Conference:No place like home

By Elisha Shamba

An innovative conference “Leicester: No Place Like Home’  will be held on April 28, 2009 at the University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building from 10:30am to 3:30pm.

The conference, the first of its kind in the city, is organised and co-hosted by Hatnews in partnership with Clinical Psychology Department at the University of Leicester, The 2, Leicester City of Sanctuary, Soft Touch and Leicester Libraries.

Leicester’s cultural heritage reflects the fact that the city has historically been a settling place for many migrants and is home to a diversity of people from different backgrounds. The 2011 census is likely to confirm that Leicester is the first British City where the majority of people come from black and minority ethnic communities.

A large proportion of the community that has made Leicester their home is made up of people who have sought refugee here. In recent years, the refugee and asylum seeking population has grown and diversified considerably with the implementation of the Home Office’s dispersal programmes which since 2000 has made Leicester a key city in the reception and resettlement of asylum seekers of refugees.

The aim of the conference is to:

-         promote the city as a place of safety and sanctuary

-         create awareness about the life experiences of local refugees and asylum seekers

-         explore ways in which refugees and asylum seekers  can integrate and feel at home and help them  to engage and contribute to the social, cultural and economic life of the city.

-         facilitate connection and communication between different agencies within the city who have a role in supporting asylum seekers and promote the role of  libraries in integrating new arrivals, asylum seekers and refugees and help them to get work experience.

This event is open to refugees and asylum seekers, college/university students, children, healthcare and social care professionals, university staff, Multi Agency Forum(MAF) members and the media.

The programme of events will include: a series of  monologues enacted by actors  (based on the stories of people who have sought asylum in Leicester) ,  talks from a range of people involved in supporting asylum seekers and a Question and Answer session with a panel of local experts.

In addition, in the foyer of the Henry Wellcome building there will be a series of stalls and art displays.

A free buffet lunch  will be available.

For more information and to register for the day please contact Marilyn Lawrence on 0116 223 1649 or ml35@le.ac.uk

or Elisha Shamba (Editor of Hatnews) on 0116 299 5413 / 07789115956 or editor@hatnews.org