Volunteer artists wanted
We are looking for artists, especially those engaged in visual arts and photography, to volunteer their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to the Asylum Voices project. Asylum Voices is a participatory photography project working with asylum seekers and refugees dispersed to the Merseyside area.
You can contribute as much or as little as you like whether that be:
A one-off sharing of your own work,
a guided tour of an arts organisation you know well
or offering a series of skills workshops to the group.
This project was initially developed to offer an insight into the lived experiences of asylum seekers and refugees who are dispersed to Liverpool and resulted in an exhibition at Liverpool Central Library entitled:
“Is Liverpool a Welcoming Place for Asylum Seekers and Refugees?”
(visit www.asylumvoices.tumblr.com for an online version of the exhibition)
Our desire as a group was to provoke questions about how welcoming a place Liverpool is today for new people seeking sanctuary in the city.
The focus of this new phase will be to integrate participants positively with the Liverpool community by bringing people together around a shared interest in photography. Beyond that the group will also be producing something that is going to raise awareness about the situation of asylum seekers and refugees dispersed to this area and which will be a resource for those campaigning to improve conditions for displaced persons around the world.
This is a group that has very little contact with the thriving arts and culture scene in Liverpool despite many of the group having a keen interest in the arts and having previously been a part of the artistic life of their home countries. This is due to a variety of factors including the recent withdrawal by the government of integration services such as English language classes and a no-choice policy on accommodation provision meaning that people are often isolated from those settled in the area they live in effectively cutting them off from local community knowledge.
Previous experience of trauma coupled with ongoing isolation, lack of resources (asylum seekers are not permitted to work and receive only £36 per week for living expenses. Some are destitute receiving no financial support from anywhere) and uncertainty about the future contribute to high levels of mental health problems within the community. Engagement with social groups and the opportunity for self-expression are vital tools for combatting these negative aspects of the asylum process.
Involvement in this project is a great opportunity to share what you love with people from all around the world. Expect to learn as much as you share.
Contact Aleasha and Jess at [email protected] to get involved or for more information.