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.