November 2012       And You Welcomed Me Workshops for Churches held in Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey
On the 15^th and  26^th of November EMBRACE workshops were held in Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey. They were organised by Lynda Kennedy, R/EID Project Officer from Carrickfergus, Antrim, Newtownabbey Peace III Partnership. Topics discussed at the workshops included:
- Who’s who? Who’s here?
- Start where you are / Lifting language barriers
- Lost in Translation – Exploring cultural differences
- ‘Hot Potatoes’ – Helping a stranger in need
Throughout the evening participants had the opportunity to join in conversation around the topics listed above in an informal, café-dialogue manner. By the end of the workshops, participants conveyed that they felt better informed and more equipped to respond to the issues in their own communities.

The following reflections were shared by some who attended the workshops. They noted that most valuable aspects of the workshop were:
- Information on schemes that are in place, what help is available and what opportunities there are to assist.
- Improving my knowledge and giving me a better understanding of the issues; hopefully as a church we will follow up what we’ve learned tonight.
- Discussing ways in which to engage with other nationalities.
- Finding out more information in regards to situation in NI
- Hearing about Polish culture
- I was not aware of some of the issues raised such as migrant/refugee status.
- Having time to think through these issues
Workshops are a great opportunity to share, learn and exchange our knowledge and experience. If you would like a similar EMBRACE event to be held in your town/city, please contact Aneta at aneta@embraceni.org

September 2012      Migration Awareness Training in Armagh

On the 22^nd of September EMBRACE delivered Migration Awareness Training to a group of volunteers in a local church in Armagh. The church hosts English classes for beginners. Volunteers provide a warm welcome to people who are new to the Armagh area. The training was very well received; participants gave encouraging feedback:
-          The interaction was great + made information more easily remembered. Very encouraging.
-          Just being made more aware of the whole issue of migration
-          Having time to consider more issues than just language
-          Gave me an understanding of the position migrants find themselves in
-          Structured approach to discussing migrants. This is the start of a process
-          Clarification of migrants rights and entitlements
-          Encouraged to see we are actually doing most things properly. Also gained further useful information.
-          Better understanding of the rights and entitlements
The training is an interactive session which explores inward and outward migration and the rights of migrant workers in N Ireland. It aims to dispel myths and provide practical information on issues relating to migration. If you would like to host Migration Awareness Training at your church / group, please contact Aneta at aneta@embraceni.com

February 2012

On 24th February 2012 EMBRACE launched a multilingual welcome poster at Belfast City Hall. EMBRACE Chairperson, Denise Wright and Councillor Marie Hendron (pictured with the poster) spoke of the value of communicating welcome through materials such as the poster. A Press Release with details of the event can be viewed here. Some supporting materials were also prepared and available at the event including a booklet with phrases to assist in communicating welcome across language differences. The poster and other materials are available from our office and at all EMBRACE events.

December 2010
Emergency Fund Christmas Appeal EMBRACE made an appeal for contributions to the Emergency Fund following severe weather and an increased number of requests for assistance. The generous response to this appeal is greatly appreciated. Emergency Fund Appeal

NICRAS Christmas Party Cancelled The annual Christmas party for people seeking asylum, due to be held on Friday 17th December had to be cancelled because of the heavy snow.

June 2010: EMBRACE hosts events during the Belfast Inclusion Festival
The Inclusion Festival  consists of a wide variety of events hosted by different organisations, held across Belfast during the month of June. This year EMBRACE hosted a Global Cafe at Willowfield Parish Church and a Voices Together Concert at City Church. The cafe provided an opportunity to discuss issues relating to migration whilst the concert celebrated the triumphant harmony of individual voices coming together. Thank you to all who participated, attended and contributed to the Emergency Fund at these events.

May 2010: EMBRACE Spring Meeting focuses on migrant destitution
The Spring Meeting, entitled Destitution & Migration: Who cares?, provided an opportunity to consider the reasons migrant people become destitute and how local agencies are responding. Maura McCallion of the Law Centre provided an overview of the legal and social situation, and Sandra Moore (pictured left) of the Welcome Organisation showed the implications of these through a powerful presentation of images and information on homeless people in Belfast. A time to reflect on how the situation could be addressed was followed by a challenge by former moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rt Rev John Dunlop, to overcome barriers of difference, notice and respond to people.

MAY 2010: EMBRACE Appoints Development Worker
Aneta Dabek, originally from Poland, was appointed Development Worker for EMBRACE. Aneta’s focus will be on building relationships with churches, to learn good practices of welcome and integration, and to share and encourage such initiatives with others.

February 2010: EMBRACE considers a Christian Response to Migration
EMBRACE looked at how churches might respond in welcome to migrant people in their locality at two Information Sharing evenings held in Belfast and in Ballymena. There was also information on EMBRACE’s involement with other groups and directly with Roma people and other vulnerable migrants, including people seeking asylum.

January 2010: EMBRACE hosts ‘Still a Place of Sanctuary’
In response to the UK Government’s consultation on changes to the asylum support system, EMBRACE invited interested parties to a morning discussion event. Liz Griffiths, Policy Officer at the Law Centre NI was the main speaker and provided information on the system and what the changes might mean.

January 2010: EMBRACE produces revised ‘Who’s who’ leaflet
A new revised edition of the flier ‘Who’s who? who’s here?’ has been prepared. The leaflet includes summary information on people seeking asylum and migrant workers. Hard copies are available free on request, and the flier can be downloaded from the EMBRACE resources page of this website.

May 2009: EMBRACE AGM considers how we move beyond welcome.
The EMBRACE AGM considered how we move beyond welcome to create meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging for people of all nations. In his address, Pastor Peter Finch (pictured left) spoke of how all people are made in the image of God and their heart cry is the same. Yet we have different cultural identities which we must be aware of in ourselves, in how it affects our view of ourselves and how we perceive people of other cultures, we also need to understand the cultures of those around us in order to correctly interpret behaviour and sensitively build relationships.
He stressed the need for churches to engage practically in expression of welcome and inclusion, being ready to assist with needs such as language support, but also having humility to receive from newcomers.