Home-Hame-Дом-Dom is a creative learning project to bring people from different backgrounds together to build a sense of community belonging in the North-East. In partnership with the WEA and Modo, the Elphinstone Institute was commissioned, with LEADER funding by the North Aberdeenshire Local Action Group, to deliver ‘social integration solutions for migrant workers.’
A programme of arts and culture-based activities in Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Banff, Macduff and Turriff were developed. Publicity materials were translated into Lithuanian, Polish, Latvian, and Russian, and with local networks and tutors, co-created opportunities to learn something new and strengthen our communities.
In the past 18 months, more than 1000 people took part in 114 activities including workshops, classes, and online events. Highlights include: ‘A Taste of Home’ events, sharing food, music, song, dance, stories and languages, celebrating Scottish Burns Night, Polish Fat Thursday, and Lithuanian St Casimir’s Fair. In lockdown, we moved online with a Doric for Beginners course.
The grand finale was Celebration Week including a series of films, ‘A Long Way from Home’, made by Modo. As part of our evaluation participants said: ‘I say well actually I’m home here. I’ve lived longer here than I have ever lived anywhere else. What is it that makes home? It’s your family and community connections.’
Evaluation Report
Aims:
- To build a sense of community between newcomers to Aberdeenshire and those who have lived here for a long time. Research shows that migrants who move here for work often have limited contact with local communities, and may experience social isolation and loneliness.
- To create opportunities for people to get to know each other to break down social barriers and forge new links.
- Other potential benefits include improved language skills, greater understanding of shared culture, increased community capacity, increased confidence among participants, and stronger social networks.
Background: This project is funded by North Aberdeenshire LEADER Programme to provide bespoke activities to support socially excluded people and encourage them to become more involved in community structures and activities. The LEADER programme is part-funded by the European Union's European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
The need for this project was identified as part of SSAMIS (Social Support and Migration in Scotland), a wider research project carried out in the area in 2015–2017. The project board includes the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, WEA, Modo, SSAMIS, SRUC, Aberdeenshire Council and NALAG.
Programme Details: The Elphinstone Institute, the WEA and Modo, will deliver workshops and events in Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Banff, Macduff and Turriff.
Launch Date: July 2019 during Peterhead Scottish Week. There will be cultural and creative activities for adults, for families and for young people, in each of the locations. The project will last for a year.
Activities: may include international community cafes, theatre workshops, storytelling, music and song, dance, and craft.
Consultation: The programme will be developed in consultation with project partners and others. To ensure that we meet participants’ needs, we are planning a series of awareness raising and consultation activities including a questionnaire, networking, and face to face meetings.
Outcomes: We hope that, as outcomes from this project, new and lasting friendships will develop between people originating from different cultures, and that people new to the area will get involved with long-established community groups, and also that people who have lived here for a long time will be encouraged to get involved with the celebrations and stories of newer arrivals.
Contact:
Claire Needler
Project Co-ordinator
claire.needler@abdn.ac.uk
t: 01224 272996
