Saturday 2 October 2010

The Refugee Council.

Hurley House, 1 Dewsbury Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS115DQ 0113 386 2210


Why volunteer?
Develop your skills, improve your knowledge of refugee issues and have fun

Volunteers make an invaluable contribution to the work of the Refugee Council and we currently have over 300 of them working in our offices across England. Volunteers allow us to increase the range and quality of services we offer our clients - without their support we would not be able to run many of our services.

Volunteering can also provide lots of personal rewards, from improving your skills and employability to meeting new people and supporting an issue you really believe in.
Develop your skills

Volunteering is a great opportunity to develop your skills as well as to learn new ones. You will be supported in your role by a volunteer co-ordinator or another Refugee Council member of staff. Volunteers can also access training to support them in their role. Volunteering will help you to develop your work skills and confidence.
Improve your knowledge of refugee issues and of the refugee sector

Many people chose to volunteer with the Refugee Council because they are interested in the issues or have personal experience of the asylum system. Whilst volunteering you will get the opportunity to learn more about the system and the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers. Volunteering will also give you an insight into how the refugee sector works and what the Refugee Council does to support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK
Have fun

As well as supporting the important work of the Refugee Council, volunteering is also about having fun. As a volunteer you’ll get the opportunity to work with interesting people on a variety of different projects. It’s a great way of meeting new people and making new friends.

Leeds refugee forum.

Leeds Refugee Forum
Address One Community Center, Cromwell Street, Lincoln Green, , , , LEEDS, LS9 7SG

Contact 1.

Phone 0113 244 9600

Email leedsrefugees@yahoo.ca

Description
Outline

Leeds Refugee Forum [LRF] is a voluntary organisation established in 2003 to act as an umbrella organisation for Refugee Community Organisations [RCOs] in Leeds. We provide structure and a collective voice for RCOs, catering to their social, educational, economic, cultural and development needs with a focus on community integration and the empowerment of its members. We:

* provide advice and information
* act as an advocacy group for RCOs
* provide a collective voice for RCOs
* build the capacity of RCOs and community members
* assist the integration of refugees into local groups
* work in partnership at strategic level with regional and national organisations
* liaise with community, volunteer and statutory organisations

We welcome all enquiries from organisations and the general public regarding our activities and possible partnership working.

LRF is supported by Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network and Refugee Action.

We cover the following areas Leeds

Organisation type
migrant/refugee community organisation
network, forum or partnership
voluntary sector or charity

About us

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Migration Partnership works with national government, local government, and others to ensure that Yorkshire and Humber can deal with, and benefit from, migration. We work with agencies across the statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors to help support the delivery of high quality services to migrants in a way that benefits everyone living in local communities.
What do we do?

The Partnership has four key roles:

Strategic leadership and coordination for Yorkshire and Humber around migration issues [also known as ‘the enabling role']. We convene and support the Strategic Migration Group, our main cross-sector advisory group - the place where local authorities, statutory agencies and the voluntary sector get together to discuss how migration impacts on our region and to agree ways forward.

Management of the public sector asylum accommodation contract We coordinate the delivery of the agreement between ten local authorities in this region [the ‘Public Sector Group’] and the Government for meeting the accommodation needs of asylum seekers.

Effective integration of refugees and other migrants We help individual refugees to access housing, services and employment, through the Refugee Integration and Employment Service [RIES]. We provide central support and support local authorities and others in their work to promote effective integration of refugees and other migrants at a local level, and provide a strategic link to government on this issue.

Intelligence and research We collate and share information about the nature and impacts of migration, to help make sure that the needs of all migrant groups are met in local strategies and plans. For more information, go to intelligence and research.
How do we work?

The Partnership, which is overseen by local authorities, brings together local partners from all sectors to help support their delivery at a local level. Our partners are diverse, and include the voluntary sector, the UK Border Agency, health, the Police and the TUC.

We maintain a clear separation, in terms of both governance and operations, between our strategic role and our management of the delivery of the public sector accommodation contract.
What are our key priorities for this year?

This year we intend to:

* Strengthen our links to localities and support local delivery – by linking practitioners together in a way that helps them deliver for local communities.
* Secure future contracts which enable Local Government, working with partners, to continue to play a key role in the coordination and delivery of services.
* Work within our new political structures to ensure speedy, robust and accountable decision making for all of our work.
* Deliver our current contracts to the highest standard in a way which recognises and responds to the financial pressures we all face.
* Provide leadership on discussions around the future delivery of asylum services and the procurement of new sets of contracts - including taking a lead role at national level.
* Work through change - managing the transition from current to future contracts, and putting a structure in place that allows us to deliver efficiently and effectively.

Thursday 30 September 2010

Send and Receive Module.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2001/road_to_refuge/default.stm

There are a number of things on this website that look interesting unfortunately they won't play on my computer so will look at them at a later date.

I have decided I would like to communicate with groups and organizations that help refugee's. I always hear people saying that they are fed up of people "coming over here taking our jobs, housing and benefits" and it really angers me because I know this just is not true. Lots of people that flee their countries do so under terrible circumstances, to say the least. It angers me so much, we are supposed to be intelligent and advanced and yet we still harbor these racist, ill informed and backward views. We do live in a multi-cultural society so embrace and celebrate it!!!

Sunday 5 September 2010

Audrey Kawasaki






I may be getting slightly obsessed with this ladies work...

I found this today, apparently spray painted on a path in the street. :)

Thursday 26 August 2010

Totnes Truth Festival.

http://www.bbc5.tv/eyeplayer/video/annie-machon-interview

Monday 23 August 2010

Unity Day.

Unity day, great through the day, took the family along did workshops met some lovely folk. However, come sundown....
this is a post from a friends blog and needs some serious attention...

woop-woop, it's the sound of the...oh wait, there is non.
So yesterday was Unity day and it was relatively good, apart from the mugging and watching some other guy have his head caved in with a skateboard.
There was a massive lack of Police presence, which of course, is due to the private security firm hired to man the event. They did real good in reducing crime (Y)! Well done.

A friend of mine was mugged for his point &shoot compact camera, then beaten by a bunch of youths. When he approached the Police (who were standing around the perimeter of the park) he was simply told "oh, yeah there's been a lot of that, there's not much you can do" now, i'm no expert in dealing with the Police, but i'm pretty sure that, that response is a fucking joke.

I then spoke to 2 officers, to question them about the lack of police presence and the reply that was given to a man who had just been robbed & beaten up, and was told "it's all politics, love. do you want me to explain it to you?"

No, my friend. I do not need politics explaining to me, because i'm not a fucking idiot. Secondly, don't call me 'love'.
I understand that the organisers of Unity Day have chosen to hire a private security group instead of paying for the Police, but I also understand that they have 4-6 strong team patrolling the park on a quiet sunday afternoon.

I emailed the local policing team for LS6, even though i have little faith in the Police service, they did actually email back and then called me to discuss my issues. The inspector that i spoke to did seem to take the complaint relatively seriously, but of course, nothing can be done because i didn't get the badge number. Still, badge number or no badge number, 2 sets of police gave bullshit responses to the publics questions. Can't be arsed with paper work much?!

Maybe i've got a bee in my bonnet about this, but i think situations like this build barriers between the public and the police.


http://laurenrobson.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Moor Fest.

Moor Fest was such good fun. The pictures are not the best in the world because I was very busy having fun and looking after the children. Although my children didn't need much looking after. They were off having fun themselves being inspired and entertained by puppetry, jugglers, story tellers, workshops and music. This was such a lovely festival for families it was small and the lady bird tent was full of wonderfully lovely talented people.

We met some lovely ladies that had a solar powered juice and smoothie maker that were also very good at contact juggling and playing musical instruments as it turned out! The kids loved being involved. Bob and Rachel do workshops in Harehills, circus skills. I think I would like to help out at that for my work experience. I want to run away with the circus now! lols!X

Moor Fest, Skipton.





Moor Fest, Skipton.





Thursday 5 August 2010

Moor Fest, Skipton.


I am so excited!

I love the atmosphere at festivals, I went to my first festival in 15 years last year and have been to two this year.
I've been saying that I would love to work at a festival and help put smiles on folks faces! As if by magic this has come about!! A friend of mine is doing drama workshops at Moor music festival which has joined up with Northern Green Gathering and I can get involved too!! Silly hats, wigs, fabrics, clothing and face paints to be collected together for props and costumes. :D
I am also going to take my camera to document the craziness that is sure to follow!!
We will be going on the wednesday of next week finishing on the sunday.
This time I am going to bring my children too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One day I'll have a yurt like this one!!!

Monday 26 July 2010

Clearcut 1991 PT.1


This is such an excellent movie, I recomend everyone watch it although it does get kind of gruesome which I wasn't expecting, but excellent all the same. I haven't been able to get hold of it any where but the whole film has been uploaded to you tube in ten min sections. You can create a playlist and then it will play through.

Saturday 24 July 2010

New Look - Numbers


This was posted by a friend on facebook the other day.. I also like.

Friday 23 July 2010

Gabriel - Lamb


I love this song so much.Beautiful.

Thursday 22 July 2010

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Dive! Trailer

Dancing on the ruins of multinational corporations.

Olympics 'Ahead of the Game' - Trailer


Another vid from the grass roots section.

Greenwash spill at the BP-sponsored National Portrait Gallery

BP Portrait Awards - Oil on Canvas


Excellent! I found this on the "visionOnTV website under the grass roots section. Lots of really fantastic stuff on there!

Tuesday 20 July 2010

Article taken from Adbusters magazine.

The world is losing its magic. The rivers are no longer deities and the Nymphs that Socrates knew were on his walk with Phaedrus are not acknowledged anymore. Today we live in a strictly material world, a boring world, a scientific world where rocks are rocks and nature is man-made. Beautiful vistas are just that – beautiful, worthy of a picture but no longer a fountain of sublime transcendental glimmers. And yet, despite closing ourselves to the immaterial and denying the mystery of existence, the sable shadow still haunts us. So, we keep it at bay with new diversions and dazzling distractions.

Every modern generation has felt the alarming emptiness of life and has sensed that the horizon is bleak. Our banal society has long offered us nothing but the continued march of technological suicide, the extinction of biodiversity and the leveling down of infodiversity. We are wasting away our lives in long hours in front of screens, pushing pixels and accruing overtime. Bleary eyed, in a digital daze, we gulp down what we’re given and try not to think about the existential walls that are closing in as our precious years slip through our fingers, never to return again.

Faced with the shallowness of our existence, a life lived on the surface of reality, we desperately try to re-create the magical feeling that has been lost. But we are so far gone that the only alchemy we know is made of silicon chips and computer code. Still, our mercurial wizards with laptop laboratories combine these two technologies, frantically seeking the incantation for re-enchantment. But their methodologies are materialist and their tools far too modern – all that comes from their labors are expensive rose-colored glasses.

They call it augmented reality, a system for looking through the machine’s eyes, a way of seeing that replaces imagination with computer animation. And while our rocks may still be rocks, with this technology in hand, they promise us that our declining world will be bearable. That the dirt, grime and pollution need not be cleansed for through the screen everything is shiny and clean. And forget, of course, a revolution that razes this world because we can do it on our machines, safe and legally. Why destroy an oppressive reality when we can simply live in a “liberating” fantasy?

Against those who claim that augmented reality is the future of activism, we need only say: Everyone may wear blinders but the world will still stink of decay.


Micah White is a contributing editor at Adbusters and an independent activist. He lives in Berkeley and is writing a book about mental environmentalism. www.micahmwhite.com or micah (at) adbusters.org

Resurgence- Slow sunday.

25th july is going to be the next slow sunday suggested by the Resurgence slow sunday initiative "to symbolize a rejection of commercialism, a passion for the planet and a desire for change."

Some suggestions from the website;


WHAT GROWS UP MUST SLOW DOWN
According to the specialist in all things Slow, Carl Honoré - our society needs to take a more relaxed and more hands-off technique for raising and educating children. For this Slow Sunday Resurgence has put together a few suggestions making sure this day of rest adheres to this proposal...

Spread it out rather then cram it in - children’s spare time can end up seeming laborious rather than leisurely if the schedule is too rigid or full. Ask yourself whether they need to do so many out of school activities, family visits, trips to the shops, or sightseeing trips at weekends. Giving youngsters time to set their own agenda allows them to express their own interests.

Let them go wild - modern day living and demanding education is creating a generation of ‘battery children’. According to Natural England only 10% of today's seven- to 11-year-olds spend time playing in natural settings like woods and the countryside, compared to over 40% of their parents’ generation. ‘Free Range’ children have time to go will and enjoy the thrill of taking risks during play. Forest Schools are one of the many schemes around which allow youngsters to learn whilst playing outdoors.

From preformed to preferred - step away from off-the-shelf, ready-made electronic entertainment and try homemade amusements instead. Slow Media (music, song, and story-telling) can give a longer-lasting sense of satisfaction...and lets adults do the things they enjoyed before the digital age.

Slow yourself down - finally, remember that children are very good at sensing the mood of the adults around them. If brought up surrounded by family, teachers or other adult role models that constantly dash around frantically, it can give the impression that the grown-up world is a world of stress and anxiety with never enough time in the rush to keep ahead of the game. Instead, make sure that children know that work can be enjoyable and satisfying and possibly even easy!

Visit the site for more ideas.

Free resources.

I have found some really interesting stuff for free on I tunes they have an open university section with lectures and I have even found some video tutorials for my little boy to learn guitar. Well worth a look.

Thursday 15 July 2010

Love the concept of giving. Giving away something beautiful that has been hand made with love, to a complete stranger. This has always been what I have loved about graffiti too. It is a gift.
http://papergirl-berlin.de/

Wednesday 14 July 2010






Had my first driving lesson in three years today! I did ok too apart from a couple of mistakes and a little rustiness. I can't wait to be able to drive, I hope I learn quickly. Here are some vans I've been looking at dreamily... I think I would like the army truck! but I think for now I'll concentrate on learning and then just a cheep run around until the insurance goes down. A little fiesta or something.

Day trip.




We were taken on a day trip and here are a few pictures I am quite pleased with. I am getting to slowly but surely know my camera. My children and a friendly chaps dog.

make-up and costume ideas for next festival :)



Its 2 am and I think I really should of been sleeping a long time ago :/ wish me luck getting up in the morning ;)

Friday 9 July 2010

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Monday 21 June 2010






http://blogdelanine.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-rocks.html

I love this blog, the things on it are so beautiful.

Sunday 20 June 2010

A child-like man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves in the cocoon of middle-aged habit and convention.
Aldous Huxley
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
Aldous Huxley

Saturday 19 June 2010

Monday 14 June 2010

I met some lovely girls from Northern school of contemporary dance at the Test Space event, we chatted and exchanged contact details, they were really keen on helping me with a couple of video projects I had in mind for a while now. They are the ones in the black tights etc. in the photos.
They have also set up a group on face book and used my photographs and credited me too, which makes me feel all happy! :)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=135485873131469

Test Space Leeds, Best joined up, our second stall and a whole load more loveliness.