International Migrants Day “New Brummies” tell their story_Dec18

On International Migrants Day, “New Brummies” tell their story
Tuesday 18 December marks the 12th annual International Migrants Day, an opportunity to reflect
on the experiences of migrants and refugees,
refugees, both overseas and right here in Birmingham.
Birmingham For
decades the city has welcomed new arrivals from around the world, providing sanctuary and
opportunity to people who have often fled violence or poverty in their home countries.
Over 20 groups representing various new communities in the city are based at the Piers Road
Resource Centre in Handsworth. The Centre is run by Dennis Minnis, who last week (Thursday 13
December) was awarded an OBE at Buckingham Palace for his services to the community sector.
The 2011 Census, released last week, reveals that nearly 238,313 of the city’s 1,073,000 population
was born outside the UK. These are the stories of three “new Brummies,” who discuss what the city
has come to mean to them.
“Birmingham is a kind city” – Jamil’s story
Originally from Sudan, Jamil held an important job in rural development, helping people in areas like
Darfur. In 1989 he was studying in Birmingham when a coup brought a new hardline Sudanese
government to power. “I felt great pressure on my family from extremists and so I struggled to bring
them to England to join me. My country was in great turmoil but it was hard for me not to return,
because I held a senior job which I enjoyed”.
Realising that he could not return to Sudan,
Sudan, he decided that the best way to understand British
society was to volunteer. While completing postgraduate studies, he became a school governor and
involved himself with numerous projects to help others. Today he leads the Community Resource
and Information Service, which works with communities across the city, supporting groups,
providing a space to exchange information and helping with employment and training issues. He is
committed to bringing people from all backgrounds and cultures together, delivering projects
designed to combat isolation and help young
yo
people develop leadership skills.
“Over the past 22 years I’ve built a strong attachment to the area”,
area , Jamil explains. “Sometimes
when I visit London I feel quite alone – but Birmingham is a kind city.”
“There is no better city” – Suzanne’s story
Suzanne was born in Rwanda, a country which in 1994 experienced a horrific period of genocide that
took the lives of an estimated 800,000 people. When she arrived in the Birmingham she spoke no
English and had no friends. She decided to get involved with
with volunteering in the city, working mainly
with women and children refugees – showing a dedication that was recognised by an award from
the British Red Cross. “It led me to set up my own group, called Teamwork,” she explains. “Our
activities include art and catering,
catering working with refugee women right across Birmingham.”
The Piers Road Resource Centre has proved a vital hub for her work, providing a base both for
Teamwork and for the Birmingham New Communities Network, in which she is also involved.
Suzanne speaks with a sense of wonder at the changes she’s witnessed in the city since she arrived,
from the development of the Bullring to growth in education and the arts around Birmingham. “The
best thing about Birmingham is the support people give each other,”
other,” she says, “it was new British
friends who taught me English”.. “I’ve
I’ve grown to be a Brummie and I’m so proud – there is no better
city.”
“A place to find your feet” – Arian’s story
“I come from Halabja,
bja, you might have heard of it,” says Arian casually,, referring to the Kurdish town
notorious for the 1988 chemical attack by Saddam Hussein, in which thousands of civilians were
killed. Troubles in his homeland twice drove Arian’s family from the country, eventually leading to
his arrival in the UK
K in 1999. After a spell living in Newcastle (he headed there because he’d heard of
their football team), he found his way to Birmingham,
Birmingham, where he had a cousin living.
As well as supporting refugees in his professional life, Arian has worked for years as a volunteer,
providing advice and translation services to others in the city – and helping the Kurdish Association
in Birmingham morph into Red Sun, a broader organisation supporting vulnerable newcomers to the
city from a number of different backgrounds. Piers Road represents “a vital base,” for them at a time
when many sources of funding have disappeared – leaving them wholly reliant on volunteers.
Speaking about his adopted city, Arian says: “I feel relaxed and at home in Birmingham. It’s a place
you can find your feet and I really miss it whenever I’m away”.