Whether it’s finding money for a rental deposit or learning to navigate an unfamiliar education system, the upheaval of adjusting to a new place can take its toll both financially and emotionally. We want to help newcomers settle quickly and comfortably, minimising the burden of adjusting to a new place. We focus on how places are set up to welcome newcomers through the provision of services, information and tools, and identify ways to mitigate the friction of new groups living together.
Here’s how we do it:
Sharing Effective Welcome Practices
Whether it’s finding money for a rental deposit or learning to navigate an unfamiliar education system, the upheaval of adjusting to a new place can take its toll both financially and emotionally. We want to help newcomers settle quickly and comfortably, minimising the burden of adjusting to a new place. We focus on how places are set up to welcome newcomers through the provision of services, information and tools, and identify ways to mitigate the friction of new groups living together.
Improving Local Welcome Systems
We collaborate with local authorities to assess and enhance their current welcome experiences, ensuring newcomers can access the support and information they need easily.
×
Exploring the Integration Experiences of Refugees and People in the Asylum System in the UK
What was the ask?
To explore the integration experiences of refugees and people in the asylum in the UK, and to gain a deeper understanding of what facilitates and what hinders integration from this group’s perspective.
What did we do?
We carried out mixed-methods research, combining immersive ethnographic interviews and a UK-wide survey of refugees and people in the asylum system. The survey was one of the largest of its kind to take place in the UK, receiving 755 responses.
What was the outcome?
Our research was published in a report by the Commission. It also fed into the Commission’s headline report “From Arrival to Integration: Building Communities for Refugees and for Britain”.
Defining Welcome in Communities
We work with communities to understand what welcome and belonging means in that place, how people are supported and what more could be done.
×
Civic Data Innovation Challenge – ‘Making Sense of “Belonging’
What was the ask?
Use grant funding from the GLA to deconstruct the concept of belonging into something practical and measurable, that can become a tool for local authorities and also feed into the GLA’s ‘Civic Strength Index’.
What did we do?
We carried out 20 ethnographic interviews with residents in Newham and Lewisham, spending time travelling around their local area with them. We then fed these qualitative insights into a quantitative analysis of the Survey of Londoners, to identify what the core predictive factors of belonging are both across London and from borough to borough.
What was the outcome?
We delivered a report unpacking our qualitative and quantitative insights about belonging, including the core predictors of belonging that we identified and recommendations for how local authorities can use these insights to foster more belonging in their boroughs.
Through these efforts, we strive to create welcoming environments that help newcomers feel connected and supported from the start.
