A Celebration of ‘From Sanctuary to Opportunity’
Last month ACH was proud to celebrate the publishing of our second Change Makers report at our launch event on Windrush Day. Keep reading to find out more from our launch event.
Read the full report here.
To celebrate the launch of our second ‘From Sanctuary to Opportunity’ report we held a day of food, poetry, art, speeches, and panel discussions at the Triodos Bank’s Foundation.
In the spirit of the report itself, the launch amplified the voices of lived experience, showcased refugee’s artwork at our exhibition, and provided opportunities by supporting refugee-owned businesses.
“The council works with multiple partners across the city to improve the lives of refugees and asylum seekers and one of our most notable partners is, of course, ACH. I consider the Change Markers project a crucial initiative in Bristol that plays a vital role in amplifying the voices of citizens-in-waiting in our city.” -Asher Craig, Deputy Mayor of Bristol
After a delicious Egyptian buffet hosted by Nesrin of Nessi Cuisine, the event was opened by Deputy Mayor Asher Craig who reflected on the 75th anniversary of the Windrush migration and its significance to Bristol’s history.
Lawrence Hoo, poet, educator, and founder of CARGO Movement was next to take the stage, reciting two poems - ‘Ships Over Troubled Waters’ and ‘Universal City’.
Mina Fatemi, an Iranian poet who is now an NHS manager recited her thought-provoking poem ‘I am Human Just Like You’ which reflected on the discrimination she faced as a nurse in the UK.
Our final poet to take the stage was Yehor Vanzhula, a 13-year-old school student from Ukraine. He recited his moving poem ‘I Come From’ which also features at the beginning of our report. He was met by a roaring round of applause.
Fuad Mahamed gave an inspiring keynote speech, reflecting on his journey and the amazing work that ACH has achieved.
Paul Hassan then introduced the report and the research behind it before introducing our panelists:
Sumer Elhassen, former business management student from Ahfad University for women in Sudan gave an account of her perilous journey to the UK, highlighting the importance of providing meaningful sanctuary to those fleeing war.
Abdirahman Hassan, former British Youth Parliamentarian and student at Cardiff University gave his experiences of the British education system from the perspective of a second-generation Somali migrant.
Mina Fatemi, senior health inequalities manager at the NHS discussed the issues faced by migrants in seeking healthcare.
Bushra Alsakkaf, events coordinator for Bridges for Communities discussed what it means to feel at home and belong as a citizen in Bristol.
Mariia Burlaka, former company logistics director from Ukraine discussed the challenges of finding meaningful employment when your qualifications aren’t recognised in the UK.
Svitlana Zazhymakina, small business owner from Ukraine discussed the challenges of setting up a business as an entrepreneur, drawing on her experience of turning her candle-making hobby into a successful business.
Following our panel discussion we encouraged our attendees to reflect on the report and discuss some key provocations from each chapter. This generated a lively discussion from which a variety of diverse voices were heard.
We would like to thank everyone who attended and participated in our launch event, and we invite you all to utilise our report and continue the discussion.
