(Please forward suggestions/comments to Saulo B.
Cwerner <[log in to unmask]>.)

Hi everyone,

My name is Saulo Cwerner and I'm a research associate
at Goldsmiths College, University of London. I have
recently started work on a project on "asylum seekers
and community relations in the UK". The research
project outline is:

"Asylum Seekers Dispersal and Community Relations
An Analysis of Developmental Strategies"

Dr Roger L. Hewitt and Dr Saulo B. Cwerner (CUCR -
Goldsmiths College)

(Research project funded by the ESRC - Economic and
Social Research Council)

"This research will describe and analyse a range of
strategies employed by individuals, local groups, and
national organisations alike, for addressing
community relations in areas with a history of asylum
seeker reception. It will provide an outline of
community relations needs in those areas, as well as
dissemination of good practice through publications
and other means.

The research seeks to be of maximum value to a range
of statutory and voluntary agencies, helping them to
build positive and productive relationships within
receiving communities and to establish ways of
diminishing the possibility of conflict. We wish to
record and disseminate information about small-scale
community practices and educational strategies that
have been deployed at the local level. Our main
concerns are: (a) community education practices; (b)
the dissemination of information about asylum policy
and asylum seekers to receiving communities; (c)
neighbourhood preparation approaches; and (d) the
development of dialogue/contact strategies between
asylum seekers, local and regional agencies, and the
local population.

Asylum seekers and refugees very often have to contend
with isolation, deprivation and discrimination in the
communities where they live. The recent dispersal
policy championed by the UK government has tended to
aggravate this situation. This research attempts to
highlight the daily local practices that seek to
redress this problem by enabling positive integration
and empowering asylum seekers and refugees in their
adjustment to a new home. We wish to speak to all of
those involved with local support and community
organisation. The contribution of local people and
those who, at a regional or national level, articulate
support for local community organisations, is
essential for our research."

We would be grateful for any comments and suggestions
as to relevant bibliography, contacts, and projects
developed in those areas. The research will involve
limited fieldwork in three main areas, namely
Liverpool, the Thanet and Dover areas in Kent, and the
London Borough of Southwark. We would appreciate
information about possible contacts in those areas. We

are also interested in similar pieces of research
developed in other countries, especially in Europe.

If you think you can help, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

Thanks,
Saulo Cwerner

Dr Saulo B. Cwerner
Centre for Urban and Community Research
Goldsmiths College
New Cross
London
SE14 6NW

Tel (020) 7919 7171   Ext  4434  (Direct)
(020) 7919 7390  (For leaving messages)
Fax (020) 7919 7383
Email - [log in to unmask]


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