Welcoming creative workshops which bring refugees, people seeking asylum and local residents together to co-create stories, poetry, drama and other forms of art. Sessions reduce isolation, create connections and allow joy to flourish, developing a more hopeful migration narrative in difficult times.
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We are living in increasingly polarised times, where narratives about migration focus on exclusion rather than welcome, creating a climate of fear and hostility. At the same time people seeking asylum in the UK are increasingly isolated and lack agency, as they are unable to work or decide where to live while they often wait years for a decision on their asylum claim. This situation is killing hope – both for those seeking sanctuary and for the wider community.
Our weekly workshops at Walthamstow's William Morris Gallery create spaces of welcome and encounter, using creative activities to bring people seeking asylum, refugees and local residents together. The sessions use artistic practices such as storytelling, poetry, drama, music, art and craft to reduce isolation, forge connections and create the conditions for hope and joy to flourish. New opportunities, such as opportunities to perform or co-lead school workshops, also emerge from the sessions.
