Striving for Change, Reclaiming the Narrative

September 18-19th, 2015

At: University of Westminster,

Regent Street, London

Migrant Voice's 5th Annual Conference Report

The State of Migration:

MIGRANT VOICE

Authored by: Migrant Voice

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Contents

1. INTRODUCTION TO MIGRANT VOICE (MV) ............................................................................ 2

2. BACKGROUND TO MIGRANT VOICES WORK AND THE CONFERENCE .................................... 2

GLOBAL MIGRATION CRISIS AND EUROPES RESPONSE .................................................................... 2

EU MIGRATION ............................................................................................................................. 3

IN THE UK .................................................................................................................................... 3

THE ABSENCE OF MIGRANT VOICES ................................................................................................ 3

THE CONFERENCE ......................................................................................................................... 4

3. OVERVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE ............................................................................................ 5

4. CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS ................................................................. 7

DAY 1 SEPTEMBER 18TH ................................................................................................................ 7

WELCOMING REMARKS .............................................................................................................. 7

KEYNOTE SPEECH ....................................................................................................................... 7

DEBATE: THE MIGRATION CRISIS, THE MIGRANTS, AND EUROPES RESPONSE ............................ 8

DEBATE: TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE EUROPEAN MIGRATION AND UKS RESPONSE ............... 11

WORKSHOPS - DEVELOPING THE MESSAGES AND AGREEING ACTIONS ........................................ 13

DAY 2 SEPTEMBER 19TH ............................................................................................................. 18

MEET A MIGRANT ..................................................................................................................... 18

TRAINING SESSION ................................................................................................................. 20

WORKSHOP: STRIVING FOR CHANGE; RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE ......................................... 21

5. WHAT PARTICIPANTS SAID .................................................................................................... 22

ANNEX .......................................................................................................................................... 24

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Migrant Voice's 5th Annual Conference Report

1. Introduction to Migrant Voice

Migrant Voice (MV) is a migrant-led organisation established with the aim of increasing the

representation of migrants in the media in order to encourage a more balanced, well-informed

and inclusive public debate on migration.

Migrant Voice works to strengthen the skills, capacity and confidence of members of migrant

communities, supporting the development of our own strategies for participation in the media

and public debates.

2. Background to Migrant Voices work and the conference

GLOBAL MIGRATION CRISIS AND EUROPES RESPONSE

We are in the middle of the biggest global migration crisis since the end of the Second World War

and this situation will not be resolved soon.

In spite of the rising death toll of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean over recent

months, and the fact that situations in countries such as Syria and Eritrea show no sign of change

in the near future, calls for EU-wide solidarity and resettlement of a greater number of refugees

have not reached consensus.

There has been huge discrepancies in European nations responses, with countries like Germany

and Sweden welcoming large numbers of refugees, and countries in Southern Europe feeling a

lack of European solidarity to help them support the numbers arriving at their shores. Meanwhile

other countries, including Britain, have been more resistant to taking more refugees.

Many European leaders are prioritising stricter border control measures over humanitarian

protection, rights, and looking at the root causes of migration. Some countries even voted in

favour of military action against smugglers, and have undertaken such extreme border control

measures as building walls and fences and sending in the army and the dogs.

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While there has been some positive coverage of the recent tragedies in the Mediterranean, the use

of scaremongering and dehumanising language has diverted attention away from the

humanitarian situation.

EU MIGRATION

The upcoming EU referendum will be significant. The decision to bar EU migrants from voting

will exclude the very people whose lives will be most directly affected by the result.

Around 2.4 million EU citizens are currently living and working in the UK, and likewise there are

around 2.2 million Britons in other EU countries. The principle of free movement has been the

subject of much discussion. While some acknowledge the benefits of this two-way process, others

focus on alleged abuse of the right to free movement in order to gain access to services and benefits

in the UK, and claims of undercutting the wages and working conditions of UK workers.

IN THE UK

The rhetoric we have seen in previous years on migration seems likely to continue. The

implementation of the 2014 Immigration Act, together with the plans for a 2015 Immigration Bill,

the EU referendum, the discussion on EU migrants mobility and access to benefits, the ongoing

commitment to the net migration target and family migration rules, as well as a potential

scrapping of the Human Rights Act, all make for areas of concern and challenges for us and others

in the field of migration.

THE ABSENCE OF MIGRANT VOICES

Amidst all this, migrants are still the targets of negative rhetoric in the UK, with migration

presented as a burden on the country and its resources.

There is a discrepancy between recent months media and political focus on Calais, and the actual

numbers of asylum seekers coming through this route. The continuous images of migrants as

victims cramped on small boats or trying to get onto a lorry at Calais combined with the negative

language of some politicians, serves to reinforce public fears of not being able to cope with

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migration. Therefore it is now more crucial than ever to ensure migrant voices are heard in all

this.

There has been a concerted effort by media to get migrants own experiences from Europe and the

Mediterranean. Yet migrant voices are largely absent from the national conversation about their

situation taking place mainly in the media. Our research into media reporting, Migrants Invisible

in UK Media, found that migrants are only quoted in a minority of stories about migration and

are systematically ignored by the majority of media outlets in a way that would be unthinkable if

it concerned any other minority group.

THE CONFERENCE

Since setting up in 2010 Migrant Voice has worked through two general elections and a financial

crisis that has contributed to sharpening the tone of the migration debate. We see the coming

years as holding a number of continued challenges.

This conference created a space for migrants, academics, journalists, and others interested in

migration to unpack the current challenges and the ones ahead, deepen our understanding of the

complex and fast evolving developments in Europe and the UK, and develop our narratives and

strategies to have a voice on these issues.

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3. Overview of the conference

Migrant Voice held its 5th annual conference The State of

Migration: Striving for Change, Reclaiming the Narrative

on September 18-19th, 2015 at the University of

Westminster, London.

The University of Westminster played an important role

in supporting and hosting this conference.

The two day conference brought together over 170

activists, professionals, media and migration experts to

address the most urgent issues around migration in the

UK and Europe, the rhetoric on migration, develop

actions and strategies, and raise alternative voices and

messages. Participants included members of our network

hubs in London, Birmingham and Glasgow, as well as

interested individuals and experts from other cities within the UK, both migrants and Britons.

A highlight of day 1 was the panel discussion on the migration crisis, chaired by Lindsey Hilsum,

International Editor for Channel 4 News.

On the panel were Andrej Mahecic, Senior External Relations Officer, UNHCR; Sabir Zazai, CEO,

Coventry Migrant and Refugee Centre; Maurice Wren, CEO, Refugee Council; Dr Lul Seyoum,

Director, International Centre for Eritrean Refugees and Asylum Seekers and Prof Emeritus Mike

ODonnell, independent researcher and author.

The afternoon featured another panel discussion, this time on European migration and the UKs

response, chaired by Emily Dugan, Social Affairs Editor at the Independent, i and the

Independent on Sunday.

The panellists were Jan Krauss, Political officer, European Commission Representation in the UK;

Roger Casale, Founder and Director, New Europeans; Jean Lambert, London Green MEP;

Susie Symes, Economist, Chair of trustees, 19 Princelet Street the museum of immigration and

diversity; and Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz, Projects Coordinator at the IARS International Institute,

and Associate Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.

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After a networking break, participants broke into workshops to come up with practical ways to

address the issues discussed in the morning, as well as the Human Rights Act, the Immigration

Act and Immigration Bill, and research on migration.

Following the formal business at the AGM, we heard

about a range of different inspirational migration

projects during our mash-up session projects that use

everything from photography to apps to engage

audiences with the subject of migration.

We wrapped up the day enjoying a delicious dinner and

fun cultural evening where participants took part in

different dances from around the world.

Day 2 of the conference gave us the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of migrants

experiences in the Meet a Migrant session with journalists (Parminder Bahra, Executive Producer,

the Wall Street Journal Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Harriet Grant, freelance reporter,

filmmaker and radio producer, regularly working for the Guardian and the BBC; and

Shyamantha Asokan, freelance journalist and photographer) interviewing our members Virginia,

Serenella and Jacques about their lives and experiences in the UK.

These three journalists, joined by chair Daniel Nelson, freelance journalist and editor, then took

us through a training session to give us insights into the inner workings of the news media and

how best to get our stories reported in a positive light.

We finished the conference in a

very hands-on way as we broke off

into small group discussions to

explore how we can strive for

change and reclaim the narrative

on migration. Ideas and inspiration

flowed freely as we devised

practical strategies and actions to

take forward in the coming year as

individuals, and together as

migrant voice.

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4. Conference presentations and workshops

DAY 1 SEPTEMBER 18TH

Welcoming Remarks

Dorrie Chetty, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Course Leader for the BA

Combined Sociology and Criminology at the University of Westminster,

formally opened the conference and welcomed all guests to the conference

and to the University.

Trustee of Migrant Voice, Penny McLean formally welcomed guests on

behalf of the Migrant Voice board of trustees.

Keynote speech (Nazek Ramadan, Executive Director, Migrant Voice)

Nazek presented the challenges of the migrant crisis, using a slideshow

with pictures from her trip to Calais (a week before the conference). There

were some profound images, including stuffed toys tied to a tent, to which

Nazek responded by exclaiming her shock at the number of children at the

site. Nazek also pointed to the juxtaposition of the expensive, reinforced

fences to keep refugees in the site and the comparative poverty of the

jungle inside; jungle being a term used by the inhabitants of the Calais

site, as Nazek discovered, to reflect its lawlessness. Nazek surmised how

most of the refugees at the camp were primarily from Eritrea, South Sudan, Afghanistan and other

conflict regions, as well as around 250 Syrians. Nazek did also point at some of the positives that

have been a result of the crisis, in particular the outpouring of aid from everywhere in Europe,

from Britain to Germany to France, and the help of volunteers in improving the camp; for instance

she pointed to the building of an extension to the library by volunteers. Nazek came out with the

message that although aid is still needed and voluntary work vital, pressure on the French and

British government needs to be more officious to force greater change. Having finished her

speech, Nazek invited guests to watch a short video produced by our volunteers about Fadi, a

Syrian refugee who told of the horrors he experienced when crossing the Mediterranean from

Libya, a journey he called the journey of death. The film concluded in him asking, Why would I

take this journey unless I had to? The film included real footage on the migrant boat taking them

to Italy shot on Fadis phone.

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Debate: the Migration crisis, the migrants, and Europes response

The debate looked at the current situation in the Mediterranean and Calais at Europes response,

including what it happening to the UN 1951 convention, the Common European asylum system,

and how these issues are used in the migration debate.

Chair: Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor

Panellists:

Andrej Mahecic, Senior External Relations Officer, UNHCR

Sabir Zazai, CEO, Coventry Migrant and Refugee Centre

Maurice Wren, CEO, Refugee Council

Dr Lul Seyoum Director, International Centre for Eritrean Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Prof Emeritus Mike ODonnell, independent researcher and author

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Highlights of the debate:

Opening the debate, Lindsay Hilsum highlighted some of the challenges

she had faced as a journalist covering the migrant crisis including the

differences between migrants and refugees, the different places people

come from, the Dublin protocol and how Europe, and particularly

Britain, had handled the crisis.

Maurice Wren commented that action is

only driven by tragedy, which though a sad

suggestion was nonetheless a realistic

concern. He continued with very clear directives, asserting that

peoples anxieties need to be taken seriously. Moreover, there needs

to be more action on addressing safer routes, as well as establishing

a humanitarian visa system. He insisted on more responsibility-

sharing from the EU. While some progress had been achieved,

Maurice reiterated that more could be done through the sharing of

objectives, combining strengths, and reaching out to the sceptics.

Sabir Zazai maintained that there is still much misunderstanding on the

scale of the crisis; remarking that at a time when our fellow human beings

need compassion and support, we are building walls, a comment that

resonated deeply with the audience.

Dr Lul Seyoum spoke about the difficulties faced by Eritreans attempting to

seek refuge in the UK, following the Home Offices decision to continue

using a discredited Danish report to process Eritrean asylum applications.

Andrej Mahecic provided us with the stark figures illustrating the scale of crisis: 60 million people

forcibly displaced worldwide, more than 20 million refugees, 38 million

people displaced within their own countries, and 2 million asylum

seekers. He stressed the importance of identifying the people who are

coming to Europe and their needs so that the best services and treatment

could be provided to them.

Prof Emeritus Mike ODonnell asserted that asylum is a human right

which Europe had a moral obligation to honour. He also suggested

pursuing people smugglers in the Mediterranean as a way to ease the

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crisis, as well as setting up processing centres in countries closer to the sources of conflict in order

to take pressure off southern European countries.

In response to a question regarding sceptics who suggest all migrants are economic migrants not

refugees, Andrej stated strongly, these people are fleeing, death, disgrace, destruction and

persecution. To us they can only be refugees.

Responding to questions on what actions could be taken on the current crisis, the panellists had

many views. Some took into

consideration military engagement and

the implementation of the no-fly zone.

However, Andrej asserted that any

action should not undermine the right to

seek asylum. The general consensus

throughout the debate focused on

treating people with respect and dignity,

and facilitating fair processing. Sabir

reminded people of the values of Britain, of how much migrants contribute and enrich society,

from teachers, to nurses, to engineers and medics. He reiterated we are all from different

backgrounds and we all need to work together and help each other.

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Debate: To move or not to move European migration and UKs response

This debate looked at the freedom of movement, the upcoming UK referendum, excluding

European migrants from voting, restricting access to benefits and rights and how these issues are

used in the migration debate.

Chair: Emily Dugan, Social Affairs Editor at the Independent, i and the Independent on Sunday.

Panellists:

Jan Krauss, Political officer, European Commission Representation in the UK

Roger Casale, Founder and Director, New Europeans

Jean Lambert, London Green MEP

Susie Symes, Economist, Chair of trustees, 19 Princelet Street the museum of immigration and

diversity

Dr. Natalia Paszkiewicz, Projects Coordinator at the IARS International Institute, and Associate

Research Fellow at the University of Exeter

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Highlights of the debate:

The debate was opened with a short film made by Migrant Voice volunteers called Migrant Voices

on EU Migration, which portrayed different EU migrants experiences in the UK, the value of

freedom of movement, and how they felt about being excluded from the upcoming referendum.

Jan Krauss began by raising concerns with distortions of information in the press, especially

regarding EU migrants who are claimed to come for benefit tourism purposes. To dispel the

myths about migrants coming to take advantage of the British welfare system he explained how

61% of EU migrants have a job to come to straight away and how 75% of EU migrants in the

UK are in work, compared to 73% of UK nationals.

Roger Casale discussed Britains relationship with migrants, arguing Britain is not welcoming to

migrants, the situation has and will yet get worse. Roger then referred to how the British press

exaggerated the so-called invasion of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants with a story about his

visit to Luton Airport to welcome this proposed flood of migrants, when in fact, every incoming

Eastern European migrant had a work permit granted by the British Home Office, showing how

Britain needs and invites migrants.

Jean Lambert complemented Casales perspective, arguing how enclosure has made a return,

which contrasted with the walls that were taken down when Hungary joined the EU in 2004. Jean

went on to say how being in the EU, and the freedoms it offers, is vital to a united, utilitarian

European Union.

Susie Symes addressed the EU referendum, highlighting the injustice of EU migrants in Britain

being unable to vote just because of where they happened to be born. She spoke of the founding

of the EU and how freedom from war and fascism meant freedom for movement. Susie

reminded us of the four freedoms that were fundamental in founding the EU, including freedom

of movement of goods, services, currency and most importantly people.

Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz, a Polish migrant with a rich history in the field of EU migration policy,

talked about the same problem of not involving EU migrants in the referendum by saying it is a

very bad idea to not involve those most affected by its potential outcome. Natalia spoke of how

London was a home to her and being excluded from the referendum made her feel like a second-

class citizen in her home.

The panel went on to discuss how they could change the political and press rhetoric on migration,

how to change the narrative without grouping/generalising the story of the EU

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migrants, and petitions to the European Parliament concerning the injustices discussed.

Workshops - developing the messages and agreeing actions

Participants broke into five different workshops to explore challenges and identify key messages

and actions on five key topics below. (The messages and actions suggested below reflect the views

of participants in the workshops. Migrant Voices work in all this is to ensure that migrants voices

and experiences are heard in these debates including any upcoming policy debates.)

A: The Human Rights Act implications of scrapping or changing the Act (Facilitated by the

British Institute of Human Rights)

Sanchita Hosali from the British Institute of Human Rights began the workshop by explaining

how the Human Rights Act (HRA) is considered to be the universal minimum standard for how

the state treats people. Government proposals to scrap the HRA would mean universal human

rights would become rights based on the fulfilment of citizens responsibilities. The group went

on to discuss how modifying the definition of what it means to have human rights would make

things more difficult and took the stance that eliminating the HRA was not acceptable. The

discussion then focused on ways to advocate for human rights to remain untouched.

Messages:

The government should not scrap the HRA

The government should not be subjective

Actions:

To work with the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) on initiatives they are leading

on to save the Human Rights Act

People to become more vocal about the benefits of the HRA

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B: The migration crisis (Facilitated by Refugee Council)

Maurice Wren from the Refugee Council opened the discussion asking for peoples views about

vital issues and concerns around the crisis. These included Europes role and response (in

particular, not doing enough to stop conflict at the source), the role of the UN (failing in its

primary goal to protect people), and the long-term impact (how long could the crisis continue for).

The group discussed what policies we could influence change towards and how we could take

responsibility as individuals. They identified potential short term goals such as resettlement, as

well as long-term goals such as addressing conflicts at their source.

Messages:

People are fleeing dangerous places and need sanctuary.

We need to improve understanding about Europes culpability in the root causes of the

crisis (war, economics)

Actions:

Work to inform and influence local councils

Develop short, medium and long term actions and advocacy lines

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C: European migration (Facilitated by Migrants Rights Network)

This workshop addressed the issues surrounding the upcoming EU referendum, in particular

restricting freedom of movement and access to benefits and public services. Don Flynn from the

Migrants Rights Network explained that immigration would be core to the debate around the

referendum since public opinion is so highly polarised around immigration. Participants

discussed ways to calm down the negative rhetoric by presenting the benefits of the UK remaining

in the EU.

Messages:

Emphasise what Britain could lose by leaving the EU.

(Please note: Migrant Voice does not have a position on whether Britain should stay in

or leave the EU. Our work will be limited to ensuring migrant voices and authentic

experiences are heard in this debate)

Emphasise how migration is part of everyday life that is of benefit to everyone.

Actions:

Identify more migrant spokespeople to talk about their lived experience

Identify British emigrants living in other European countries, as well as future potential

emigrants, to talk about their experiences having benefited from freedom of movement.

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D: the Immigration Act 2014/Immigration Bill 2015 (Facilitated by the Joint Council for the

Welfare of Immigrants)

With the Immigration Bill published the day before the conference, Habib Rahman from the Joint

Council for the Welfare of Immigrants facilitated this timely workshop looking at the draconian

measures proposed in this legislation, as well as aspects of the current Immigration Act, designed

to create a hostile environment for migrants. Concerns raised included the removal of appeal

rights, the right to rent scheme, denying irregular migrants access to housing, employment and

driving licences.

Messages:

Targeting migrants through this legislation creates an oppressive culture through

scaremongering and draconian laws.

Migration is the best way to alleviate poverty and is essential for curbing the effects of the

aging population.

Actions:

Campaign against the Bill (build awareness and encourage mobilisation) so migrants are

no longer considered irregular (i.e. Decriminalise them)

Offer immigration advice and regular workshops for non EU-migrants

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E: Migration Research UpdateWhat next? (Facilitated by the University of Westminster)

In this session Dr. Umit Cetin provided an introduction to current research into the Alevi

community, a distinct ethno-religious and double-discriminated group due to their ethnic

(Kurdish) and religious (Alevi) characteristics. The lecture contended that a strong sense of

cultural identity is actually very important to integration, and had helped the UK Alevi

community, which had previously

suffered problems such as poor

school attendance, depression,

suicide and gang involvement.

The session brought up ideas

about community projects,

national identity and integration,

and how these play an important

part in the success of a

multicultural society.

Messages:

Celebrate differences in our communities, yet remember that we all have similarities that

bind us together and help strengthen the bonds between communities to achieve more

integration.

We should redefine what adds value to society. This extends beyond the mere monetary

implications of migration but also how different cultures foods, knowledge and beliefs can

formulate a progressive, diverse society.

Actions:

Lets enforce a greater communication between academia, research and the voluntary

sector. For instance, research in deprived migrant communities should always aim to

benefit that community, rather than merely observe it, whilst the research undertaken

should be communicated to NGOs or community groups so as to best understand and

then address the difficulties of said community.

More interaction with local government should be enacted so as to benefit the local area.

There is too much pressure on central government to create large scale legislation to

address the migrant crisis, whereas local pragmatism is equally, if not more, important.

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DAY 2 SEPTEMBER 19TH

Meet a Migrant session

This session was a first for the Migrant Voice conference as we invited journalists to interview

migrants live about their stories and experiences of migration. It was hugely successful,

underlining the main aims of our organisation by giving migrants a platform to speak about their

lives.

Journalists:

Parminder Bahra, Executive Producer, the Wall Street Journal Europe, the Middle East and

Africa;

Harriet Grant, freelance reporter, filmmaker and radio producer, regularly working for the

Guardian and the BBC;

Shyamantha Asokan, freelance journalist and photographer

In conversation with Migrant Voice members Virginia, Serenella and Jacques.

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Highlights of the session:

First up we had Harriet speaking with Virginia, a nurse

who came to England from South Africa in 1999 due to

the difficulties she faced post-apartheid. She was

invited to come and work as a nurse, and though she

found the cold, being fed black pudding and the

language barrier hard at first, said she now had a family

and a life here.

Shyamantha spoke with Serenella, an Italian who grew

up in England and returned to the UK two and a half

years ago to study for her Masters degree. Serenella said

she was very integrated in England, and due to increased

migration from Italy over the last few years had become

used to being part of a community. She thought this was

both a good and bad thing as she often feels grouped and

categorised as a certain type of economic migrant.

Lastly, Parminder interviewed Jacques from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jacques told us

about the difficult circumstances in the DRC no

freedom of expression, a regime which didnt

respect human rights, and how people faced

persecution from the security forces. He felt his life

was at risk so he had to leave. Once in the UK,

Jacques tried to integrate by giving back to the

community. In response to Parminders question

about which British characteristic he had taken on

the most, Jacques replied, volunteering, giving back to the community.

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Training session: How do we turn the conference messages and stories

into media stories?

This interactive workshop looked at how

best to get our stories and messages from

the conference into the media using

different tools and media platforms.

Harriet Grant, Shyamantha Asokan and

Parminder Bahra, joined us again to

answer questions from the floor and the

session was chaired by Daniel Nelson,

freelance journalist and editor.

The journalists gave us invaluable advice on issues such as how to give interviews and answer

questions without revealing too many personal details about ourselves; how to get journalists

interested in positive stories about migrants; thinking of different ways to get media coverage e.g.

through community radio, local newspapers, and blogs; and establishing relationships with

student journalists who could go on to work in outlets that werent our usual suspects.

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Workshop: Striving for Change; Reclaiming the Narrative

Participants broke up into four small group discussions to share their own views and learnings

from the conference and contribute their ideas to influence and shape Migrant Voices work and

direction.

The aim of the discussions was to identify how we could turn actions and ideas discussed at the

conference into activities and a clear work plan for Migrant Voice over the coming year

Participants were asked to identify:

a) What activities would you like to see in the network in the three cities?

b) What are the existing challenges in the network and its capacity, if any, for taking forward

the above activities/actions and how can they be addressed?

c) And what can you personally do to support this work over the next year?

d) Based on the learning of the conference, what message would you like the conference to

come out with?

*THE SUMMARY OF THE NOTES FROM THE DISCUSSIONS ARE IN ANNEX A.

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5. What participants said

This is a selection of comments/feedback from participants after the conference.

GENERAL COMMENTS:

It was useful to hear about ideas how to break hostility and lack of trust of refugees seen as a

burden and danger. Interestingly it can be done in humble ways, such as community actions in

local settings. Many thanks for a great eye-opening event!!

One of the most useful parts of the day was learning there are many other groups around the

UK doing the same thing

COMMENTS ON THE PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND WORKSHOP:

Session 1 opened up the debate about Syrian refugees and complexity of the refugees vs

economic migrant dichotomy

The Panel in the afternoon was informative

I learnt about the importance of getting my voice as a migrant heard through different sources

of media.

The workshops were all educative and I got a lot from the journalists.

WHAT I LEARNED

To find ways to communicate a more positive view of those seeking asylum and across

organisations to support them

The aspect of humanising and personalising the stories of migrants and refugees

Media information as the media is important to send migrant voices to all

I learned a great deal and actually was humbled by peoples stories, very humbled.

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AS A RESULT OF THE CONFERENCE I WILL:

Participate more in improving the image of migrants

Follow contacts from networking and follow suggested activities

Maintain links with people I have met. Hopefully develop further relationship with Migrant Voice

in a positive way.

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Annex A

SUMMARY OF NOTES FROM DAY 2S SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS:

STRIVING FOR CHANGE; RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE

The aim of the discussions was to identify how we could turn actions and ideas discussed at the

conference into activities and a clear work plan for Migrant Voice over the coming year.

Participants were divided into small groups with a facilitator and note taker.

Following is a summary of the notes from the discussions, based on questions the participants

were asked to address:

What activities would you like to see in the network in the three cities?

Activities mentioned fell into three key categories:

More training to develop members skills and confidence:

Equal training opportunities - workshops that allow everyone access to public speaking

training, etc.

Training on how to participate in interviews with media and answer with what you mean

to say

Working with organisations like Citizens UK London and London Citizens that provide

training for people to have their voices heard

Identify and train up more spokespeople to do different styles of media (e.g. ted-ex style

podcasts) in order to reach new and different audiences.

Translate information for migrants (at workshops or other) into various languages

Engagement with local communities in order to grow the network:

Engage with local services, widening the network within communities

Try to engage with more local organisations already in place for refugees and migrants.

Migrant Voice could be the conduit across different groups.

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Organise more activities and events to promote integration and community cohesion. E.g.

RefugeTea, share a meal, etc.

Facilitate events where migrants meet community members e.g. Bishop, head of Womens

Institute, Fishermans Union, etc. to find fresh and unusual angles for media and reach

new audiences. Other practical campaigns that attract media attention.

Migrant Voice could co-ordinate with other organisations to make sure work is not being

duplicated

Developing more of our own platforms to get our voices heard:

Further inclusion of migrant voices, empowering people who feel they are unheard

Making use of external hooks like UN days & weeks (International Migrants Day, Refugee

Week, International Womens Day)

What are the existing challenges in the network and its capacity, if any,

for taking forward the above activities/actions and how can they be

addressed?

Members generally agreed that the Migrant Voice newspaper was too infrequent.

Members discussed moving the news source to an electronic platform

Lack of capacity to respond to all media requests

What can you personally do to support this work over the next year?

Reach out to population outside network cities to join as members

Monitor the news and write letters to editors against negative comments

Write to MPs sharing your concerns

Make local communities more aware about the positive contributions of migrants in their

communities

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Based on the learning of the conference, what message would you like the

conference to come out with?

Migrants contribute a lot to society, we must showcase how we bring a lot to the community

Communicate personal stories with ethical considerations order to connect with audiences

at a human level

Prepare positions/messages on how the EU referendum and changes to the Human Rights

Act may affect migrants