Tag: refugees
GCP is launching a series of Community Wellbeing Workshops with a focus on mental health literacy. The first workshop is How to Access NHS Services, including information on registering with a GP, accessing an interpreter for appointments and what to do in an emergency.
The workshop will be led by Francine Bucumi from the Asylum Health Bridging Team. Drawing on her personal and professional experience, Francine will talk about the importance of knowing your rights to medical treatment and how to access mental health services within the NHS.
She will also talk about the importance of social activity on the impact of mental wellbeing and share her experience of volunteering.
Topics covered in the workshop include:
- HC2 forms (application and renewal)
- Access to primary and secondary NHS care
- Registering with a GP
- Speaking with a GP about your mental health
- Accessing interpreters for NHS appointments
- Asylum seekers rights within the NHS
- Importance of social activity on wellbeing
- What to do/ where to go in an emergency
The workshop will take place on Thursday 16 May, 1pm-2.30pm at The Barber Suite, Elderpark Housing Association.
All workshops are open to anyone in the community who would like to learn more about mental wellbeing, but the support focus is on refugees and asylum seekers.
Workshops are free to attend, light refreshments will be provided, interpreters and translated materials are available upon request.
You can register by sending your name, contact details and language requirement to wellbeing@govancommunityproject.org.uk.
The UK Government has passed the Rwanda Safety Bill, below is a statement from Govan Community Project in response to this:
We are absolutely devastated and disgusted at the passing of the Rwanda Safety Bill in Parliament. This enables our government to completely ignore human rights and break international law. Despite being ruled by the Supreme Court as unsafe, our uncaring government will forcibly remove people seeking asylum, including children, to a country where they are at serious risk of harm and abuse.
Time and time again, research on the views of the public show that this is not what the majority of the UK population wants. Communities up and down the UK provide a welcoming, safe space for refugees and recognise the value diversity brings to our society.
Instead of this cruel, heartless, ineffective and costly scheme, we stand in solidarity together with refugees and our colleagues across the sector and call for a new plan that recognises and respects human rights and treats everyone fairly and kindly.
We call on all of our friends, neighbours and colleagues across the country to continue to call out the UK Government on their inhumane, harmful policies.
Govan Community Project has signed a letter to the Prime Minister, along with over 250 other organisations, to express our outrage at this law. Read the letter here.
Today (Wednesday 15 November) the Supreme Court ruled the UK Government’s Rwanda plan is unlawful.
Govan Community Project is very happy that the correct ruling was made by the Supreme Court on the Rwanda Plan, however we share continued concerns with our colleagues across the sector of the UK Government’s ongoing inhumane treatment of those seeking safety.
We stand with over 100 of our sector colleagues, issuing the following joint statement.
We are relieved today that the Supreme Court has made the right decision and declared that Rwanda is not a safe country for this government to send people needing safety. The Rwanda plan was always cruel and immoral. We urge the Government to immediately abandon such plans with Rwanda or with any other country, and instead protect the rights of people who have come to our country in search of sanctuary.
While we welcome the decision today, we remain concerned by this Government’s overall treatment of people who move to this country. We are alarmed by this Government’s continuous efforts to detain and forcibly send people to countries where they may not know anyone, especially if it puts them at risk of harm and human rights violations. We know that as a community we are compassionate and welcoming, and we need immigration policies that are rooted in that same care, compassion, and respect for human rights. We call on everyone to stand up for the rights of people seeking sanctuary, regardless of where they come from or how they travel here.
Signed (as of noon Wednesday 15 November 2023)
- Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)
- BARAC UK
- Kalayaan
- Liberty
- Doctors of the World UK
- Welsh Refugee Council
- Medical Justice
- Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)
- Rainbow Migration
- Bail for Immigration Detainees
- Just Fair
- René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights
- After Exploitation
- Freedom from Torture
- Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS)
- North Wales Regional Equality Network
- Young Roots
- Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU)
- Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees (AVID)
- Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (ECPAT UK)
- Humans for Rights Network
- Hibiscus Initiatives
- Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)
- Scottish Refugee Council
- Helen Bamber Foundation
- Asylum Aid
- The William Gomes Podcast
- Routes Collective
- New Citizens’ Gateway
- CARAS
- West London Welcome
- Student Action for Refugees (STAR)
- Afghan Association Paiwand
- RefuAid
- IMIX
- Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
- Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN)
- Our Second Home
- Samphire
- Care4Calais
- St Augustine’s Centre, Halifax
- Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
- Good Chance Theatre
- The Runnymede Trust
- Hope at Home
- Voices in Exile
- Refugee Support Group (Berkshire)
- Ice and Fire Theatre
- Waging Peace
- Reading City of Sanctuary
- forRefugees
- Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group
- Hastings Supports Refugees
- Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign
- Hastings Community of Sanctuary
- Herts for Refugees
- City of Sanctuary UK
- Bristol Refugee Rights
- Da’aro Youth Project
- Reunite Families UK
- Migrants’ Rights Network
- Public Law Project
- Praxis
- Refugee Action
- Together with Migrant Children
- JRS UK (Jesuit Refugee Service)
- Here for Good
- Refugee Council
- the3million
- Open Rights Group
- National AIDS Trust
- Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG)
- Asylum Matters
- HIAS+JCORE
- People in Motion
- Refugee and Migrant Centre (West Midlands)
- RAMFEL
- Refugee Women Connect
- Voices Network
- Micro Rainbow
- LGBT Health and Wellbeing (Scotland)
- The VOICES Network
- Mermaids
- HOPE not hate
- African Rainbow Family
- Manchester Migrant Solidarity
- Safe Passage
- Birmingham City of Sanctuary
- Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary
- Haringey Welcome
- House of Rainbow CIC
- Asylum Welcome
- Anti-Slavery International
- LGBT Foundation
- Migrants Organise
- Hope and Aid Direct
- Inclusive Mosque Initiative
- Alawia SBI
- JustRight Scotland
- Kanlungan Filipino Consortium
- Time To Be Out
- TransActual
- Durham Visitors Group
- Lewes Organisation in Support of Refugees & Asylum Seekers
- RefYouMe
- Reclaim The Sea
- Big Leaf Foundation
- Freedom United
- Muslim Council of Britain
- Global Link
- Lesbian Asylum Support Sheffield
- Asylum Support Appeals Project
- Gendered Intelligence
- Migrant Voice
- Stand For All
- Migration Justice Project, Law Centre NI
- NACCOM
- Refugee Legal Support
- South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice
- Choose Love
- Refugee and Migrants Forum of Essex and London
- Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network
- Nottingham Arimathea Trust
- Govan Community Project
- Simon Community Scotland
- Welcome Churches
- The Pickwell Foundation
- Refugees at Home
- Stonewall
- Sahir House
- Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC)
- Room to Heal
- Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative