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Brent Refugee & Migrants Forum: "We stand together" |
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An impressive turnout attended the Brent Refugee & Migrants Forum's (BRMF) Annual General Meeting, which was held at the Wembley Plaza Hotel recently.
Based on the theme "We Stand Together", members, partners, supporters and volunteers of the Forum gave testimony to the work carried out by the organisation in enriching the lives of many in the Brent community.
 | | Dawn Butler, MP for Brent South and Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement |  | | Councillor Jim O'Sullivan, Mayor for Brent |  | | Sarah Teather, Member of Parliament for Brent East |
The meeting was chaired by Errol Lawrence, a board member of BRMF. Among the speakers were: Dawn Butler, Member of Parliament for Brent South and Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement; Councillor Jim O'Sullivan, Mayor for Brent; and Sarah Teather, Member of Parliament for Brent East.
The meeting was put together by Nagini Rajendra, Coordinator, BRMF.
Dawn Butler described those who work in the voluntary sector as "unsung heroes", who provide a valuable contributions to Brent society. She noted that Brent was the most diverse community in the UK. "Groups like the Forum must continue to thrive and flourish", she added.
The Mayor of Brent promised strong support to those who work to serve the community. He said that London authorities should provide more to support to the work of the Forum.
Sarah Teather pledged to continue campaigning to establish a better system to support the work of the community.
In her message to the meeting, Esther Goulding, Chair BMRF, outlined some of the achievements of the forum:
BRMF has created and run a capacity building programme for members, which focusses on crucial issues such as governance, human resources, immigration and welfare advice, employment and IT training.
The Resource Centre has become a focal point for many of BRMF members for operational and training purposes.
The Forum is working with Somali Women's Enterprise and Employment Project (SWEEP), a member organisation, to set up a social enterprise that will enable them to provide much needed jobs and access to skills training to women with few opportunities.
The Forum is also supporting Women of the Horn, an organisation which represents the Horn of Africa diaspora, with fundraising, capacity building and to undertake project work.
Partnerships is a key element of BMRF's vision. Integrated in Brent, a partnership forged by Inquilab & Innisfree Housing Associations, Brent Council and BRMF, will address the issue of social housing and concentrate on up skilling Refugee Community Organisations so that they are in a position to provide sound housing advice to their service users.
According to Ms Goulding: "We work with our member organisations to develop projects on critical issues that affect the lives of 20,000 refugees and 150,000 migrants living and working in Brent. We are particularly heartened to be working closely with Brent Council, the Metropolitan Police, Safer Neighbourhoods and local schools and numerous other partner organisations."
"We will be focussing on youth crime, education, financial inclusion, regeneration, community involvement, housing and health issues, in line with the London Mayor's integrated strategy for refugees, which was launched recently", she added.
photos: Naima Jama, BRMF, and Changeways International |
