Brent Multi Faith Forum (BMFF) has developed a working group in partnership with Brent Council and other local organisations to establish Brent as a Borough of Sanctuary. Under the adopted strategy, one of the work streams is ‘Radical Hospitality’, which aims to embed and foster a culture of welcome and hospitality across the whole borough.

BMFF have developed two Projects which encompass the ‘Radical Hospitality’ ethos; Brent Shelter of Sanctuary and Creative Conversations.

Brent Shelter of Sanctuary

The Brent Shelter of Sanctuary is a winter night shelter coordinated by BMFF, which sees diverse faith communities opening their doors to welcome up to 15 men each night (for 10 weeks) experiencing homelessness, with a strong emphasis on supporting undocumented migrants and refugees. The BSoS developed as a faith communities’ reaction to supporting those most in need; those who have no rights and no recourse to public funds. The BMFF are incredibly proud of the multi-faith communities and their volunteers who stood side by side to deliver the project with such compassion and dedication. ‘Guests’ staying at the shelter were hosted with dignity and honour.

Creative Conversations project

The project was designed and coordinated by Tahseen Mehar, BMFF Coordinator and aims to welcome, share and celebrate the diverse voices of the refugee and migrant women of Brent by:

Giving a voice to the voiceless; acknowledging their presence and amplifying their participation in society.

Migrant women from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds are invited to take part in engaging and stimulating workshops, which are supported by esteemed writers, producers, performers and poets to construct a creative narrative of personal journeys to present to the wider community.

The project is designed to draw similarities between the diaspora experiences of all migrant women, regardless of their more obvious differences and to help dispel some of the negative stigmas and labels associated with particular migrant communities.

The programme aims to provide an opportunity for the wider public to encounter the personal stories through events and written materials, engaging and celebrating talent and creativity amongst marginalised members of the community.

Contact

email: [email protected]