How Islam Made Me a Feminist

Many thanks to the talented Zena Agha, daughter of fellow Home Away From Home contributor Jeena, for sharing these personal and insightful reflections on Feminism and Islam as part of a recent TEDxTalk at Warwick Salon. 

YouTube bio: At 17, Zena was the youngest member of Operation Black Vote's MP Shadowing Scheme, campaigning for a boycott of Israeli Settlement foodstuffs in Westminster, as well as Deputy Member of Youth Parliament. Part of her extensive community work includes running poetry workshops, and she was shortlisted for the London Mayor's Young Person Peace Prize. Zena founded and co-ordinates Warwick University's biggest spoken word collective 'Shoot from the Lip,' running poetry slam nights, and was awarded funding from the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund. Media credits include BBC Arabic and the BBC World Service, and she created and produced Operation Black Vote's Power of Poetry project. 


In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = an independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations).

Please Join Us As We Launch The Refuge!

We warmly invite you to join us as we launch The Refuge.

Wednesday, October 2nd, 3:30 PM, The Forum.

Details follow. 

Introducing...The Refuge!

Thanks so much to Aabdeen for telling us all about the The Forum's special new project, The Refuge.

On Sunday, 15th September, I, along with other members of MRCF, decorated the office to run our new project, The Refuge. 

The Refuge is a safe space at our community centre in North Kensington, where migrants and refugees can come and relax, learn new skills, and discuss if they want to become volunteers. Members can gather here to practice social participation and inclusion, develop trust, and discuss ways to engage in active citizenship. 

On Sunday, I drew and painted a tree on the wall inside The Refuge. Instead of having apples on the branches, we decided to have photo frames to hang instead, which will have images of the different issues. 

I made small tables as well, from coffee beans and blue beads. To stick the beads and beans down, I first glued the table surface and then arranged the beans and beads in a pattern. I also painted part of one of the walls yellow and cream. There were a lot of books inside the room which we had to move outside, which automatically made the room look more spacious. 

Celebrating a Great Year of Activities!

Thanks to Niresha for sharing with us highlights of the June 22 end-of-the-year party.

On Saturday 22^nd June, MRCF held a party to celebrate our mentor and mentees’ achievements throughout the year. It was a great day filled with fun, food and laughter and great live performances from our music group. We awarded certificates to our mentors and mentees to recognise the great time and efforts they put into various activities throughout the year.

We had a really good turn out at the event with lots of MRCF faces turning up and enjoying the fun. It’s a shame that the weather wasn’t particularly great that day and we had to move our picnic indoors, but either way we made the best of the day and had a lot of fun.

The party marked the end of a great year of activities and wrapped them up in time for the summer break. We look forward to starting the activities again this September, such as music, maths and English classes, and sewing classes soon. Throughout the party, pictures were projected of some of the products our members had created, such as beautiful sequin dresses made in the sewing classes.

The musical entertainment went down a treat and brought big smiles and joy to everyone. It got everyone involved and singing along, and we also got to see some of our members’ dancing moves!

The whole event was a great catch up with friends at MRCF and was really enjoyable. After a nice summer break, we are looking forward to recommencing our activities and seeing the talents of our members unfold.

The Richness of the Mentoring Experience

Thank you to Hayley for sharing her impressions of the mentoring project as she begins to delve into her research. 

I have been volunteering at The Forum for 3 weeks now, so have met many a cheerful mentor while sitting in the office. However, a week ago I started interviewing mentors for a research project I am doing at the University of Edinburgh. I have been asking questions about how the mentors first got involved with the project, the experiences they have had throughout the process, and why they think the project is important.

My main finding… Wow, what a lovely bunch of people! Every interview made me more and more inspired to become a mentor and join the team myself. Everyone was so enthusiastic about the project and its achievements. 

What really struck me in the interviews was how this project provides so much more than practical support to the mentees. This is clearly a vital aspect of the partnership, but stories of blossoming friendships, adventures around London, and a wide range of knowledge and experience gained by both mentees and mentors really showed the potential of mentoring relationships. The fact that the friendships made through the mentor system often continue beyond the 6 months of weekly meetings really shows how engaged both mentees and mentors are with the project.

The mentors each have their own unique experiences and knowledge which they are encouraged to contribute - be it knowledge as a solicitor or counsellor, or a love for history and exploring museums. I believe it is the combination of this passion and patience that makes the mentoring system so dynamic and successful. One mentor explained how rewarding it was to see her mentee grow in confidence over the 6 months: “When I hear those words [of thanks] from the people I am supporting and mentoring, that is not pleasure; it is something absolutely deeper - gratification - and goes to the heart.”- Vittoria

I would like to say a HUGE "thank you" to the mentors who have participated in my research: Ruth, Gemma, Vittoria and Alec (and possibly more in the future!). I really loved meeting you and have learnt so much from you all!

A Party To Celebrate Three Years Together

Thanks to Laura for these reflections on New Beginnings Mentoring's impressive first three years.

There is always a good reason to celebrate...especially if we talk about our achievements over the last three years! The New Beginnings project turned three years old and we celebrated it on 31st May. Many people gathered at The Forum to enjoy a fun day together with music, food and good memories. In front of an enthusiastic audience, our trained music group performed at Café Nova for the second time, playing a wide range of songs, from the Wizard of Oz soundtrack's “Over the Rainbow," to George Gershwin's “I Got Rhythm,” and The Sound of Music soundtrack's “Edelweiss,” when everybody stood up, chose a partner and started dancing together. The concert masterpiece was Aziza’s solo of “Ego,” a song composed and performed by herself with the choir as back-up. Very catchy and performed with passion, you couldn’t get its rhythm out of your head!

The party then moved to The Forum's office, where we enjoyed a lovely video put together by Milca and Martina on our activities and events over the last year. Interviews and photos followed, and you realized how people have benefitted and enjoyed every class, and how strong their bond is with The Forum and among each other. 

Some of their comments were:

Woolwich: Not In My Name

Thank you to Home Away From Home contributor Jeena for sharing this powerful poem written and performed by her daughter, Zena Agha, in reaction to the Woolwich killing. Please distribute it widely. As Jeena says, "people need to see it and understand" and "we all need to stand together during these times." 

The Circus Comes to The Forum!

Milca writes eloquently about her experience leading the Circus workshop during last week's Cultural Friday.

The circus has always been part of my life. I have practised different circus disciplines in a non-professional way since I was very little and, even if it never took first place in my everyday life, it was always following me. To me, as well as to the people that compose “my world,” the circus is something familiar, or at least known. So, understandably, the circus was the first thing I had in mind when I was told about the possibility of running a workshop for a Cultural Friday at MRCF. The premise was good: I had been working here as an intern for two months, so I already knew most of the participants. In addition, I had the chance to attend another Cultural Friday workshop, a very fascinating one about drawing run by Caspar. At the same time I had doubts: Will it look silly? Will they be bored? How does the activity have to be designed to appeal to people that have probably heard very little about the circus? I was keen to share with them a taste of something that has always been part of my life and filled me with perplexity at the same time.…

All my doubts disappeared from the beginning of the activity. What I am especially pleased about was the participants’ welcoming attitude towards me and the things I was presenting. The group was quite numerous - around fifteen people showed up and this made the atmosphere animated. We started off with a short informative part, during which I showed them some videos of contemporary performances, both by famous circus companies and by lesser-known “underground” artists. Then we developed a discussion arising from the individuals' knowledge, memories and experiences. Step-by-step, a clearer picture came up of circus being traditionally a travelling art, along with the different artists that might be found in a company - from acrobats to clowns, animal trainers, funambulists, and jugglers. 

After that we switched to a more practical activity, namely juggling. We started from the very preliminary step of making the juggling balls out of raw materials, such as flour, balloons, wire, tape, and elastic. It soon turned out to be not too easy to actually make these balls and it required a fair amount of patience from all of us. However, no one gave up! Some of the faster ones could proceed to the second phase and attached a wire to the balls to obtain bolas (sort of chains). Apart from myself - jumping around, passing around scissors and replacing broken balloons - the group was relaxed and curious. At that stage, not everybody was clear we were actually going to use the tools we made, so when I announced it, it sounded almost like a joke: “Do you want me to juggle?!”

A Frenzy of Activity Before the Summer Break

Thanks to Milca for reporting on the winding-down of a fun and fulfilling year of activities at The Forum. 

The mentoring project is more than the mentoring itself; it also includes various activities, from English classes to the knitting workshop, passing through to the sewing and math classes. The activities are open to all current and former mentees, as well as to the people we provide one-to-one and self-advocacy support.

I have been working at The Forum as an intern for more than a month now, and I feel I have a precious opportunity to be part of such an interesting project. I would say that the activities, as much as the mentoring matches, are the results of an encounter between people, knowledge, countries and experiences. On the one hand, there are the “teachers,” who are willing to dedicate their time and knowledge with passion and patience, and at the same time stay open to be taught by their students to challenge any traditional way of teaching and to be creative in their methods. On the other hand, there are individuals with different needs and reasons for being there. While learning something new and acquiring new skills is always the fundamental reason for users to join the activities, I soon realised that there is much more to it than that: it is also about being together in a welcoming environment, sharing time in a meaningful way with people you feel comfortable with, being part of a group, structuring daily life with a routine, and improving the quality of one's life.

In the last weeks I have been going around, popping in class-to-class with a small camera and a few questions in mind, with the purpose of collecting feedback from the activities.  The students from the different classes reacted in different ways: some were shyer and didn’t want to be on the screen; others couldn’t wait to give their comments to the camera! All of them, however, mentioned their satisfaction with the courses.

BBC: Amnesty says refugees face rising dangers

Read the full article here. 

A Movie Recommendation From Zrinka

Zrinka, our fearless Executive Director, encourages us all to see Into the Fire, a crowd-released film about refugees and asylum seekers in Athens. 

We have embedded the film for you to watch right here. For more information about it, read the description below, taken from the website: 


A hard hitting documentary which shows the plight of refugees and migrants in recession hit Athens, Into The Fire is a film with a difference. Watch Trailer.

Shot and edited with sensitivity and compassion, it doesn’t pull its punches and makes for harrowing viewing in parts. It is the product of crowd funding, dedication, self-sacrifice and a burning sense of justice.

In times of severe austerity things look bleak for Greek people, but they’re far worse for those who have recently arrived. Without housing, legal papers or support, migrants in Greece are faced with increasing and often violent racism at the hands of the growing Nazi party Golden Dawn and the police in Athens. Many are trapped by EU laws and legislation of other EU countries meaning they’d be returned to Greece if they managed to get to another member state, they are desperate to leave the country. 

This film gives incredible insights to the reality faced by people who simply want to lead peaceful, normal lives.

Mental Health Awareness Week, 13th-19th May 2013

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 13-19 May and is themed around physical activity and wellbeing. Physical activity is often described as something we ‘ought to do’ to avoid developing health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. What's less often explained is the huge potential it has to enhance our happiness and quality of life and reduce mental illness. This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week aims to shift our motivation for physical activity to something we choose to do to increase our wellbeing.

At a very basic level, physical activity just means any movement of your body that uses your muscles and expends energy. One of the great things about physical activity is that there are endless possibilities and there will be an activity to suit almost everyone!

The Questions and the Answers: Mentoring an Asylum Seeker in London

One of our mentors, Jon, shares some poignant thoughts about his mentoring experience.

Summer 2012. I had just returned from a long cycle journey that had taken me through 10 countries. It was a hard journey over 70 days, mostly alone and never knowing where I would end up, apart from my metropolitan destination: Istanbul. I was always the new one, the one who had arrived from somewhere far away for some strange reason. The questions were always the same: ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Why did you choose to come here?’ ‘How did you get here?’ It was quite a lonely experience, being the only one to answer these questions.

When I arrived back in London in the summer, it wasn’t long before I found the Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum (MRCF). MRCF runs a great mentoring scheme. Under the project, volunteers are matched with a ‘mentee’ who is a migrant to London and would benefit from having someone to give practical and emotional support. Mentoring is an informal role that lasts for 6-7 months, meeting up around once a week. The project seemed to me to be something special because it connected people who might not have otherwise met in the sprawl of London, so I got in touch with the coordinator. Mentoring appealed to me because I felt I would have something in common with migrants to the city after having spent some time being the ‘foreigner’ myself. I also wanted to keep learning about people, one of my main reasons for going away on my journey.

Before long, I was introduced to my ‘mentee,’ whom I will call Mussa. Over the next 7 months I would settle into my role as a mentor, meeting Mussa once a week for a few hours.

Behind the Scenes at The Forum's First Fundraiser

Hello everybody.  Aisha decided to go behind the scenes at our fundraiser and speak to some key people involved. Here is what she found out:

The New Beginnings Team at The Forum had their first ever fundraiser on 19th April 2013 and it most certainly was a festive celebration. 

When I asked Francesca and Heike why they decided to have this event, they said that they thought it was a good idea to celebrate mentoring and fundraise at the same time. They hoped this evening would help involve individuals who do not usually come to activities at The Forum. The main aim of the evening therefore was to help raise awareness about the financial and emotional difficulties faced by immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Read All About It: New Beginnings Is Awarded the Approved Provider Standard

APPROVED!

New Beginnings Mentoring Project was awarded with the Approved Provider Standard, a national quality standard specifically designed for mentoring and befriending projects.

The APS is a relevant acknowledgement of our work and it is a confirmation of our project commitment and effectiveness. The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (MBF) provides services which aim to increase the effectiveness and quality of mentoring and befriending as methods of enabling individuals to transform their lives and/or reach their full potential and, among other practises, it assesses and verifies the good practice of a project through the APS Quality Standard. 

APS consists of 12 elements which focus on the key management and operational areas that underpin the effectiveness of any mentoring or befriending project. Here are the main points and how the New Beginnings Mentoring Project has successfully met each criterion according to the assessment report. 

1.     PURPOSE. The mentoring project has a clear rationale: MRCF aims to provide a range of services which enhance the wellbeing of asylum seekers and migrants living in London. The project is seeing an increased rise in the number of mentees with mental health conditions and it has adapted its policies and procedures to reflect this.

Improving Access to Primary Healthcare in London

Check out this exciting new collaborative project between MRCF, the London Deanery and NHS London designed to facilitate migrants and refugees' access to primary healthcare.

TEAM UP CASE STUDY

Migrant & Refugee Communities Forum (MRCF): Improving access to primary healthcare in London

Background

Migrants and refugees often face a huge challenge to get the health care that they need due to a complex asylum process and a lack of understanding from doctors of their needs and entitlements. Many have come from countries where there is no primary health care system. On top of this, language and cultural differences often make it difficult for GPs to communicate with people in these communities. 

To help tackle these issues a team of five general practice trainees have joined forces with MRCF, a user-led, community forum working to promote the rights of migrants and refugees in London. MRCF provides a mentoring service for newly arrived migrants and refugees to help them access services and settle in to a new life in London.

Permission to Work for Refugees in the UK

Thank you to Transitions for providing us with the following guidelines regarding refugees' rights to work in the UK.  We hope that you will find this information useful.

Refugees do not require a visa.  Refugees have been forced to leave their countries due to a fear of persecution and have been offered protection and resettlement in the UK.  They are able to work in the UK without any restrictions (page 5 of guide below). 

Refugees are not economic migrants and are not subject to the points-based system where migrants are required to meet particular skill and experience levels and employers are given sponsorship duties. 

Folk Music at The Forum

Thanks to Laura for telling us about the music session last Friday! 

It looked like everyone was having great fun at The Forum last Friday!  In collaboration with Live Music Now, a very entertaining and fun music session took place with Tir Eolas and members of MRCF's mentoring project.  Here are some nice pictures taken by our trained photographer Mulugeta that show how much music can bring people together and develop a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Tir Eolas is a young and enthusiastic folk music group that brought us through the hills of Scotland and Ireland with their tunes and made us move with captivating dances!

Don’t miss our next music session on 15th March at MRCF!

The Mentoring Experience

Louie interviews Didier Ibwilakwingi-Ekom about his experience as one of New Beginnings' early mentors.  Didier, who is married with four kids, came to London from the Democratic Republic of Congo about ten years ago.  A lecturer in International Relations by profession, he now works as a community development officer through FAWA (the French-African Welfare Association) and is the founder and Executive Director of New Hope International, which supports and serves as a "signpost" for women who were raped in Congo and who are having difficulty adjusting to life in the UK.  We are very grateful to Didier for taking time out from his busy schedule to speak with us.

Didier recounts how he came to be a mentor:

Didier shares with us how he benefitted from the programme: 

Didier tells us how long he was involved with the programme: 

Didier answers the not-so-simple question "What does life mean to you?": 

Amell's Corner - Emotional Abuse

Today’s blog will focus on emotional abuse within relationships.

Emotionally abusive relationships are characterized by control games, jealousy, withholding sex and emotional contact, isolation, manipulation, humiliation, verbal abuse, intimidation, refusal to ever be pleased with you, and constantly belittling you and disguising it as advising or teaching. 

With time, the effects of emotionally abusive behaviours wear away at the victim's self-confidence, sense of self-worth, and trust in self-perceptions and self-concept, cutting at their very core and creating scars far deeper than any physical ones (Engel 1992, p.10).

Other long-term effects of emotional abuse include:

·Depression
·Withdrawal
·Low self-esteem and self-worth
·Emotional instability
·Sleep disturbances
·Physical pain without cause
·Suicidal ideation, thoughts or attempts
·Extreme dependence on the abuser
·Underachievement
·Inability to trust
·Feeling trapped and alone
·Substance abuse

You may find after reading this that many of these things have been done to you or have maybe been attitudes or behaviours you’ve had in a relationship at some point in your life. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are an abuser or are being abused; we're all human and make mistakes! The main thing to bear in mind is that emotional abuse has a clear and consistent pattern, so if you notice such behaviours occurring consistently, it's time to start ringing the alarm bells.

Odi's Story - The Forum

This is the sixth instalment of Odi's courageous story of his political imprisonment in Iran, his difficult voyage to London, and his struggle towards asylum and a new life for himself and his family in the UK.  This very personal account is representative of the horrors and challenges faced by so many asylum seekers around the world. 

Another way to busy your mind is to volunteer.  Last May I was at home, and my friend called and said we had been invited to the ex-detainee conference.  I was so happy.  We went together, and in that conference I learned about the Forum.  I visited some people there, and then I made an appointment for an English class assessment and started researching about the Forum on the Internet.

The Forum helps refugees and asylum seekers and is a voice for them.  I know we have lots of organisations to help refugees in this country and London, but for me the Forum is open and has very friendly staff who really work hard to help refugees and asylum seekers push to the front.  Some of them can’t communicate for lots of reasons; for example, they come from a different culture and are shy or ashamed or mentally unwell.  And the Forum helps them by sending a volunteer to them to make them happier than before.  When these people come out from their home with the help of a volunteer from the Forum, you can see they are happy.  When you’re going with them to the job centre to sort out some problem, it can make you happy and them happy as well, and then you are proud of yourself and the Forum.  And when you are in English class and you see the teachers and how much they are friendly and patient, you are proud of the Forum.

Aissata Interviews Francesca About New Beginnings Mentoring

I don't often write on the MRCF blog; therefore, I would like to introduce myself again. My name is Aissata and I am currently studying at St. Mary's University College in Twickenham. Please forgive my English; I am still learning this language.

First of all, I would like to mention how important MRCF has been in my life for the past two years. I found MRCF thanks to a housemate who showed me this place, and MRCF helped me in many ways. At first, I would come for their voucher exchange scheme. It was only this way that I was able to have cash from time to time, and that helped me in getting items that I usually can’t find at Tesco or Sainsbury’s. And then, I would come for the visits to the theatre, the cinema,  the afternoon picnics, or the workshops.

Even though I am not able to attend some of these events at the moment, I remember that they were really important to me. For example: the creative writing workshop with writer Shazea Quraishi, and the theatre with Maja.  Besides, I found the opportunity of meeting new people in the same situation as I am. I found comfort at MRCF.

I also participated in the mentoring project and was delighted to meet Morven, my mentor, a very kind lady whom I still talk to from time to time. In an interview given in September 2011, Francesca offered us more information about the different activities available here. 

A: Today we are in the company of Francesca who is the volunteer coordinator at MRCF. Francesca, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your role at MRCF?

F: I started working at MRCF in 2008, and I’m a qualified social worker, but I work here as a volunteer coordinator and I run a mentoring project for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. We’ve been lucky and we’ve now got some new funding that will go for the next three years, and so we are also supporting people to move on from the mentoring to more self-advocacy to be able to speak up for themselves a little bit more.

A: You talked about the mentoring project. Could you please tell us what it consists of?

F: The mentoring project is a project that supports anyone who would like to be helped emotionally, who would like to meet friends or someone who could actually listen to them on a weekly basis for at least six months. Every migrant, refugee or asylum seeker who would want to be supported can come to MRCF and self-register and we will match them with a mentor, a volunteer who would have a couple of hours every week to meet up with them. A lot of the referrals come through counseling services or mental health services to better support their clients, but people can self-refer themselves.