You are invited to attend the Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum’s

Our key note speaker is Don Flynn, Director of Migrants Rights Network.

The government’s Creating the Conditions for Integration strategy transfers responsibility for integration to local areas, without refering to any models or guidance about what successful integration looks like, whilst also hijacking integration as yet another excuse to speak about security and extremism. Resources, of course are not attached to any of it. It was also disappointing for those of us working on the integration of new citizens that the government completely ignored our efforts, expertise and contributions.

The list of challenges for integration is growing longer by the day: changes to legal aid, changes to housing and other welfare benefits, changes to family reunion visas, student visas, lack of ESOL, changes to UKBA, hardening of attitudes and increased xenophobia… And together it all means that the voices of migrants and refugees and the opportunities for them to influence civic processes and contribute to change are shrinking at the time when they are needed the most.  Huge numbers of organisations and communities are already doing great work on some of these issues despite funding cuts. We at the Forum feel that we should support each other’s efforts and amplify our voices in the challenging times ahead.

We have invited longstanding campaigner and director of the Migrant Rights’ Network, Don Flynn, to help us set the scene for our challenges over the next 3 years in the run up to the next general election. We are also inviting you, key leaders, experts and advocates in the field of migrant and refugee rights to contribute to this strategic conversation. We want to start a process of joint grass roots organising for an inclusive integration strategy by outlining the concrete steps and action points that are needed.

Bring along your members, invite your partners, and come armed with ideas that reflect your personal experiences, as well as the experiences of your communities, about what works and what you need for better integration.

Places are limited so please book early via eventsmrcforguk  eventsmrcforguk   or call 020 8964 4815

The Forum

2 Thorpe Close

London W10 5XL

Nearest tube station is Ladbroke Grove on Hammersmith and City line and buses 7, 23, 52 and 70 also stop on Ladbroke Grove. Refreshments will be provided.

Engage to Change Project is funded by:

In case you missed our report and blog series…

• Operation Integration: The Making of New Citizens – PDF
• Left Foot Forward: There’s no magic bullet to encourage integration
• The Forum: Racism Among Young People
• Huffington Post: Integration and Prevent 2.0: Are They a Break From the Past or More of the Same?
• Migration Pulse: Integration? You deal with it
• The Forum: How Do Community Leaders Facilitate Integration?

Last year, I completed the digital activism course and was inspired by the projects of other students. I wanted to make a short film to let others know about their dynamic work.

They just need the tools to let the world know what they are doing. They are inspirational and courageous. Digital activism is a democratic and free tool to put their voices out. We need to hear the other side of stories. I believe that digital activism is for all but especially for them!

Watch our new film and please be in touch if there are any ways you can help with the project.

]]> http://www.mrcf.org.uk/short-film-digital-activism-for-all/feed 2 http://www.mrcf.org.uk/meet-the-forum-dario?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meet-the-forum-dario http://www.mrcf.org.uk/meet-the-forum-dario#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:10:43 +0000 Dario Mentone http://www.mrcf.org.uk/?p=18313 Communications Intern

My name is Dario and I am from Italy. Currently I am a Master’s student in International Relation at the University of Venice. I think my biggest passion is reading…I really love books; I could stare at them for hours.

Where do you live now?
I am currently living in Grove Park but in a few weeks I will move to South Sudan.

Why are you interested in migration?
I have always been interested in this topic, fascinated by the incredible stories of those people forced to leave everything to save their lives. By the courage they demonstrated to start over again in countries that most of the time look at them as an intruder, as people to get rid of.

What do you do at MRCF?
I am the communications intern. I support policy and research projects on migrants and refugee, police practices pertaining to stop and search powers and I help to manage content for the organization’s website.

How did you come to work at MRCF?
I knew that I wanted to make experience in this field. I applied through my university for an Erasmus Placement internship and fortunately I got it.

What do you think is unique about MRCF?
MRCF is a big family where everyone is doing their best to give the word integration real meaning. I am very proud to be part of this team and I think it would be fantastic to come back here in a near future to play my part.

What issues do you think are most important to migrants in London?
Housing for me represents one of the most difficult challenges to overcome. At the beginning of my experience in London I faced serious problems to find a good place to live and the support of my colleagues at MRCF allowed me to solve the situation. Even if Italy is not so far from here, I need my place to feel safe.

What are you looking forward to in the next year?
I really don’t know about the next year. What I know is that in a few weeks I will go to South Sudan to work for an international organization. I am really exited and I look forward to experiencing the field. This is what I have been waiting for all my life and now it is real.

“Everyone is doing
their best to give the
word integration
real meaning.”

1) Who can vote:  In additions to British Citizens, you can vote if you are over 18 and from an EU country, the Irish Republic and a Commonwealth Country (see the full list here).

2) If you have an INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN and are not from one of the Commonwealth Countries you CANNOT vote in the Mayoral Elections (you can vote in local elections).

3) It is crucial that you register to vote by the 18^th April. You can do this by contacting your local council or online at London Elects. This website contains other useful information in all community languages.

Mayoral election campaign is in a full swing. If you wish to find out more about what candidates think and plan to do for London and its migrant and refugee citizens, we draw your attention to two upcoming meetings:

• Migrants Rights Network (MRN) meeting on 11^th April from 10a.m.  till 1 p.m. at Diana Princess of Wales Fund, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB

This is an opportunity to hear from mayoral campaigns and ask them about their views on migration and integration issues. For further details and registration call MRN on 0207 920 6420 or visit online registration site: http://london2012mrn-esearch2.eventbrite.com/?srnk=213

• London Citizens are organising a 2500 people strong Assembly with five mayoral candidates on the 25^th April to ask for:
  • A better governed London
  • A better housed London
  • A safer London
  • A brighter future for your Londoners
  • A living wage for Londoners

Places are limited and each member institution can only bring 8 people to the assembly. For those who will not be there on the 25^th. The Forum will distribute candidates’ responses to this agenda before May 3^rd so that you can make informed decision about who to vote for.

Don’t waste your vote. It does make a difference.

Have your say on the 3^rd of May!

A year ago, when the spending cuts started to bite, it became clear that two projects at the Forum were facing with two options: do or die.

For civil society working with migrants, Big Society is more of a Big Crunch with funding squeezed or drying up. We had to think beyond traditional charity projects to social enterprise and online communities. The Forum has responded to the cuts by transforming two of our projects into social enterprises. Last autumn, the Overseas Healthcare Professionals project became the Dentist StudyBuddy – an online forum for qualified dentists who come to the UK but need support to verify their qualifications. Members can study together online and offline, share resources and use our library.

On Tuesday, we launched our second social enterprise, Integrated Media UK, which provides support on digital media and one-day courses for a flat rate of £100 with discounted rates for migrants and refugees. We also offer work placements for young migrants who wish to enter the digital media or communication sector.

While the cuts have been a challenge, they have forced us to innovate, streamline and become sustainable. As a small charity, we can offer a few lessons we have learned from social enterprise in the past year.

Look internally to find your expertise

Many charities think social enterprise means setting up a cafe to make money on the side. We found social enterprise was a better fit within our experience and our expertise. We ran a project for migrant dentists for over 10 years and were the only one supporting over 3000 people. Social enterprise helped us find a different way of monetising that work.

After several failed attempts at repackaging our digital project, we realised that we have an expertise – not only in the migrant sector but in a wider market. Because we were ahead of the pack, we now have two years experience providing simple and clear trainings on social media, blogging, and other digital tools. What we needed to do was transform this knowledge and expertise into a business model.

Pilot your idea quickly

The best way to know your idea works is to try it and try it quickly. Charities are notoriously conservative about new projects, so find ways of experimenting with social enterprise for free. For us, it didn’t cost anything to pilot our idea. We knew our social media trainings were unique but we didn’t know if people would pay for them. We used our community centre and content from previous courses to pull together our first training. Although we launched publicly this week, we have piloted four different formats in the last year and they are still evolving.

Use a mixture of income streams

Finding the right income stream was difficult with the dentist project because our members had rejected membership fees and donation drives in the past. But in October 2011, we re-introduced an annual £50 membership fee at the same time as complete rebranding of the service. Because the product was fresh, the transition to an annual membership fee was smoother and within three months made a profit of over £7,000.

We were also surprised by the success of alternative income streams, such as advertising on the site. In the past month alone, we have made more profit from businesses who advertise to our members than membership fees. This showed us that people were willing to pay for access to the niche community we have cultivated. Don’t let opportunities for a mixture of income streams slip away; they may surprise you by being the most profitable.

‘Customers’ are different than ‘users’

Probably the biggest challenge for charities looking to become social enterprises is the difference between charity and business cultures. Our culture clash happened in two ways: first was that our staff wanted to continue the same services even if they were not profitable. Should we continue a lecture series that incurred a £200 loss each week? Maybe if the social benefit is worth it but in this instance the business case won out.

The second clash happened in the way we support ‘users’ of our centre and ‘customers’ of our service. As a social enterprise, we need to balance the amount of time and emotional support for our communities with the need to make a profit. It is easy to get sucked into doing too much for customers/users when charity culture says our job is to holistically support them.

Invest time and energy in your customer service strategy. This will help both your staff and customers learn the boundaries of your new service.

Imagine this…

You fled a great calamity to arrive into a new country. You are shocked in every way possible. A friendly border officer welcomes you and your family with an aid of a person speaking your language. In the first week, you feel like a baby – the world is strange and new and you know nothing. But help is at hand and soon enough you live in your own place, your children are in school, and so are you and your spouse, sent there to learn English.

You have one year to get your head around your new life while the government is footing the bill. Your own personal adviser helps you navigate through the system of benefits, schools, culture, job search, health care, training and anything else that you and your family may need to resume a normal life. Your adviser is on top of the game: she regularly ups her professional skills, the most recent being in recognising special mental health needs newcomers may have and support they require to address them early.

After one year, your case is reviewed and you are expected to look for work. All help is there to get on as the government wants nothing more from you than a pay back in taxes. A new job may not pay enough to cover the childcare and your spouse may be staying home to look after them. Don’t worry. She too will get extra help to find work once she has more time on her hands.

Soon enough you are working, muddling along, raising a family, paying taxes, earning pension, having barbeques and reading the Sunday papers. The papers don’t contain ill feelings against migrants. Instead they are full of stories of survival and success against the odds, of commitment, hard work and contributions immigrants make to society. You hear foreign accents everywhere and see people from different parts of the world in offices and banks, as police officers, TV presenters, actors, etc. They look like you and the people you know and you are encouraged by this.

Life in the new country was hard at the beginning, but it is getting better and you are now ready to give something back. You are reactive in your community, helping organise native language classes so your children can remain close to your culture. You volunteer and encourage your children to do the same. So they do, as their school offers plenty of opportunities and rewards for it. Things are really looking up, but it would be much better if you could bring your mother or your sister over. That proves to be a problem as you don’t earn enough and can’t support them. You find another way and find support from people in your community to sponsor your relatives.

After some years of hard work and struggle, you look back: you still miss your home, your children may be too ‘westernised’ for your liking but they also are proud of their ancestry and cultural heritage thanks to all those folklore dances you made them do over the years. You did not plan for things to turn out this way but you feel that you belong.

Welcome! You have become a Canadian citizen.

Read A Canadian Integration Story – Part 2…

This somewhat rosy picture of integration is a lived experience of many immigrants to Canada (true for my large Bosnian family) where they get integrated into the mainstream society much more successfully as a result of a deliberate public policy. What are the elements of this policy and how does it work?

First, Canadian public narrative views migrants as essential to its history, economy, culture and politics – it is migrants who made Canada what it is today. According to the Citizenship and Immigration Ministry, the government is committed to reaching out to Canadians and newcomers and is developing lasting relationships with its ethnic and religious communities. These principles are enshrined in the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988). It encourages them to participate fully in society by enhancing their level of economic, social, and cultural integration.

Secondly, unlike in the UK, there is still an uncompromised belief in and political support for laws protecting human rights which are enshrined in the constitution. Canadian politicians are not calling for a limitation of human rights protection for migrants. Indeed it is the government’s (unofficial) policy to allow all residents to have access to education and health care whether they are documented or not.

Thirdly, the government’s strategic vision and stated values encompass positive and self-reinforcing attitudes that encourage, rather than demand, active citizenship. It speaks of migrants as contributing to economic growth, innovation, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness rather than as posing a drain on public resources. The positive cycle looks something like this: The way their immigration system works demonstrates Canada’s social and humanitarian commitments. Positive approach to migrants who are treated by a competent and efficient immigration system practically demonstrates these values. As a result, the system is trusted and valued, which in turn reinforces trust in the state and citizenship. This positive loop is self–reinforcing and delivers in the long term. It is not about filling short-term labour gaps but about nation building and nurturing active citizens.

Fourthly, although both Canada and the UK have a restrictive immigration rules, their strategic approaches differ fundamentally. Whereas Canada has reinforced its long term commitment to the integration of migrants underpinning it with funds and for example, sophisticated policies for accessing the labour market, the UK has moved in the opposite direction. This in turn produces different integration systems. The Canadian one is generously funded, more centralised and aligned at a national, provincial and local level leaving very little space for migrants to fall through the cracks. The belief is that frontloading funds and support, although initially more expensive, generates far greater returns by producing tax-paying, English speaking, well educated and included active citizens. The system is self correcting and capable of producing targeted interventions.

In Ontario, for example, support for accessing the labour market goes beyond securing just any job, to securing one that matches individual skills and education.  For example, the government and the business sector jointly developed Ontario’s professional certification program (Bridge Training Project) and created new and innovative ways to recognise professional skills. According to one Ministry official a ‘personalized service is the single most important lesson we have learned about getting newcomers into skilled jobs’. In comparison, the Forum’s foreign dentist support website the Dentist StudyBuddy is the only social enterprise in the UK that aids dentist certification.

In terms of nurturing active citizenship, the Canadian government makes concerted efforts to engage citizens by offering volunteering opportunities for every age group, starting in primary schools, and publicly rewarding them. Young people are involved in leadership programmes and rewards are offered on top of the general system requiring all graduates to volunteer 40 hours a year as a requirement for graduation. For those who missed the school system, there are community colleges that offer courses in Active Citizenship for individuals on a path to citizenship. The business sector actively supports and rewards community volunteering.

This lesson has been adopted in the UK where the new National Citizens Service currently focuses on a much smaller sample of youth from disadvantaged and minority background, some of whom are deemed to have failed to positively contribute to society after the August 2011 riots. Although the NCS has yet to met its ambitions in terms of youth recruitment, the government is committed to rolling it out more widely. For a young person to be associated with a program linked to poverty and anti-social behaviour may not be attractive. Repackaging it might give it more appeal.

This brings us to the public discourse on migration. In Canada, the discourse is positive. Politicians from all parties are largely well disposed to migrants and this is reflected in other spheres of life. Positive stories and images of migrants are abundant in both national and local newspapers. Free info magazines, such as Canadian Immigrant, contain job ads and stories on a wide range of issues relevant to newcomers. Visible public life – from politics to TV – is populated with people from different races and backgrounds – all of which contributes to the overall positive outlook on migrants, inclusion and a sense of belonging.

Canada’ immigration policy is a subject to criticism like any other. Canada restrictive immigration policy is said to favour only well educated and skilled migrants and has in the past favoured white European over other immigrants. Its recent legal changes are aimed at strengthening the state prerogative to control its borders and choose who to welcome in. For example, a new bill against human trafficking made illegal border crossing subject to a long period of detention. Others call for overhauling the immigration system. Canada Immigration Watch aims at reduction of immigration rates to 20% of the current rates while citing the inability of local governments to cope with the influx of migrant and ill effects it has on the native culture. The most recent speech of the Conservative Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, describing a new ‘transformational change’ in immigration policy, was criticised for its unimaginative tone calling for future immigrants  to be ‘flexible human capital, high levels of language proficiency and a pre-arranged set for success.’ Still, the public debate on immigration in Canada has not lead to the questioning of its fundamental principles such as its commitment to human rights. It is far from the vilification migrants and asylum seekers are subjected to in the UK media, which is currently under the Leveson Inquiry for its illegal and damaging practices.

In conclusion, the national narrative and government’s strategic vision are difficult to replicate from one country to another. Their importance, however, is clear as they underpin the nature of the policy, the system and its outcomes.  In Canada, public policy and discourse, active citizenship and public trust in the system constitutes a positive and reinforcing cycle in integrating newcomers. In the UK, negative political and public discourse and attitudes, restrictive public policy and mistrust in the immigration system reinforce the negative cycle and lack of integration.

Last night, the Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum launched our social enterprise – Integrated Media UK. For the past two years, we have provided quality, in-depth digital trainings for migrants and refugees. Now we are openning our expertise to the general public.

Bespoke Support

This new social enterprise provides bespoke digital media training for individuals, charities and businesses. Integrated Media specialises in creating customised trainings for our clients’ individual needs. After a short conversation, we will recommend the most suitable length training for your capacity and skills.

Crash Courses and Advanced Courses

We also offer regular one-day trainings focused on social media, blogging, and e-newsletters. These courses are open to the public for the flat rate of £100.

Supporting Migrant Communities

In addition to providing the best training on the market, we continue to support migrant and refugees. We offer discounted or bursary places for migrants or refugees. Integrated Media also provides work placements for young migrants who wish to enter the digital media or communication sector.

A special thank you to our guest speakers of the night- Rob Blackie (Blue State Digital), Tom Barfield (Demotix.com) and Mark Rock (Audioboo).

Please join us in celebrating the last two years of our success and many more in the future.

Watch ‘Digital Activism for All’

Above is a documentary film- Digital Activism for All- produced by a graduate of our course, Julie France.

April Training Schedule

Social Media for Beginners

Thursday, April 12, 2012 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

This course takes you through our practical step-by-step training on world of digital media. We help you understand and devise a social media strategy that integrates with your mainstream communication. We orient you to the major social networking sites – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. We assist you in setting up your business or organisation accounts.
We help your digital media strategy take flight.

E-Newsletter for Beginners

Thursday, April 19, 2012 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

This course orientates you to the wide world of email newsletters. We help you gain greater access to your clients by connecting to their personal inboxes.  We help you create attractive and engaging emails. We teach you how to target your email blasts to close contacts or special interest groups. We help you maximise your return by teaching you how to evaluate the impact of each enewsletter.
We help you know and connect with your clients.

Blogging for Beginners

Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

This course teaches you the basic skills of content management on your blog or website. We help you understand which features are most important for your business or organisation. We guide you through the process and habit of blogging to build your reputation. We help you hit the right tone to engage your loyal costumers and bring in new clients.
We help you stake out and build your digital reputation.

Back in June 2011, the Government presented their policy on counter terrorism- sold to us as the new Prevent strategy (what I call Prevent 2.0)- which supposedly signified a radical shift from Labour’s approach to stopping extremism.

Theresa May rightfully pointed out that the previous government’s linking of integration projects with counter terrorism sometimes led to more radicalisation and less integration. She suggested that the Labour government “failed to promote integration, and where they did promote it they did so through the narrow prism of counter-terrorism.”

Again, back in 2011 many of us interpreted this as a nod toward the decoupling of integration and counter terrorism policies. Oh were we wrong.

The Coalition’s new integration policy, announced at the end of February, lays out their five point plan to another failed strategy. Step one: common ground. Step two: responsibility. Step three: social mobility. Step four: participation and empowerment. Step five: tackling intolerance and extremism. Integration done.

Think again. This integration strategy attempts to rebrand Labour’s counter terrorism policy (Prevent 1.0) with picnic lunches and curry schools. The problem is that it is still fundamentally wrong: integration and counter terrorism policies cannot be linked without threatening the integrity of both.

Rebranding Prevent doesn’t make it better

Prevent 2.0 is careful to theoretically separate prevention of extremism from cohesion projects in order to sidestep the critique that the government is ‘securitising integration’. A few pages later, though, it goes back to suggesting that ‘Prevent remains distinct from but linked to integration”.

The problem with police and counter terrorism officers running integration projects is that no one wants to ‘integrate’ at the point of a gun, let alone in the lobby of a police station. Integration and adoption of ‘common values’ means more when it is authentic and organic, not compulsory. Anyone who has taken the Life in the UK test knows that passing requires more memorisation than showing one’s commitment to British values.

Another critique of the revised Prevent strategy by Prof. Derek McGhee lays out that prevention is necessarily an intelligence and spying exercise- rebranding it as cohesion misses the point of identifying extremists and stopping them before they do damage to our communities. McGhee also points out the contradiction in the Government’s localism agenda and their need for prevention to be planned more centrally.

Going Extreme on Extremism

The fifth pillar of the new integration policy is ‘Tackling intolerance and extremism’. On the surface, it discusses a few projects that will address hate crimes and focus teachers’ standards, but at its core it is the Prevent strategy.

Here we go again: integration and extremism hand-in-hand.

We know that heavy handed policing like Stop and Search (Section 44 & 60) does not stop violent crimes. We also know that the disproportionate and in some cases unnecessary use of power have contributed to the radicalisation process and a general sense of frustration among many minority communities.

But going extreme on extremism is a difficult line to walk, especially as the Government attempts to dismantle multiculturalism.

Where is the welcoming and tolerant society that made Britain a desirable place to live?

Tolerance and respect come from education at all ages of our community and integration flows from this. Unfortunately this is not the what the Home Office strategy is about.

I am not contesting a strong counter terrorism policy. Do counter terrorism right, just do it independently from integration. The majority of migrants want to integrate so how about an integration strategy for us? A minority of migrants are engaged in extremist activities, and a proportional targeted counter terrorism response is appropriate.

In selling this integration policy to a right-wing press, the Government pushed a ‘tough on extremism’ line. This reveals what migrant communities have known all along: that this Government is suspicious of us. And as badly as the Coalition wants to distance itself from the policies of Labour, their integration and prevention policies are just more of the same.

VOTE for MAYOR on May 3rd

Londoner’s daily life is touched by decisions of our Mayor more than by those of the national government.  If you travel on a tube or bus to work, have children of school age, struggle to find affordable accommodation and wish for safer streets – you should pay close attention in the next couple of months as the person who will take become the London Mayor will have powers to improve daily life for you and your family. If you are a migrant or of migrant background, you belong to the largest group of Londoners (37% of foreign born people live in London). Given the importance of migrants to London – now and in the future – all mayoral candidates need to engage with issues that are relevant to our lives. This, of course, will be possible only if you take a stand and spread the word about the importance of these elections.

How to take a stand:

Luckily, Mayoral election is high up on the agenda and discussions abound. The Guardian is currently calling for public input for Mayor on a variety of issues: policing, housing, transport, environment, employment, and governance. Local community organisations have been listening for months what people want to change and are now running workshops to encourage them to register and vote. London Citizen, a broad alliance of faith and community organisations, have been listening and working with others towards a manifesto that reflects common good for our communities and neighbourhoods. And this is what people want:

• Safe neighbourhoods
• Better and affordable housing
• Living wage for Londoners
• Better work opportunities for young people

Use your vote to ensure that the new Mayor works for the common good of our communities and neighbourhoods.

What you can do:

Register to vote by April 18th

You can vote if you are British, Irish, and Commonwealth or EU citizen over 18 years old. You need to register with your local council or do so online at London Elect website by April 18^th. Encourage your family, friends and neighbours to register and vote.

Attend a community meeting about the election

Go to your local community organisation to discuss issues and find out more about the election. Raise your concerns about what issues most effect you.

Come to MRCF on March 27

Join us at the Forum on March 27^th to discuss and find out more about the election.