BU Research Blog

Refugee and Migrant Leisure Network Meeting, June 28 2018

Associate Prof Jayne Caudwell, Prof Janet Dickinson and Dr. Jaeyeon Choe established the Refugee and Migrant Leisure Network in 2017 after finishing their QR funded project entitled, ‘Refugee and Migrant Leisure and Community Well-being.’ The network consists of BU academics across faculties and disciplines and local community partners who mainly work with and represent migrants and refugees. The network has successfully organised four meetings since its conception.

On June 28th, at the meeting in BU, community partners and academics shared updates about supporting migrant and refugee groups including social events, funding applications and other activities. For example, Dr. Jayne Caudwell and Dr Jaeyeon Choe shared their recent research findings on ‘Multicultural lunches: Sharing food in post-Brexit south coast of England’; Dr. Nicola De Martini Ugolotti shared his research results on ‘Here to Play: forced migrants, music and belonging’. Community partners gave their practical and helpful feedback to the BU academics with future recommendations for research projects. The community partners also shared their progress. BU academics and community partners are working together for funding applications.

As the RMLN network has gained reputation in the Dorset community, it has expanded with more partners. As a new partner, the Dorset Ethnic Minority Awards representatives (including our own graduate, Nanzy Sebata) attended the meeting, shared their event details and asked for support. RMLN has been successful bringing community groups together and provided a venue for meetings, sharing and mutual support. We will continue these activities while inviting more opportunities and partners to introduce ‘real’ change to the challenges that community workers and migrants face. By securing additional funding, we can create healthy, sustainable and productive relationship with the local communities and beyond. We appreciate all partners who joined us today with great spirit, and look forward to the next meeting in the autumn!

Please visit our Facebook Page if you are interested in the Refugee and Migrant Leisure Network activities and stories: https://www.facebook.com/groups/400355213641367/