20 December 2023. There were broken hearts this year for many working in the community, in social justice, human rights and humanitarian relief. We saw the sadness played out in the lives of families and felt that along with our own. Yet, light and hope at this time come in the spaces between people, in trusted spaces of dialogue and community.
Earlier this month, we combined our hallmark Food With Friends event with a session on art and well-being at the Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth. Curator Ricardo Reverón Blanco gave us an insightful tour of the art exhibition. Next to a sculpture by Ren Woolridge, Ricardo paused and commented that our heart, like a vessel, both gives and receives.
We concluded our 2023 series of community service yesterday at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight. WBI is a community interest company working on research consultancy and community service to contribute to the vision of an economy that is inclusive, sustainable and responsible for our common future.
The day trip to the animal sanctuary to learn about the protection of biodiversity with newly-arrived migrants to Portsmouth, supported by a grant from Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, was a ray of hope.
The event emphasised the importance of community education to protect our habitats and biodiversity. The trip benefits our group of migrant and minority participants and their children in Portsmouth, who are on average as a group less likely to access green spaces.
This same week, on International Migrants Day (18 December), we released our policy brief, “Recruitment Fees and Related Costs in Taiwan: Dictionary of English-Chinese Terms,” to contribute to global advocacy to improve the working and living conditions of migrant workers.
Working both internationally and locally means that we draw strength from the hope we see at the community level – amplifying it for the vision of Migration With Dignity everywhere. We are ourselves migrants.
Here is to our full hearts, both giving and receiving. We are grateful to all our collaborating partners and participants for their courage and sense of service. Thank you for giving us strength and for your solidarity. You are a light.
Happy Holidays from our team to yours. We will break for the holidays from 22 December 2023 and return on 2 January 2024.
See you in 2024!
(Featured photo: WBI Team: Isabela Palancean, Santa (Bonny Ling), Anita David and Shipa Ahmed Khan. We missed Shuhan Lin in the photo – she joins us in solidarity from London 🎅)
