Home-City Spaces of Care
Networks of solidarity and belonging for refugees and asylum seekers in London and beyond
Listen to the project collaborators/facilitators explore the themes of care in this podcast
This creative research project was a collaboration between Stories & Supper, Phosphoros Theatre and Olivia Sheringham (an academic researcher in cultural geography and social justice based at Birkbeck University of London). Working with refugees and people seeking asylum, the project explored different ways of understanding and practising ‘care’ in the context of hostile immigration policies and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Through a series of creative workshops – including activities such storytelling, drama, mapping, zine-making and textiles – we had the chance to play, think, and explore what care, home and belonging means for people who have lived experience of the UK’s asylum system and how we might imagine more caring and care-full futures shaped by solidarity and connection.
What did it involve?
A series of participatory, creative workshops in London and a weekend project ‘retreat’ outside London focused on the themes of care, home and belonging in the city. The sessions provided space to explore the project themes in multiple ways – through discussions, storytelling, drama, mapping, zine-making, textiles - as well as time to build connections with others, learn new skills and have fun. The sessions were facilitated by Helen Taylor and Carine Matondo from Stories & Supper, Kate Duffy-Syedi and Abel Atsede from Phosphoros theatre, and Olivia Sheringham from Birkbeck.
What were the outcomes?
Learning from and with refugees and people seeking asylum, the project sought to develop new knowledge and resources to challenge dominant mainstream narratives around refugees and asylum seekers. Outputs so far include a short film – Caring Together Against the Hostile Environment , a book and a podcast. The film has been screened at a number of events and project facilitators and participants in the project have led workshops and taken part in public and academic events in London, Sheffield and Birmingham.
What were the benefits of the project?
The project provided a welcoming spaces for participants to work creatively together and to share ideas and experiences on their own terms. Participants had the opportunity to help shape the project and outcomes, and developed new skills in creative practices, including drama, mapping, zine-making, textiles and more.
Ultimately the project aimed to develop fuller understandings of the experiences, practices and knowledge of care for refugees and people seeking asylum in London. Through creating resources and new knowledge about care, home and belonging, it challenged negative narratives surrounding refugees and migrants in the UK and fostered solidarity and welcome
If you want to find out more, contact Olivia Sheringham at: o.sheringham@bbk.ac.uk.
Download the Care Stories book here