Migrants Resource Centre

Ros Lucas

Executive Director

About MRC• Aims to work with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to

empower them and enable them to contribute to society in the UK

It achieves this by delivering:

ESOL classes – formal & informal, some linked with skills

OnLine Centre/Microsoft Academy

Informal Community education classes

creche provision

health inclusion advice & support

legal advice

media & policy work

Media & Policy Work

• Research – “Hope Costs Nothing” report on lives of undocumented migrants

• Campaigns – Still Human Still Here with other NGOs• EPIM Migrants & Media Project• Bridging Communities Project

Work with users via: Migrant & Refugee Media Action Group and more recently Social Media Action Group

The New Londoners

• Started in 2007 as an annual newspaper – distributed in Refugee Week 2007 (Angelina Jolie), 2008 (Colin Firth), 2009 (Ben Affleck)

• Aim: to bridge the gap between the host and new communities in London, to change perceptions and to empower users to tell their stories and get involved in production

• Due to feedback from the MRMAG, decision to change to digital magazine format and to get more involved in social media to increase debate and get stories out

The New LondonersOur Learning:• Need for more resources to manage the change and for ongoing

work with social media to increase debate/discussion• Anticipated revenue streams did not materialise• Creating “traffic” on social media takes time.

Where we are at now:• Obtained funding to train “community champions” in all aspects of

social media giving a ready pool of users to update facebook, twitter, to assist with future issues of The New Londoners due to training in design, design, web content management, working with journalists, digital photography

The New Londoners

Regular features:• Celebrities• Users’ stories• Creative writing• Myth busting• Day in the Life• Celebration of Cultural events in London• Feature on an ethnic community• Feature on food/recipes• Advice column