ATLAS Development Partnership Empowerment Initiatives

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ATLAS Development PartnershipEmpowerment
Initiatives
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• Background
• ATLAS
• Operates under Theme I
• Is piloting initiatives aimed at integrating
  asylum seekers
• Partners include Glasgow City Council (lead
  partner), colleges of further education,
  voluntary organisations, other public bodies such
  as Scottish Enterprise Glasgow
• Covers the whole of Scotland but in reality its
  work is centred on Glasgow

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• Background
• Asylum Seekers are scattered all over Scotland
  but there are concentrations in Glasgow and
  Edinburgh
• Estimated to be around 1,000 asylum seekers in
  Edinburgh
• Glasgow has received more than 11,000 asylum
  seekers since April 2000
• There are currently 6,000 asylum seekers and
  1,700 refugees in the city

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• Disempowerment
• Asylum Seekers are highly resourceful people
• Disempowered by restrictions on their ability to
  work or travel
• May be disempowered by unfamiliarity with
  language, local institutions our racism and
  hostility
• Agencies need to be empowered to engage and work
  with asylum seekers

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• ATLAS approaches to empowerment
• Action 1 included extensive consultation with
  asylum seekers
• Building the capacity of local agencies to meet
  asylum seekers need
• Providing information on local services,
  institutions and rights and responsibilities
• Providing opportunities to engage with
  individuals, organisations and communities as
  active citizens

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• Information Orientation
• Building new ways of delivering information to
  asylum seekers
• (Call Centre and Website Glasgow City Council)
• Citizenship Courses
• (Central College)
• Education / Guidance Surgeries
• (Scottish Refugee Council)

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• Asylum Seekers as
• Active Citizens
• Volunteering opportunities (Citizens Advice
  Bureau, Red Cross)
• Building the transnational website (Anniesland
  College)
• Involving people in the design and shape of pilot
  initiatives (radio station Glasgow North
  Limited and Website and Welcome Pack design by
  Glasgow City Council)

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• Some Lessons
• Empowerment can
• Have enormous benefits for individuals in terms
  of confidence building and integration
• Also benefit agencies entering untried territory
  
• With the best of intentions our efforts can go
  wrong
• Be pragmatic about public involvement