JRS UK IN THE COMMUNITY

Through new initiatives in their local area, JRS UK continues to nurture the joy and friendships that arise when refugee friends and the communities in which they live come together with a common purpose, says Mark Dunn

This year, JRS UK has been more active than ever in our community in east London to bring local residents and refugee friends into encounter with one another, through new projects that fulfil our mission of reconciliation. We hope that creating meaningful encounters between refugee friends and local residents will build greater understanding, empathy, trust and solidarity.

This work is so important in a context in which the far-right has increasingly mobilised against migration and asylum-seeking, weaponising fears and concerns in local communities in order to spread hatred. There have been over fifty demonstrations across the UK against asylum seekers in 2023. This has doubled compared to last year, and hasn’t happened in isolation. Alongside hostile and anti-refugee law and policy made by recent governments, there has been an ever-increasing dehumanising rhetoric around asylum seekers and migrants in the media and public discourse. A ‘HOPE Not Hate’ report found that far-right activity online spikes around key government announcements and associated media coverage. Public opinion on asylum and migration is increasingly polarised, and 40% of people – more than at any time in the last five years – now consider it to be the most important issue facing the country.

Part of our mission at JRS UK is to cut through this narrative of division. We want communities to be inclusive, welcoming and hospitable to refugees so that all community members – refugees and non-refugees – can have a sense of belonging, with mutual respect and care for one another. Our vision for reconciliation is of a society in which compassion and a shared sense of humanity can flourish, even when there are differences or disagreements between people in identity, beliefs and opinions. The new projects reflect the understanding that work with and for refugees must connect to wider efforts to enable a more compassionate and just world. Our work should contribute to building this kind of society and not undermine it by contributing to greater levels of division or distrust.

We strongly believe in the power of hope and joy as a way to bridge gaps and build connection.

Connecting through food

For our first activity, we welcomed a gardening group from Mencap (a charity supporting people with disabilities) to our gardens at the Hurtado Centre. Together with our refugee friends, they learnt how to pot pansies and herbs, and sow beans, squash, carrots and lettuce. It was wonderful seeing everyone working together and helping each other out. Being outside and working with nature ensured a calming, relaxing atmosphere, and having a shared task brought everyone together. At the end of the session, we enjoyed coffee and cake together.

To mark the coronation of King Charles III, JRS held a special ‘Coronation Community Kitchen’ programme, through which refugee friends and local volunteers were invited to cook up a feast for a street party. Recipes were shared and participants were taught how to cook baklava, pizza and Nigerian puff puff. In the words of one participant: ‘The Coronation Community Kitchen makes me feel connected with different people, different cultures, and with different foods.’ The kitchen and hall had a palpable energy and buzz, with music and laughter as participants split off into groups to prepare and cook each type of food. Once cooking was completed, the JRS centre transformed into a café-esque social space to which everyone was invited to spend time together enjoying the fruits of our labours.

The following day, the food was served at a coronation street party on Wapping Green. Refugee friends were invited to join the festivities with music, dancing and activity stalls. JRS UK held a stall which served the community kitchen food, and had conversations with local residents about our work and answered their questions about refugees. Many were happy to hear about the work to support refugees happening on their doorsteps, with people offering their time and donations. Some knew about the centre as they had been there when it was their primary school many years ago!

Connecting with nature

We have joined with a local litter-pick group in Wapping, which meets monthly to collect rubbish around Wapping and its waterways. It’s fantastic to give our friends the opportunity to participate in the local community in such a visible and tangible way. Our friend Abdul puts it best: ‘I was born at the edge of the Himalayas. Our house was encompassed by a vast forest. Until the age of ten, I used to wander through never-ending maize and corn fields, and flowing streams. Those distant memories keep connecting me to nature and the environment. During the summer in the UK, I spent most of my spare time in parks. So when Mark from JRS asked me to participate in a programme to preserve the local area, I accepted this offer. The other volunteers on this project greeted me with a warm welcome, and we began picking litter at the local park and kept going through the waterways, streets, parking bays, ponds and housing estates. At the end of the event, all volunteers gathered at Wapping Green and we had a wonderful chat about almost everything. I truly enjoyed that experience of conserving nature and am looking forward to participating further in these ventures! I also want to say thank you very much to JRS for providing me with this opportunity to connect with volunteers from the local community.’

Connecting through sport

In July, JRS participated in the fourth ever ‘London Unity Cup’ and the JRS UK football team was born! It was a day for bringing people together, meeting other charities similar to us and encouraging all who took part to have a good time. Our refugee friends were excited to be playing in a tournament and it was filled with joy, laughter and fun. We won our first match but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the other games. It wasn’t meant to be, but it really didn’t matter. We had played with such joy and the memories from the tournament are still fondly spoken about!

Whatever the method – whether it is gardening, food, sport or volunteering – we are seeing the joy and spirit of our friends reach new people through our community activities. We strongly believe in the power of hope and joy as a way to bridge gaps and build connections. We will continue to be active in our local community and create opportunities for connection, understanding and hope. Soon we will begin conversations in another area of London and in North West England to listen to local residents in other communities, to see how we may create further opportunities for encounter, community and reconciliation.