Bridges for Communities

Is your work Christmas tree already decorated? This year we have been delighted to take part in Tree Fest Bristol with our tree called "Taking Flight for Christmas". We have chosen the theme of birds as a universal symbol of peace and to represent our personal journeys and stories of migration. The tree is sponsored by The Arts Society and beautifully crafted by our Stitching Together project participants. Stitching Together projects provide welcoming spaces for refugee and asylum seeking women in Bristol and South Gloucester to be creative with all kinds of stitching and textiles, while gaining confidence, improving spoken English and making friends. Our Bristol Stitching Together groups are delivered in partnership with Borderlands. We have sourced our tree from the amazing Aid Box Community Refutrees project which supports refugees through the sale of Christmas trees.

What do you think would make the biggest difference to social cohesion in the UK? A big thank you to Belong-The Cohesion and Integration Network, TOGETHER NETWORK and British Future for inviting us to their After The Riots: A Social Cohesion Summit in London this week. The event brought together community cohesion experts and grassroots practitioners from across the country, aiming to put forward recommendations for a new national social cohesion strategy - something that the organisers have been pushing for since the violent disorder that took place in the summer.  Key questions discussed at the event included: What narratives enable us to live well together and de-escalate tensions and conflict when they arise? What practical steps can we take to defuse tension around asylum accommodation? How can faith (and non-faith) actors preach beyond the converted? How do we unlock the potential of sport, arts and culture to bridge divides and build inclusive, shared identities? It was great to hear the views of people leading on social cohesion initiatives, including Imam Adam Kelwick from Liverpool, Emeka Forbes from Together, Ted Cantle CBE DL and Misbah Malik from HOPE not hate, as well as many grassroots organisations that, like us at Bridges for Communities, are seeking to foster social cohesion through our day-to-day work in local communities. #socialcohesion #bristolcitycouncil #livingwellwithdifference #aftertheriots

Where do you stand on Thursdays? Is Thursday evening a night for going out or staying in? Last Thursday we hosted the final of our 3 Volunteer Thank You dinners for 2024.  We have tried lots of different formats over the years and this post is a chance to share what we find works well.  What works: 1.Sharing food together in the cosy Baraka Community Cafe underneath our office, it’s a relaxed and informal setting 2.Inviting volunteers to share their story of volunteering ups and downs.  We do this both informally during dinner and then 2- 4 volunteers will give a mini talk as part of the main session.  Giving people opportunities to share their own experiences of volunteering can help them process how things are going, and realise that a lot of the things that are challenging, others are finding challenging too. 4.Make it easy for staff to attend We always cancel our usual Thursday morning meeting to give staff back some of their day and encourage the whole team to make it for the Thank You evening 5.Include a variety of different voices - we encourage individual project managers to give micro updates on new activities and training 6.Invite guest speakers - this time we tested inviting a partner organisation Refugee Welcome Homes to share a bigger picture of what goes on in Bristol in our sector. 7.Provide a sneak preview   We often have a new video ready to launch which we hold back until we can do a preview for the Volunteers Dinner.  This means that those who give their time to support our work get an exclusive first screening of the impact they are having. So what about Thursdays?  This time around we had 35 volunteers attend compared to our usual 50+ and we wondered if Thursdays are just not the right night for going out?  Share your thoughts in the comments below

Are conferences a waste of time?? Our School Linking Network Manager Poppi Toon was in Manchester last week for an annual get together of Schools Linking Network folk from across the country. The Linking Network resources enable us to inspire and equip schools in Bristol to support children and young people to build meaningful connections across all forms of difference. Which is more needed than ever at this point in time. But was it good use of precious charity employee time? All of our staff are part time so taking a whole day out of the working week feels like a big ask. Is it really worth it? In this post, Poppi reflects on 3 things she gained from the conference: 1. Time for reflection & evaluation. It was helpful to have time to meet with, learn & evaluate School Linking with the wide network of people doing the same role in other districts. The shared knowledge and experience was invaluable. Especially when I’m the only person making School Linking happen in the South West! 2. Hearing the research behind the programme. A particular highlight was hearing from Dr Lindsey Cameron from University of Kent - Canterbury. 2 things from her research stood out for me: -The idea of “inter group contact theory” which is foundational for School Linking -An introduction to research on “felt understanding” Both of which have strong evidence of increasing connection, trust and confidence in different people coming together. 3. Community. I enjoyed the strong sense of togetherness and team work even though school linking coordinators are spread out across the country. It felt like 24 other teams of 1 or 2 people connecting and championing one another. As an organisation that works to reduce isolation and loneliness through connecting people, we are really glad that Poppi took this time away to connect and reflect with other school linking colleagues. Time well spent. #Bristol #BuildingSocialCohesion #BelonginginBritain #PowerOfConnection #SchoolLinkingNetwork

Anyone else had a day trip disaster? As part of our work reducing isolation and loneliness for people seeking sanctuary in Bristol, we occasionally organise day trips to help families get out of the city and into green spaces.  Over the years we’ve had both triumphs and disasters, including a gazebo nearly taking flight in high winds on a beach trip.  In this post our events coordinator Holly Woodley shares her lessons learnt…let us know in the comments what has been helpful for your organisation. 1.Tourist Information Centres (TiC) are fantastic -If you are stuck for inspiration on suitable locations for your group, check the local tourist information office for ideas.   -Online, on the phone or in person TiCs have saved us much time in signposting the most appropriate activities for the groups we support. 2.Extra eyes -We couldn’t run our events without amazing local volunteers who provide extra hands on deck…it’s always better to spot someone feeling travel sick and ask the coach driver to stop before it’s too late! 3.Everyone loves a viewpoint -Stopping at a viewpoint is always popular as it gives people a sense of the lay of the land. -Providing the opportunity for people to take photos is always appreciated and gives a nice talking point for future gatherings. And finally… as winter approaches, always have a Plan B for bad weather: -Don’t assume participants have wet weather gear or warm clothes -Pack umbrellas -Hunt out locations where there is some cover, for instance a cafe to shelter in!

How do you deliver volunteer training? We deliver training for people exploring volunteering with us every 6 weeks. Our projects building social cohesion across Bristol would not be possible without volunteers and we train on average 150 new volunteers every year.  There is a lot to cover, some of it quite hard going (risk assessment, safeguarding, trauma awareness). Over the last 12 months we have tested delivering in person, online, day time or evening, one long session or two shorter sessions…in this post we share our lessons learnt and would love to hear your thoughts on what works for your organisation in the comments below. 1.People always drop out at the last minute. Although this initially feels disappointing, on reflection we have learnt that if a volunteer has realised in advance that this is something that they don't want to do, or can’t prioritise at this time, then it’s better for everyone to call it early. 2.Volunteers need variety We have found that having 2 staff to run our training is invaluable as the change of tone and pace is helpful to keep people's attention.  We now add even more variety of voices by showing up to 8 short videos per training.  This breaks up the presentation and seems to help people concentrate.  3.Access needs matter 18 months ago we added a specific access needs section into our training application form.  This has been a game changer in helping us think about how we deliver volunteer training.  We’ve learnt that small changes can make a big difference in reducing barriers for potential volunteers, for example sending out our presentation slides in advance or adding more breaks into longer sessions. Every 6 weeks we learn something new and keep adapting.  Let us know in the comments below what works for you in delivering Volunteer Training for your organisation. #BuildingSocialCohesion #Bristol #volunteering #BelonginginBritain #PowerOfConnection  #TogetherWithRefugees  #CommunityLedWelcome  #refugeeswelcome  #rethinkingrefugee

How does art impact your working life? At Bridges for Communities, we aren't all artists but we love working with those who are. Our thanks this week go to Bristol Photo Festival who organised a walk around several of their exhibitions for a group of people seeking sanctuary, including participants in the recent 'School of Movements' photography project.  We have really enjoyed collaborating on that project which explored themes of movement, place and belonging. The walk began with a visit to our partner Arnolfini Arts to see the incredible work of Rinko Kawauchi, a Japanese artist whose lens transforms ordinary moments in life into things of beauty. Then on to Centre Space, IC-VISUAL LAB C.I.C. and to Midland Road gallery where we were met by Bristol-based photographer Amak Mahmoodian, whose work examines the experience of dreaming for individuals living in exile. We finished with a meal and celebration of the 'School of Movement' photography project, looking at some of the group's own images portraying their experiences of life in Bristol. Key learnings? - Art and creativity have an incredible ability to transcend boundaries of culture, language and nationality and bring people together around common experiences and around beauty - A picture really does tell a thousand words... whether it's a photo taken by a professional photographer displayed in a well known gallery, or a fuzzy image taken by someone experimenting with a camera for the first time, every picture has a story behind it and conveys something of our experiences and view of the world #photography #bristol #bristolphotofestival #amakmahmoodian #BuildingSocialCohesion #BelonginginBritain #PowerOfConnection  #TogetherWithRefugees  #CommunityLedWelcome  #refugeeswelcome

When did you last look your laptop in the eye and say a genuine, heartfelt thank you? We’re all about creating connections at Bridges, and although we’re often found connecting people through food, crafts, or music, one of the most crucial tools in our kit is in fact the humble laptop. You might well be on one right now. RefuLingua, our grassroots project that supports people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to teach their native languages, relies on laptops for the 60% lessons that take place online. Some of our tutors have childcare commitments that make travel tricky. For them, laptops enable flexibility and access to the project. Many of our tutors make use of the RefuLingua to learn IT skills while they teach. “I’ve learnt the skills of presentations and the use of Microsoft programs, and how to create files and convert them to PDF.”  All of our tutors are connecting with students across Bristol by sharing their languages and cultures. Laptops make this happen. THANK YOU, humble laptop, and more importantly thank you Burges Salmon LLP for gifting us five refurbished laptops for our tutors to use. We appreciate it. They will be put to good use. #BuildingSocialCohesion #BelonginginBritain #PowerOfConnection  #TogetherWithRefugees  #CommunityLedWelcome  #refugeeswelcome

Icebreakers. Love them or hate them? Over the years of delivering Peace Feasts bringing different communities together for food, music and stories, we have tried many icebreakers. With guests of all ages, a mix of nationalities and varying levels of English it's a tricky one to get right. Last week at the Peace Feast at St Anne's House in Brislington we road tested one suggested by a Bridges for Communities volunteer. Guests were challenged to take 3 minutes to find 3 things in common with someone they had never met before. It was heart warming to hear the common ground that was discovered - a shared love of drinking tea, travelling to new places or passion for sport. Such a simple idea that was easy to explain and accessible for people to try. We would love to hear from other organisations working on social cohesion events - what icebreakers have worked for you? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks to Bricks Bristol for hosting the Peace Feast, to the brilliant Houria CIC Catering, our fantastic musician Özcan and our guest speakers Nasir and Zia Haque from Caafi Health. #StAnnesHouse #BuildingSocialCohesion #BelonginginBritain #PowerOfConnection  #TogetherWithRefugees  #CommunityLedWelcome  #refugeeswelcome

It’s a game changer... Meet Nic. Nic is our Befriend Project Manager and regularly criss-crosses Bristol in her role matching local volunteers with people seeking sanctuary (refugees, asylum seekers, resettled communities) for a year of weekly activities. The idea is to reduce loneliness and isolation and help people make connections whilst exploring Bristol. Our amazing volunteers come from postcodes all over the city and Nic meets them and their befriending partner in person to make the introductions.  The problem?  Nic loves to cycle but she works part time and Bristol has a lot of hills. As a charity we are always working to save time and money and to reduce our carbon footprint.  The solution? Thanks to Bristol City Council Transport Engagement Team we have just started testing out the use of an e-bike as a new way of working.  The bike has already saved us time and reduced our impact on the environment.  But most importantly it has enabled us to connect more people and support more friendships across the city.  We’d love to hear from other organisations about the one thing that has been a game changer for you in your mission to connect people.  Let us know in the comments below… #BuildingSocialCohesion #BelonginginBritain #PowerOfConnection #TogetherWithRefugees #CommunityLedWelcome #refugeeswelcome