Migrant Connections Festival is now approaching its 5th year running, and we need your help to continue to help this festival shine a light to the vibrant migrant community present in the UK.

What are we about?

This festival is an opportunity for us to come together as a community and celebrate everything migrants, refugees and sanctuary seekers bring to society. We will showcase the vibrant and diverse cultures of refugees through food, music, art, and storytelling.

The Migrant Connections Festival is not just a celebration, but an opportunity for refugees and sanctuary seekers to share their experiences and connect with the wider community. We believe that by sharing stories and experiences, we can break down barriers and promote understanding and compassion.

However, we cannot do this alone. We need your support to make this festival a reality. Your donation will go towards securing a venue, booking performers and workshops, providing food and drink, and ensuring that the festival is accessible to all (covering travel costs, providing translator, childcare facilities etc).

By supporting the Migrant Connections Festival, you are not just supporting a one-day event, but you are supporting the refugee community and promoting diversity and inclusion. Together, we can create a more welcoming and inclusive society.

Testimonials 

Diego Ludicissa (Theatre of the Oppressed Workshop)

“Wonderful workshop, wonderful show, wonderful actors, wonderful people… Thank you so much for inviting me to the festival. It was a wonderful experience. I hope that the participants enjoyed it. I loved that we had a chance to show what we developed in the workshop."

The Outside Project 

“Guests had a great time yesterday at Migrant Connections Festival. In one of the workshops, one of our guests spoke more words than we have heard in the entire time they have stayed with us. Very important space.” 

“Migrant Connections Festival was a breath of fresh air for us. The house is from all over the world and I wish more spaces like Migrant Connections existed.”

Theme for the year

Our theme for this year is solidarity. There have been a number of events in the past year which requires us to be closer with one another than ever. 

We want to cultivate a community feeling in times of great need where there are all sorts of injustices occurring. This year there have been many injustices impacting our communities, women in Iran fighting for their freedom of speech and expression, floods in Pakistan tearing apart communities and the introduction of the illegal immigration bill - dubbed illegal by Amnesty International.

More than ever we need to come together as people to acknowledge and support each other with all the turmoil within our communities.

What's provided at the festival?

This year we are very excited to be partnered again with the South London Refugee Association (SLRA) to co-create workshops for the festival centred around health and wellbeing.

- The festival will be another day of migrant-led workshops & performances - showcasing arts, music, dance and creativity from the migrant community

- We will provide a free lunch + dinner, creche facilities & free travel to all low or no income migrants, sanctuary seekers & refugees attending

- We will provide holistic healing - massage therapy, meditation & gardening sessions to nurture and support wellbeing

- We will host workshops & sessions on: practical support, wellbeing & mental health, effective solidarity, education and housing access, anti-deportation & detention support & action

Our budget 

TOTAL ESTIMATED SPEND - £8700

Any help to share this Crowdfunder or provide a financial contribution to this goal would be so greatly appreciated. We can't do this without the help of you all.

Love,

The Migrant Connections Team