BTCV Handbooks Online

Book:	Environments for All
Chapter:	4.0 Case studies
Section:	Getting results in the West Midlands
Metadata:	Details	Buy this book

The Getting Results programme operates in Birmingham and in parts of the Black Country. BTCV and The Refugee Council in the West Midlands are aiming to help to break down the distrust and misunderstandings which cause so much misplaced controversy around the asylum seeking process and to create opportunities for asylum seekers to participate in community environmental projects to combat feelings of social isolation and prejudice. Young asylum seekers are at a particular social disadvantage due to cultural and linguistic barriers and prohibition on mainstream education, training or employment. It can take up to between six months and four years for asylum cases to be concluded and there is a desperate need for those housed in temporary accommodation to receive ongoing support.

Funding from the Commission for Racial Equality's Getting Results programme has allowed asylum seekers in the West Midlands area to get involved in voluntary work to improve the local community. The Getting Results project aims to:

Enable at least 50 asylum seekers living in the West Midlands to make a positive contribution to the local environment;
Enable asylum seekers to integrate with mainstream volunteering activities and local communities;
Enable asylum seekers to increase their knowledge of their local area and to increase their sense of belonging within the local community;
Enable asylum seekers to use the local environment to relieve some of the stresses and tensions of daily life that they experience; and
Enable the local community to see the positive contribution that asylum seekers can make to the local environment.

The project has been developed by BTCV and the Refugee Council West Midlands. Through a variety of practical conservation activities, participants are able to gain local knowledge and forge links with local people. The benefits extend far beyond pure practical conservation skills. In a neutral outdoor environment away from the pressure of their temporary housing, individuals can benefit from urban green spaces, mix freely, improve their English language skills and gain satisfaction from making a difference to the local environment.

The programme organises a range of events and activities including: practical conservation work; growing vegetables at an local allotment; Green Gym work, which offers an outdoor environment for people to get fit and engage in conservation; and walks and trips to nature reserves.

Some recent Getting Results work includes:

Green Gym Project, Sandwell

Focusing on the health benefits of conservation work,these activities begin and end with stretching exercises, run for just two to three hours and are a great way of getting fit.

Taster days

This series of 'taster days' enable asylum seekers to visit the various projects and decide which may be most appropriate for themselves. A recent 'taster day' involved a group of asylum seekers from countries including Togo, Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea and the Yemen. As soon as they were dropped off from the minibus into a neutral, outdoor environment, the benefits of this project became clear. People were able to mix freely, enjoy the sunshine and relax away from the pressures of their temporary housing.

The day began with a visit to the Green Gym site in Sandwell where work was being done to plant native bulbs and plants close to a public footpath. All participants were keen to learn and do something practical with their hands: one talked (in French) about how he had worked on his father's farm in Togo. This is a group who on average have been housed in temporary accommodation on average for four months, who have little chance to enjoy green space or interact with members of the community outside of their accommodation.

The group also did translated words into siimple English, learning the names of birds and animals ,and general conversation work. For many, this was the first time they had been out on a project: 'I don't get a chance usually to learn English and chat to people outside. I've learned so many new words today'.

The results suggest that volunteering has many positive influences on asylum seeker groups as well as the local community, irrespective of a community's social class or wealth. Specific benefits to date include:

Enabling asylum seekers to make a positive contribution to the local environment;
Allowing opportunities for asylum seekers to positively integrate with mainstream volunteering activities and local communities;
Giving asylum seekers an improved knowledge/ familiarity of local area, leading to increased sense of belonging/security/confidence and, therefore, increasing their ability to lead a more active life within the local area and reduce alienation;
Enabling asylum seekers to be able to use the local environment to relieve stress, tension and improve their quality of life;
Creating opportunities for the promotion of the positive contributions that asylum seekers will have made to the local environment; and
Creating opportunities for learning English.

The programme helps to improve the public perception of asylum seekers, and helps break down the distrust and misunderstandings which cause so much prejudice. BTCV is looking to continue and develop this work in co-operation with Refugee Action and the Refugee Council as well as local Asylum Support Teams and Social Services staff.