"Together we can educate each other on both our cultures..."

Firstly as a group we helped to set up and volunteer at a fortnightly Healthy Minds Drop In at a local venue, Rainbow House. We are welcoming and make people feel comfortable. Refreshments are provided free of charge as are all services. We try to have a different main activity each time we meet

As part of the Healthy Minds drop in – East End, we are looking to continue to develop our communication with local people, and services. Getting people more involved in services for and with them. In responding to their expressed needs, we hope to continue to bring local government, local volunteer agencies and local centres together. We will have focus groups quarterly as part of the Healthy Minds Drop in, continue to develop relevant publicity and to listen to the needs of local people and be part of the solution.

At a CHEX conference in Glasgow we were introduced to a gentleman named Dylan. He is an ambassador
for the displaced Syrian refugees who arrived recently in our country. After
talks and email exchanges we managed to apply and were granted a sum of money. This was to allow us to invite and interact with local Syrian families, to welcome them and help them integrate into our local community as it is now their local community. So far, it’s in the early stages and hasn’t happened yet, but we hope to encourage participation in Rainbow House.

Obviously if this doesn’t happen, we will refund the monies given so another group can benefit. Hopefully the Syrian families can come along and see what is on offer. Together we can educate each other on both our cultures. We had suggested different food taster sessions with both groups cooking their own dishes and sharing tips and recipes. We hope to have the capacity to supply an interpreter to help overcome language barriers. We will keep a line of communication open in the hope we can still get together and assist with their resettlement.