Notes from the Workshops at the National Conference 2018
Using Sanctuary Awards as a strategic tool to build the movement for Sanctuary
Around 10 people attended the workshop on Sanctuary Awards.
Ben Margolis led the workshop and began by asking everyone to share how they have engaged with the sanctuary awards in the past, if at all. Around half the participants had not engaged with them at all, and the other half have had varying levels of involvement. All those who have used them agreed they are very useful to build the movement and celebrate what groups are doing, but that they do involve a lot of input from the local group.
We discussed the process for groups applying for an award and some of the benefits for the recipient and the wider movement. We talked about the benefit of City of Sanctuary being able to work from the bottom-up (e.g. one library become a library of sanctuary which then inspires libraries around the country to be involved) and top-down (e.g. working with the Royal College of Nursing and now all midwives around the country are taught about asylum issues).
Overall, it was a very useful discussion with several people saying they felt more ready to use the Sanctuary awards and a desire for more sharing of templates, successful award applications and ways of working for local groups.
Ben Margolis, South East, Eastern and Central Regional Coordinator
Engaging with the media to promote stories of sanctuary
Workshop Facilitators: Forward Maisokwadzo (FM) & Nawal Careem (NC)
Aims of the workshop
- Highlight the vital role of the media
- How to promote our vision in the media (share) through stories of sanctuary
- Digital presence
The meeting began with introductions and a brief workshop background by FM followed by a 2-minute interview between two people sharing a situation where they felt welcome. FM re-iterated we have all got a story to tell. FM explained engaging all forms of media (broadcast, print and social media) is important for the following reasons:
- raising profile
- promotion of work, issues and campaigns
- changing policy or practice
- shifting public attitudes
FM stressed it is important to always remember that in whatever we do we have three types of audience - our supporters, the anxious middle and the extreme (i.e. those who don’t agree with what we do, who in most cases are the minority). Our focus then is how to win support of the anxious middle. If it is a fundraising appeal, the target is our supporters. FM quickly touched on the fact that once we know we have a story to tell, it is also important to identify the messenger and think carefully about the medium. Frame the story on fairness not rights, values not facts & figures, human stories not system etc. Although sharing a story to the journalist, still try to keep control of your message. Understanding how the media works builds over time and through cultivating relationships with journalists e.g. invite some journalists to be master of ceremonies at your events as a starting point. Identify and support sanctuary seekers who are willing to share their life experiences and/or talk to the media. FM also touched on the importance of images to tell stories.
It was interesting to see that many of the participants had either a Facebook, Twitter account or both. NC also highlighted the importance of groups having a digital presence. NC showed participants how to upload articles and supporting material onto their different pages including images. NB see the leaflet about the benefits of using the website.
FM & NC assured participants that a media workshop will be run at every regional conferences.
Schools
Jane Richardson facilitated this workshop which shared best practice across schools and also discussed resource pack. It was noted that Northern Ireland produce their own version of the resource pack which was highly rated can be found on the website.
Universities
Veronica Crosbie stepped in at the last minute to lead this workshop which attracted 13 people. There are individual introductions and sharing of information good practice ideas and steps to become a University of Sanctuary. University of Sanctuary is seen not just about offering sanctuary scholarships but also creating a welcoming environment that understands the additional needs and how to meet them. The group identified the need to simplify access to information for equivalent qualifications and to find out more about the validation of qualifications which are obtained abroad. It was agreed that it is essential to find allies to work with around higher education.
Health
Jeni Vine facilitated the workshop. She convenes the Yorkshire and Humber Health Stream Network that meets 3 times a year and brings together health practitioners, university medical departments, service providers, campaign and advocacy groups and refugee and asylum seekers who are experts by experience. The network shares good practice and works together to improve health outcomes for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Gill Martin, a retired psychotherapist and member of York City of Sanctuary briefly went through the contents of the City of Sanctuary Mental Health Resource Pack that she contributed to.This was launched in November 2017 and contains useful information for service providers including GPs practices and agencies and groups needing more understanding of the mental health needs of refugees and asylum-seekers. The resource pack is available from (cost £5 plus p&p).
Lucy Jones from Doctors of the World gave and presentation on the barriers faced by migrants in accessing NHS care, their entitlement to healthcare in England and the Safer Surgeriescampaign. The Mental Health Resource Pack and Lucy’s presentation are available on the City of Sanctuary website
Estelle Worthington from Asylum Matters leads on their health campaigning and advocacy. She spoke about about barriers to accessing healthcare, recent healthcare charging changes and the patient data-sharing agreement between the Home Office and NHS Digital. Campaigning has led to a recent success and restricted the data that can be shared but there is still more to do. Briefings and presentations from Asylum Matters are also available on the health resources page of the City of Sanctuary website.
Safeguarding
This was a training session and discussion on the importance of safeguarding policies and procedures for City of Sanctuary groups which worked with asylum seekers and refugees. Led by Pam Jobbins from Newcastle CVS. Here is a link to the useful handouts from the workshop.
Q&A panel with trustees
Lots of useful questions and discussions about how City of Sanctuary works which was useful to those who are new to the network and our partners.