each quarter we will introduce you to some of our Forum members. Click on the links below to watch a 2-minute video on Vimeo to 'meet the Forum'. (To watch with subtitles, click the CC button to the right of the play bar):
Refugee integration news
Each quarter we’ll round up some key news stories and reports related to refugee integration. If you’d like more regular updates on refugee integration and other areas of migration, check out our weekly policy bulletin.
- The Commission on the Integration of Refugees published its final report, collating findings from interim reports and submitted evidence from thousands of stakeholders from across the country, including Migration Yorkshire. The recommendations include devolving asylum and refugee support systems, greater authority for strategic migration partnerships, and improved access to employment and education (Sources: Commission for the Integration of Refugees)
- The British Politics and Policy Centre have published an article on how Local Councils can help with asylum policy, particularly in regard to integration and follow-on support. (Source: London School of Economics)
- A report from the Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford calls for a new national refugee policy for Britain, advising that the UK needs a whole-of-government approach to deliver effective refugee integration, and should allow the right to work for asylum seekers after six months from arrival. (Source: Refugee Studies Centre)
- This article explores the impact of immigration on faith in the UK and the recommendations of the Bloom report in 2023 , calling for government and educational settings to adopt a ‘faith sensitive’ approach to engaging with communities. (Sources: BBC; the Conversation)
- Also, a report has been published on the mental health of refugee and asylum seekers in the UK, including calls for a clear strategy from the government for refugee integration as part of its recommendations. (Sources: the Guardian, Mental Health Foundation.)
- Luca Silvestrini, director of dance theatre company ‘Protein’, reflects on his experiences as a migrant to the UK and how he uses theatre and dance to provide refugees and asylum seekers a voice. (Source: Metro)
- This student from Bradford shares about his family’s journey of overcoming challenges many migrants face to study law at Oxford. The family who are from Zambia gained refugee status when he was a child. (Sources: Telegraph and Argus)
- Jess Thompson, Founder of Migrateful (an organisation where refugee cooks teach their traditional cuisines to the public in cookery classes), discusses the importance of projects bringing together people from different communities and backgrounds such as through shared experience of food. (Source: inews)
- Two boys from Afghanistan have settled into their new community with their foster carer in a rural part of Selby district, enjoying local cricket and ESOL classes at York College. (Source: The Scarborough News)
- Asylum seekers and refugees living in Huddersfield braved howling winds to plant trees on Marsden Moor with the National Trust. (Source: Huddersfield Hub)