At Swansea City of Sanctuary, we are always striving to find innovative ways to strengthen our community and ensure that Swansea remains a welcoming place for all. Our latest initiative, the Community Cohesion Project, funded by a grant from Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS), aims to take this mission further by exploring creative and experimental approaches to diversifying and expanding our volunteer base.
Through this initiative, we hope to uncover strategies that not only work for us but can also be shared with other SCVS member organisations, enabling them to make informed decisions about engaging their communities.
Our new programme arises from a grant we have received from SCVS, the purpose of which is to explore new and experimental ways of expanding and diversifying our volunteer base. Our experiences, whether successful or not, will be used to help other SCVS member organisations decide what approaches might or might not work for them.
Consequently, we are exploring ways to help our voice reach different communities in the Swansea region through targeted events that will also promote community cohesion, thus contributing to our objective of making Swansea a place of welcome and friendship to all.
A key concept is to identify, where possible, groups or individuals who already have knowledge of and connections within these different local communities. Ideally, they would define the type of event that would work best for the people they know and possible venues for it, and help with local organisation. On our side, we could fund venue hire, refreshments publicity material, supply any information needed (including our exhibition if appropriate), publicise the event on our social media and website, and of course be present at it. We are particularly keen to explore approaches and ideas for events that we might not have thought of ourselves!
The cohesion elements at these events should include at least one of the following:
- Opportunities for people with and without lived experience of seeking sanctuary to interact and have a good time together.
- Raising general awareness and stimulating discussion about the realities of asylum to counter the negative messages appearing in some of the mass media; we have an exhibition with content to support this.
- Encouraging people to feel more confident about responding in a non-confrontational manner if a friend, relative, work colleague, etc. expresses hostile sentiments about asylum seekers; we have a Speak Up for Sanctuary presentation and associated handbook produced by City of Sanctuary UK to help with this.
This is an exciting opportunity to break down barriers, foster meaningful connections, and create spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging. By collaborating with community leaders, organising innovative events, and amplifying positive messages about sanctuary and inclusion, we aim to make a lasting impact on the people of Swansea.
We’ll be sharing updates and lessons learned as we progress, so stay tuned to our blog and social media channels. Together, we can build a stronger, more welcoming community for all!
