'Giving up fear'- 27/06/16 - Manchester City of Sanctuary

If you’ve woken up sad or surprised at the Brexit news, we’d like to invite you to join us, ‘building a culutre of welcome for sanctuary seelers in Manchester’. Do reassure your neighbours and local shopkeepers that they are still welcome in UK.

Last Wednesday the Steering Group met to celebrate and consolidate the future of Manchester City of Sanctuary. They agreed to commit themselves to raising £50, 000 for this coming year for Conversation Clubs, for partnerships and pledges with all sorts of individuals and organisations, for development work and for admin/comms support.
We challenged ourselves to ‘give up the fear’ of strangers and difference, and give up ‘normal’, in our discovery of diversity and uniqueness and friendship.

We hope you enjoy the poems in this bulletin written for Refugee Week 2016 during a Life Writing Course pledged by Harriet and Tas.

Greetings from David, Charles, Nadine, Jeff, Fay, Dianne, Zhila, Maryam and Jane

1. Summer Newsletter

2. New chair, new treasurer & new website/IT volunteers needed for City of Sanctuary

WANTED for September:
Chairperson
Treasurer
Website/IT volunteer

After nearly 5 years David Few, who has led and inspired MCOS, is taking a step back. So we are now looking for someone with the time to facilitate the decisions of the Steering Group through the next chapter. If you would like to talk to David or Charles about this opportunity please email them on [email protected] or [email protected]

Anita who has been looking after the accounts, funds and expenses for City of Sanctuary is returning to Ghana so we are looking for someone with accounting or book keeping experience to join the team.

Abigail who has been updating our website, Facebook & Twitter accounts and doing a termly newsletter has just done her finals and will be returning to Yorkshire so we are looking for an IT enthusiast to join us.

Please contact Charles or Jane at [email protected]

3. Collective poem : ‘Sights and sounds of the City.’

Travelling around Manchester:

“On the bus”

Many people waiting at the bus stop,

no one smiled.

Children playing, waiting to go to school.

Old friends laughing,

people on their own looking sad.

Stressed, angry, nervous, I want to be on time – “Where is the bus?”

The bus arrives, relief.

The bus is busy – some people are running.

Sometimes you just miss the bus.

People on their phones, listening to music.

There’s WiFi on the bus!

The phone is like a shield, protection.

Squashed together, but not connected.

I was told not to ask people questions,

try to find things out for my own self.

The driver sees me running, he shuts the door.

I smell weed, there’s a man at the back rolling a splif.

People take their dogs on the bus!

The smell makes me feel sick.

Ladies put their bags on the seat next to them so no one can sit there.

I like the queuing, people take their turns,

they respect who was there first.

The bus is running.

I see people walking, houses, schools, countryside.

I thought it would be beautiful.

I see people kissing.

Fog, steamy windows, rain, can’t see out of the window.

Dirty windows, blinded by the sun.

Sirens, ice-cream vans, children running

refuse trucks, cleaning cars, motorbikes.

My stop is coming.

I ring the bell.

Sometimes the driver forgets so I knock on the window,

sometimes I am thinking about my troubles and I miss the stop.

The bus is slowing down.

I stagger and bump into people.

Sometimes they are angry, “Don’t touch me.”

I say thank you to the driver.

I climb off.

My body relaxes.

How should I kill time?

It’s been a long day.

I am ready to go home.
The poem and the conversations that took place while it was being written, highlight the sense of dislocation many of the participants feel. They feel they are seen as less than worthy. The anger that was felt towards them perfectly captured with the words “Don’t touch me.”, even though it was just an accidental thing within the confines of a tightly packed, moving bus during rush hour.
(From Tas Parry and Harriet Morgan-Shami’s Blog about their Life Writing Course)

4. Letter to a New Arrival (Collective Poem)

Dear friend,

Welcome to Manchester! I am writing to you to let you know what is going to happen when you first arrive. I was new, too. You need to know so much. You will be frightened, but you will be free! You won’t be disappointed, but you will be frustrated. You will meet new people, some good, some bad. You’re going to spend a lot of time alone, and you may need to change in order to survive. Change is a challenge.

Everyone is a stranger. You will need to speak a new language. You will be surprised at how different the accents of English can be. Even simple things like tea have a different word for it. But soon you’ll be able to say “Yes” if you want a brew. You’ll enjoy a builder’s. You’ll learn the difference between having people want to chuck you out and inquire “Are you alright, chuck?” Often times you won’t be understood. You will have to hold yourself differently, your body language will change. Fake it until it feels real. You will need to learn new rules and ways. You will be playing the most important game of your life.

You came to Manchester with the hope of earning your own living. You will not be allowed to. You will have to find other ways to define yourself and be valued. All your money goes on bus fares and you have nothing left for food. No one cares about what you like to eat. You have no control over what you’re given. You have to queue for everything and wait your turn. But you can share and enjoy food together. British food is bland and tasteless so you will have to be creative to find the tastes of home.

It seems to rain all the time, washing your mind, body and spirit away. But when the sun breaks through the clouds, things may feel a bit better. The cold will be a shock, like opening the freezer door. You will need to learn a new way of dressing, from your feet to your head. You will protect yourself with layers of woollen armour!

It may take you a long time to settle here, but when you do, you will feel safe, confident, motivated, happy. What we hope for you is peace of mind as you turn over a new leaf in the story of your life.

Good luck in your new adventure.

Bon chance!

Boa sorte!

Bit-tawfīq

Veel geluk!

Mo’afagh bashed

Kila la kheri!

Written together on 5th Week of the MCoS Life Writing Course

5. Poems about Manchester

Leila:

Rain, rain, rain

If Manchester is liquid it would be water

There is water in the fountains in Piccadilly Gardens

The river Irwell is like a snake of greenery through Manchester

Many canals bring water to the city

Manchester is full of water.

Rain, rain, rain.

Aida:

When I think of Manchester

I think of cotton

Manchester was born from cotton

Cotton from America grown by African just like me

Now I am in Manchester

Manchester is rich because of people like me

Does Manchester know this and will it care for me?

6. ‘Everything You need to Know’ for Asylum Seekers by Asylum Seekers

There is so much you need to know!

Everything is so different.

If only someone had sat me down

Told me how things were going to be.

I wish I had known practical things.

Where can I find free food?

Where is the market?

They don’t have markets like they do back in Africa.

It is not like it is at home.

Where is the hospital? The post-office?

Things work so differently here.

If only someone had told me

There is so much you need to know!

I wish someone had told me

That I would miss the sun.

The wind is so cold.

I never thought there could be so much rain.

I wish someone had taught me

Where to go to get the help I need.

I wish I had known that some English people would help me

Even though I couldn’t then speak their language.

If I had known, I would have not expected to be helped.

I would have learned English.

I have had to learn to help myself.

I wish I had known that there are homeless people in Britain.

There is so much you need to know!

7. Help us to Empower and Welcome by donating

Many people do not have the energy to help support our projects with time, but perhaps you feel you could contribute a small amount a month to help us? Or even a 1 off donation. You can donate using Paypal or your credit card/bank details using the donate button on the right hand side of the page.

Alternatively print this form, fill it in, and send it back to us. You could also set up a direct debit manually using the details on the form.

If you would like a stamped envelope sent to your address with the Direct Debit form inside please write to [email protected] and we’ll get it to you as fast as we can.

Here are some ideas of where your money will go:

£4 provides enough money to get a Sanctuary Seeker a contribution to travel (asylum seekers are not allowed cash, so cannot access transportation unaided) AND a food parcel designed by sanctuary seekers for sanctuary seekers

£10 will give a Sanctuary Seeker access to 2 monthly conversation club events (link here)
which will increase self esteem, improve their English, and decrease their social isolation.

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction ~ CC Welcome

£25 will give a Sanctuary Seeker a bike, and training to use it!

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction
~Bike Welcome

£100 will pay for our part time worker to spend a day designing and delivering spaces of welcome

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction ~ Day of Welcome

£250 will pay for artists to come and deliver a day workshop, empowering Sanctuary Seekers to create and tell their own stories.

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction ~ Create Welcome

£500 will pay for an event like our ‘twixmas celebration’, complete with Ceilidh and Mother Christmas!

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction ~ Welcome Event

£1000 will pay for 3 rounds of English classes, 8 weeks long each, with 10 attendees to each class

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction ~ Language Welcome

£4500 will pay for our part time worker to deliver events for one day a week for a WHOLE YEAR! Your money will directly benefit 100s of people seeking safety in Manchester.

To allocate this write on your standing order form or label the transaction ~ Year of Welcome

8. Diary for July 2016

News For July

Monday 4th July 10am-4pm— Symposium at Manchester University about Asylum, Migration & Detention, including screening of the film ‘On the Bride’s Side’. See Dianne Ngoza for further details.(4 funded places)

Wednesday 6th July 10am-4pm— Symposium at Chancellors Conference Centre, Manchester University, on ‘Giving a voice to displaced people’. See Dianne Ngoza for details. (12 funded places)

Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th July 1-3pm – The Challenge Sports sessions at Trinity High School. (See David Few )

Friday 15th July 10am- 4pm National City of Sanctuary AGM, Oasis Centre, Cardiff. Jeff, Dianne and Maryam (attending on behalf of MCoS to do a workshop on training asylum seekers to volunteer)

Saturday 16th July 9am – 6pm – Families Summer Trip to Morecombe organised by Inspire Church. Pick up outside TCRC Longsight M13 0LN (See Jeannette Wilkinson 07549747155)

Friday 22nd July, 7 for 7.30pm – Bollywood Fundraiser for MCoS at The Sheridan Suite,371 Oldham Rd, Manchester M40 8RR. Organiser Ayesha Suhela 07856883368

Friday 29th July, 7 for 7.30pm – ‘Acoustic Amnesty’ Fundraiser for MCoS at Sacred Trinity Church, (Corner of Chapel St and Blackfriars Rd, Salford, Greater Manchester, M3 5DW)