Building Community
Settling in a new place can be isolating for anyone. Let alone doing so whilst navigating a complex legal system and harmful rhetoric from our politicians and media.
That’s why at Praxis we co-deliver three peer-led groups to build confidence, develop skills, and forge friendships that will last lifetimes. From mothers to men to young people, group members find strength through shared experiences. Last year 120 people took part in one of our groups. The changes we see include:
Replacing isolation with solidarity
Building resilience in the face of hardship
Increasing knowledge of available services, rights, and entitlements
Empowering members to become agents for change.
“When I joined the group, I was a very shy person, and I was not very communicative. When I came to Brighter Futures, they gave me support to speak up. I have had the chance to speak at events. Now I can speak in front of a big audience.”
WINGs (Women Inspiring New Generations)
WINGs (Women Inspiring New Generations) is our peer-led group for women. They come together, with their young children, to nurture their wellbeing, build new positive relationships and find respite from the demands of everyday life. WINGs members discuss the issues that affect them and share knowledge and experience in order to build solidarity and strength.
WINGs helps your mental health and stops you from feeling isolated. Getting out of the house coming to the community.
Brighter Futures
Brighter Futures our peer-led group for young people, facilitated in collaboration with Kazzum Arts. They work together to speak up for the rights of young people who have migrated and use creativity as a tool to challenge negative perceptions of migration in the UK. In their own words…
Brighter Futures educates and informs fellow young people of their rights and entitlements and stand in solidarity with all young migrants. We are a community that helps build a future for younger generations, and we fight to make young people in our group leaders for change. We are a family.
Some of their latest work includes Brighter Zine, a collection of art and poetry reflecting on their shared and individual experiences of wellbeing. They also recently developed a poetry collection and housing manifesto, ‘Our Home, Our Rights’, for a fairer housing future for young people who have migrated to the UK.
Photo credit: Becky Bailey
GIANTS
GIANTS is our peer-led group for men. It is an innovative space where men who have migrated and are fighting against isolation and advocating for better mental health support come together. The group uses creativity to explore and express feelings and opinions and works together to challenge negative stereotypes.
Photo credit: Lorna Powell
I feel like I belong to a community now and my input into that feels like it is appreciated and makes me feel like I'm part of something bigger.
Check out GIANTS’ cookbook, Recipes of Life!
Recipes of Life is packed full of delicious recipes and stories of migration and brotherhood. Recipes of Life was developed by each GIANTS member cooking a meal for his brothers. Together they shared the meaning behind the meals and stories of home. With open dialogue, support, and a lot of good food, the cookbook was born!