Arts & Events

Refugee Community Conference – Tuesday November 15th, 2011

The Welsh Refugee Council hosted the Refugee Community Conference on November 15^th, 2011 at City Hall in Cardiff.  The event was attended by approximately 90 participants consisting of representatives from over 32 refugee community organisations and 17 partners.

 In attendance were:

Afghan Community South Wales. African Friendship Association. African Light Association. Amnesty International. Angolan Welfare Association. Batanai Bambanani Women’s Network. Big Lottery-Cronfa Loteri Fawr. Cardiff and Vale UHB. Cardiff City Council. Cardiff University. Congolese Community of Wales. Darfur Community of Wales. Displaced People in Action. Eritrean Community. Ethnic Minority Congregations Wales. Evangelical Alliance Wales. International Friends of Wales. Kurdi Cymru. LGBT Asylum Seekers Group. New Direction for Congo. Newport City Council. Newport Eritrean Community Association. Newport Somali Association (1994). Newport Sudanese Association. Oasis. Oxfam. Pathways Project. Persian Community. Persian Welsh Society. Refugee Voice Wales. Russian Speaking Women Association. Somali Integration Society. Somali Progressive Association. Somali Women Association. Somali Women Cymru. South People’s Projects-SoPPro. STAR – Student Action for Refugees. Sudanese Community Association. Swansea Bay Asylum Seekers Support Group.Swansea City of Sanctuary. The Eritrean Community Swansea. The Union of Congolese People. The Voice of Congo. United Arab Association. Vanguard Project – SCAS. Victim Support. Welsh Government. West Africa Community Association. Women Making a Difference. Women Seek Sanctuary. Wrexham Refugee and Asylum Support Group. Yogosha Association. Young People Speak Out. Zimbabwe Development Support Association. Zimbabwe Voluntary Association.

 The event targeted refugee community organisations as the primary participants as well as refugee and asylum seeker sector workers. It presented a great opportunity for refugees and asylum seekers to have their say and talk about real life issues that matter most to them in a safe, supportive and non-judgemental environment. Through this event, which was both an absolute privilege to host and attend the Welsh Refugee Council  was able to listen to the problems and difficulties faced by, refugees and seekers on a daily basis and begin to explore solutions, opportunities to change and future actions suggested by the communities themselves. 

 At the beginning of the event, Refugee Community Organisations were given the opportunity to choose what they felt were the main issues for asylum seekers and refugees living in Wales

The areas they choose were:

• Housing
• Funding
• Communicating with Welsh Society
• Language Barriers
• Employability
• Knowing your Rights
• Destitution, and
• Working with the Media. 

Participants explored these areas in details through ideas, discussion and contrasting debates. All comments were collected and recorded.  The Welsh Refugee Council will be meeting with the facilitators to gather further information before producing a report which will begin to plot and suggest future steps.  

The Welsh Refugee Council would like to say thank you to The Big Lottery – Cronfa Loteri Fawr for funding this event as well as providing promotional support. We would also like to say thank you to all those who facilitated, supported and attended this project. Your willingness to give your time, insight and perceptions made this event truly memorable and a positive platform for future success. We look forward to building on this energy and spirit of collaboration to make a real and meaningful difference asylum seekers and refugees in Wales and would welcome your participation in future plans. Finally, we would like to be the first to wish you a wonderful festive period and a Happy New Year.