Organising
Only politically engaged migrant communities, united in broad coalitions and movements, have the power to address the structural problems facing migrants in Britain. That’s why our work focuses on organising.
What is organising?
Organising is an approach to social and political change that builds power in communities. It is based on the belief that democracy is only meaningful, and possible, when people are involved in the decisions that affect their lives.
Organising works alongside campaigning (aimed at individual policy change) and mobilisation (engaging people for a single action), but seeks to build long-term power from the bottom up. Our approach combines organising with service provision, knowing that the challenges of the immigration system form a barrier to participation for many migrants.
Our organising work involves:
Working with grassroots organisations:
We bring together a range of community and activist groups with strategy, training, casework, accessing funds, registering their group, and connecting with others. We hope, in this way, to help the creation of active, engaged and sustainable migrant communities. If you would like any advice or support, in organising or casework, please get in touch.
Individual support and mentorship:
We support individual migrants with immigration advice and a range of classes and activities, in addition to mentorship and personal development.
Coalition and movement building:
to build a mass movement we need to work together. Migrants Organise has created a number of collaborations on projects and longer-term efforts at coalition and movement building. We take inspiration from the work of migrant communities in Britain and around the world.
We also hold regular organising meetings and seminars to keep informed, learn from one another and discuss how to work in solidarity. If you would like to join these events, or one of our existing campaigns, please get in touch.
Find our more about organising, our perspectives and methodologies here:
Community Organising of Immigrant Communities for Common Good: Disorganising the Old and Organising the New. Research by Migrants Organise CEO Zrinka Bralo, 2015.
Building the Migrant Justice Movement, report article written by Migrants Organise campaign officer Akram Salhab and campaigner Neha Shah, 2020.
It’s Time for a Migrant Rights Movement article by Migrants Organise’s Aliya Yule in Open Democracy
