Talking about migration: A toolkit for creating conversations about migration and welcoming communities for newcomers to the UK
The toolkit is designed to support schools, youth groups, community groups, informal education projects, charities, local councils, and other organisations to work with lived experience stories that focus on recent contemporary migration to the UK. Helping to foster a culture of compassion and understanding to counteract the culture of the ‘hostile environment’.
It is designed to assist groups in listening to the stories of lived experience of people who have come to the UK in the last 10 years and promote discussion about how we can help people arriving in the UK feel at home. In listening to the stories, we can gain a better understanding of the challenges that displaced people living in the UK face and this understanding will deepen, helping empathy and compassion to grow.
Age range
The stories are suitable for all ages but when working with children we recommend to do so with those aged seven years and older. Whilst there aren’t any adult themes or strong language in any of the stories, some younger children may struggle with some of the content. We have indicated age appropriateness on the newspaper database and in the oral stories section to make it easier for the facilitator to find suitable stories for younger children.
Creating the right environment for discussion
To set the right environment for discussion we recommend that you encourage people to be open minded, curious, and empathic. It might be helpful to have a notice or PowerPoint slide that sets the tone. Indicating the type of space you are creating.
For example:
We would like today’s space to be a space for exploring ideas and catalysing action in response to people’s experiences of migrating to the North of England.
To help us make our shared space reflect this, we are inviting you to:
- Stay curious – Seek to understand others, rather than to be understood yourself.
- Have empathy – There are people in this space who have shared their experiences in this project and to whom the topics being discussed are important and personal.
Different activities
The activities can be delivered as stand-alone or you may wish to use a few together and build up. There are notes for children, young people and adults.
Many thanks to NACCOM who supported the design and creation of this toolkit.
