NEWS: Six months on from the UK’s racist riots: building resilience against the far-right threat
Join our upcoming safety and resilience workshops in March 2025.
It has been six months since the devastating racist riots which shook the refugee and migration sector, causing widespread fear especially amongst colleagues with lived experience and from racialised communities, and disrupting the vital services that organisations offer to people in the migration system.
Following the events of last summer, we recognised the need to think long term and boost preparedness and collaboration for the future. A scoping exercise was carried out to better understand how the sector and funders were impacted, how they responded and what support was provided to organisations and communities. We also compiled a list of training and support providers focusing on safety and security and wellbeing and resilience that organisations can access.
To share the findings of this scoping work, we are hosting two workshops in March. These workshops will be useful to organisations and funders who would like to better understand the available support and needs around improving safety and support mechanisms, and fostering wellbeing and resilience within teams. They will be facilitated by Helen Barley, MEX’s consultant who carried out the scoping work.
About the workshops
Each session will focus on a different topic:
Workshop 1: Safety and security – 3 March at 1:30 pm – 3 pm (on Zoom)
This session will focus on safety and security management during and and in the aftermath of the riots. Organisations will have the opportunity to discuss and share their experiences and agree key priorities to better prepare for the future. There will be a panel including providers of safety and security support covering areas such as digital security, risk assessment and critical incident management, personal safety and building security.
Workshop 2: Resilience and wellbeing – 31 March at 10:00 am – 11:30 am (on Zoom)
This session will focus on resilience and wellbeing. It will share recommendations for organisations to better support and protect staff and volunteers, and hear from providers of resilience and wellbeing support.
To register, email Li-En at li-en@global-dialogue. org to see if you can join a workshop.
We also invite you to read:
- Reflections of MEX Co-Director, Marchu Belete, six months after the riots. In this blog, Marchu reflects on the impacts the riots had on the sector, the ongoing threats of violence and rise of the far right, and the importance of building long-term security and preparedness.
- A blog series which summarises the main findings of the scoping work, and includes lists and links to providers of safety and security support.
Blog 1: How and why the violence happened
Blog 2: Impact on targeted communities
Blog 3: Safety and Security Resources
Blog 4: How funders can boost security and safety for migration and refugee charities
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Further information and agendas will be sent to those who register closer to the date.