scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/syrian-refugees-tell-fm-our-childrens-futures-are-here

#NewScots#Scotland#Refugees

What's amazing about this programme is that it could be extended to other parts of Scotland easily - the supply and demand are both there - but the funding and infrastructure (both physical and administrative) is lacking. As far as I know, there have been small local efforts to replicate their work in NE Scotland which were gratefully received by both refugees and the orgs that support #NewScots, but they just didn't become sustainable. It's hard to replicate their work at smaller scales, I guess?

Because we all work very hard to make #NewScots safe.

For the past two years I've been working with others in local government, the third sector, universities, and Scottish government on this : https://newscots.scot .

We are held up as an example by UNHCR of how to promote welcoming, trauma-informed integration, even while Patel, Braverman, and Jenrick (and the press, and Yaxley-Lennon, and Farage) screamed for blood.

And it works: yes, of course there is #racism in Scotland, but so far we've been able to resist the horrors in England. But it requires a continuous, thoughtful commitment across all layers of society. It isn't a "natural feature" of Scotland. We achieved this.

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