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ASPIRE - Asylum Seekers Pursuing Integration, Refuge and Empowerment

Logo for ASPIRE - Asylum Seekers Pursuing Integration, Refuge and Empowerment www.aspire-birmingham.org.uk 

Partnership information

Description

people

Background

Asylum seekers face a variety of challenges which affect their ability to integrate into everyday life in Birmingham and Solihull. Learning language skills, coping with trauma, making a new start and finding a role when work is not an option are all significant barriers that would challenge most people in similar circumstances. In addition to this the negative attention and hostility directed towards them in some sections of the media make the process of integration even more difficult.

ASPIRE’s objectives fit with the UK policy rationale which centres on involving asylum seekers in useful pre-vocational activities which will improve their employability status in the UK or elsewhere. It is a sub-regional DP focusing on Birmingham and Solihull. Within the Aspire DP there are in excess of 30 partners representing the statutory sector (e.g. Learning and Skills Council, City Council) and voluntary sectors (e.g. Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council, refugee community organisations and networks).

Aims 

The Asylum Seekers Pursuing Integration, Refuge and Empowerment (ASPIRE) Development Partnership aims to pilot creative ways to help individuals and organisations support people seeking asylum and ensure that their time awaiting a decision is constructive, useful and enables them to prepare more effectively for their next step.

The main aim of the DP has been to ensure that asylum seekers in the sub-region are integrated effectively and able to make a positive contribution to the community in which they are living while awaiting a decision on status.

Objectives

  • Improving access to and delivery of services to asylum seekers
  • Promoting community cohesion through the Arts
  • Developing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)
  • Capacity building for refugee community organisations (RCOs)
  • Creating volunteering opportunities
  • Transnational co-operation with partners in Italy, Germany and Poland.

Target Groups

Asylum seekers in the Birmingham sub-region

Video interviews

Building Relationships - Dave Roberts, Partner 1.4 MB
Innovation - Dave Roberts, Partner 2.5 MB
Mainstreaming - Dave Roberts, Partner 1.6 MB
Project Activity - Dave Roberts, Partner 2.2 MB
Purpose of Project - Dave Roberts, Partner 1 MB

Round

2

Round 1 to Round 2

In Round One, Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council was the lead body for the DP FORWARD and has carried some key personnel and experience through into running this Round Two partnership.

Lead partner

Learning and Skills Council Birmingham and Solihull
www.lsc.gov.uk

Core partners

Afro British Support Services, Aston University, Banner Theatre Company Ltd, Birmingham City Council (Regional European and International Division), Birmingham RACE Action Partnership, Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC), Bournville College, Community Integration Programme, Fircroft College, Groundwork Birmingham, Institute of Social Entrepreneurs, Matthew Boulton College, Muath Trust, My Time Ltd, Sound It Out, South Birmingham College, St Paul's Development Trust, Sutton Coldfield College, University of Birmingham,

Transnational partnerships

Information for Transnational partnerships

Contact

Amrik Dhesy, Learning and Skills Council Birmingham and Solihull,

End-dates

Action 2: 31 March 2008
Action 3: 31 March 2008

Equal theme

Asylum seekers

Origins

smiling man

This partnership came together from an existing Strategy Group in the Refugee Support Partnership. The Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council was the lead delivery partner in collaboration with voluntary sector agencies.

Beneficiaries

Asylum seekers
Total beneficiaries: 120

Achievements

green volunteering team

The way forward:
The collective experiences of the participant Aspire organisations, indicates that the activation of Asylum Seekers, combined with activities regarding:

  • Arts
  • Customised ESOL support
  • New capacity building models for individuals and organisations
  • Providing opportunities for volunteering
  • Promoting networks for organisations supporting asylum seekers

Facilitates their eventual future integration and their employability.

There are a number of key areas of focus:

Access to reliable and relevant information

Difficulties are experienced by asylum seekers in relation to accessing reliable and relevant information. Problems in relation to the context, process and context of information provision are explored, as well as possible avenues for addressing these problems.   Solutions developed are Welcome Pack, Service Directory, Aspire website at :- /


lady at a table

Capacity Building

Problems in responding to capacity-building needs of individual asylum seekers, especially within the context where there are formidable barriers to participation in a range of social and economic activities.   Solutions developed are Promote culturally sensitive counselling skills, Disseminate value focussed tools, Maintain IAG through RCO, Disseminate developing staff and RCOs improves engagement with mainstream providers


sax player

Developing a collective voice

Issues in relation to asylum seekers being able to develop a ‘collective voice’: especially insofar as the ability to do this would greatly enhance the capacity of host country services to identity and respond to real needs.  Solutions developed are the development and production of newsletters and videos by asylum seekers for their communities, Establishment of placement opportunities for women in non-RCO organisations.  Established ‘green’ volunteering opportunities, Development and piloting of impact analysis tools within volunteering – relates to soft indicators and distance travelled. Piloting of skills audits within volunteering environments.


children at a concert

Enabling services to accurately identify and respond to the needs of asylum seeker clients

Direct challenges for services in host countries to accurately identify, and effectively respond to, the needs of asylum seeker clients. Particular challenges are identified in relation to sharing information between services; ensuring that relevant information is made available in the right place at the right time; and difficulties in ascertaining real needs – within a range of different cultural and linguistic contexts. Solutions developed are Development of existing relationship with RCO's in their dealings with non-RCO bodies. Establishment of an ESOL and Asylum Seekers Network. Facilitate a maximum of 4 community conversations with asylum seekers and key stakeholders. Create a network of arts related organisations

Intended impact/ sustainability

The work of the DP demonstrates the way loosely associated affiliates can work together to more effectively address the issues relating to how voluntary and mainstream providers assist asylum seekers. Using a variety of the methodologies being tested, it is intended that lasting new ways of integrated working will result.

The needs of asylum seekers has been gained through the real experience of the Aspire partners there is now a need to communicate the positive lessons, to draw attention to how the learning from Aspires activities can be built upon and the need to translate that learning into practice.

Scatter plot

Process X
Practice X
Product X
Policy X X
City Local Regional National European

Process/Local

The DP is trialling a number of processes to reach and support asylum seekers. The successful methods will be adpted as standard practice by partner organisations.

Practice/Local

The work undertaken by the Professional Development Centre will enable the establishment of a growing group of people who are trained to deliver Vocational ESOL

Product/National

The Theatre show being developed by a partner in ASPIRE will be available to organisations locally and potentially nationally.

Policy/Local

The DP will have learned valuable lessons about how to promote community cohesion. This learning will be mainstreamed through other funding streams such as Arts Councils, Local Authorities and the Lottery funds

Policy/National

The work of the DP will contribute to the development of a National LSC policy for supporting asylum seekers - especially in the light of new asylum legislation which is due to come into effect in December 2007 whereby decisions on the right to remain will be taken within a shorter time scale. Activity to support asylum seekers will need to embed the processes and practices within this concentrated time period and access people in their emergency accommodation.

Move the mouse over the scatter plots to see more information or view all information without using the mouse.

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Connections

Connections

Main outputs

Website
Aspire WebsiteWebsite holding all the activities and products of the Aspire Partnership.
Print
Welcome Pack for Asylum Seekers The purpose of this pack is to make asylum seekers aware of:- General information about the asylum process that they are going through at the moment Mainstream Service providers that are based locally and can help asylum seekers.

Activities and products

Print
Access, learning and employment needs of newcomersThe Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of Birmingham was commissioned by Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council to undertake a programme of research, to provide a clearer and more in-depth account of the size, skills and needs of the asylum seekers and refugee (ASR) population.
Print
Aspire Booklets Two booklets describing: 1.
Print
Capacity Building ESOL Learning for asylum seekersThe aim of this report is to understand the issues for both asylum seekers accessing and receiving ESOL support in Birmingham and Solihull and issues for the organisations delivering to this agenda.
Print
Connexions Outreach ReportA summary of activity and issues from the drop in services that have been provided to Asylum Seekers through the Wardlow Road Centre, Handsworth Connexions Centre, Midlands Refugee Centre, Refugee Hostel, Community Integration Project and the Brasshouse Centre.
Print
National Statutory Context for ESOL Delivery for Asylum Seekers This document provides an overview of information on the statutory context for ESOL and Refugees/Asylum Seekers materials/reports relating to ESOL and refugees/asylum seekers that have been produced by agencies such as Basic Skills Agency, NIACE, other bodies good practice and innovation concerning delivery of ESOL to Asylum Seekers .
Print
Need a hand Report on the review of recent U.K.
Print
Review of support services for refugeesThe Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of Birmingham was commissioned by Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council to undertake a programme of research, to provide a clearer and more in-depth account of the size, skills and needs of the asylum seekers and refugee (ASR) population.
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