Learning to Live Together : Developing Communities with Dispersed Refugee People Seeking Asylum

This topical report draws on the work of Refugee and Asylum Seeker Participatory Action Research (RAPAR), a voluntary organisation which works with dispersed people in Manchester and which has succeeded in developing extensive and effective networks of refugees, asylum seeking people, service providers and policy makers.

Focusing on three projects involving RAPAR: a sports group involving men who are refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Kurdistan and the Congo; a health and well-being project for Somali, Sudanese and Afghani women in Manchester; and community networks in Salford and Manchester developed through the Council for Voluntary Services; the report assesses activities that have been useful for both the participants and their communities.

This book will feed into existing Home Office research on refugee integration.

It reviews current literature on community cohesion for asylum seekers and refugees and highlights how non-English speakers can access local services and amenities in order to improve their chances of becoming part of established communities. Taking into account the fact that refugees seeking asylum are not homogenous in terms of language and gender, Learning to live together identifies fundamental conflicts between government policies on social cohesion and asylum and immigration.

It suggests how these conflicts may be overcome and makes recommendations for getting people from diverse backgrounds to work collectively to build their communities.