UKRAINE HYPER-LOCAL WELCOME AND SUPPORT HUB CASE STUDIES
We have put together a couple of Case Studies of very effective hubs with lots of ideas. We hope that these will give you some useful ideas. Please share your ideas with us and let’s build more Case Studies
Case Study 1:
The North Wales Ukraine Southern Support Crescent
Glyn Ceiriog | Harlech/Barmouth/Dolgellau | Criccieth/Porthmadog
This Crescent of Support is co-ordinated by three community leaders working together:
Cass in the East from Bala to Glyn Ceiriog
Beth in the South West from Tywyn to Barmouth
Mark in the North West from the LLeyn to Criccieth and Porthmadog
Glyn Ceiriog
Glyn Ceiriog Café Hub for meeting up, sharing needs and Language support
Monday 10.30-13.00, Tuesday 10.30-14.30, Thursday 10.30-14.30, Saturday 10.30-12.00
Harlech - Barmouth - Dolgellau - Penrhyndeudraeth
Harlech/Barmouth/Dolgellau/Penrhyndeudraeth
Building your “friendship circles”
Big events, small events, indoor events, outdoor events - YOUR EVENTS! keep in touch with what is happening:
Across our area we have already used a number of community halls and rooms for our bigger gatherings and am sure we will do so regularly, in the winter.
However, we are not just using buildings during the summer. This fortnight’s bigger get together was a free day out on the Tal y Llyn Railway, which was greatly enjoyed by all. On Sept 3rd., Min y Don are offering a family fun day of activities for max of 6o Ukrainians.
The Meirioneth Yacht Club
The Meirioneth Yacht Club’s generous offer of free membership and watersports to all Ukrainians is already attracting large numbers from a very wide area. There will also be a Language Café - all-age lessons - through the summer. We hope that people from the Bala area will feel equally at home there. The place seems to have become a natural southern hub: the Ukrainians are encouraged to think of it as ‘their’ space (eg many already know where the ‘hoover’ lives!).
Porthmadog
The Big Rock Cafe in Porthmadog
The Big Rock Cafe in Porthmadog is the perfect central meeting place for those on the Llyn and south towards Barmouth/Tywyn, as on the main rail route. Porthmadog can also be reached by bus from nearby towns and villages. Although not as useful for Dolgellau/ Bala , we realised that there are regular buses to Barmouth.
Sharing our thoughts
Concerns:
Education challenges for all ages and the lack of any ‘official’ summer language schools for adults anywhere in the catchment area
The lack of summer activities for school aged children during the summer holidays
Gwynedd’s decision to send all primary kids for Welsh immersion in Sept – with, apparently, nothing planned to help with English.
Helpful gems:
Initiative taken to book places at a local Christian Adventure Centre’s Residential summer camp for 11 to 14 year olds and funded by local generosity.
Great little idea: write a card for those with no English, (and reluctant to use public transport) explaining that they are Ukrainian, where they need to go to, and asking the driver to tell them where to get off;
The idea of Ukrainian women joining existing local craft groups.... great opportunity to hear and use English ...and Welsh!
organising some walks in our different areas during the summer/autumn.
Cost of food in our small local supermarkets is beyond people’s means. How will they cope if free transport ends? Most people here depend heavily on the Food Bank and trips to Lidl and Aldi in Porthmadog (another reason why the Big Rock there is a perfect venue for meet ups.) The food Bank in Barmouth delivers parcels to the Christian bookshop in Bala which should help families over there.
Work closely with the LA Homes for Ukraine team and local Welfare Officer really beneficial.
Worries that often keep us awake:
Housing crisis: the winter with rising heating costs, no work etc etc.
No time to DBS newly found volunteer teachers (without missing most of the ‘window of opportunity’ the holidays offer)
That LA departments, all based up north, do not always seem to appreciate the particular challenges our guests down here face in terms of lack of language support, public transport etc.
The apparently inflexible need to sign on weekly at the Job Centre even when lack of public transport means it’s nearly a day out
Mid June Report by Harlech/Barmouth/Dolgellau Group to Local Councillors
Dear Councillors,
I am just writing to keep you in the loop regarding the efforts of local people to provide informal support and welcome for both hosts and their Ukrainian guests in our area.
Soon after the launch of the Government ‘Homes for Ukraine Scheme’, we began to hear about various people who were registering as hosts or thinking of hosting. There seemed to be a need to get these people together, as most were unaware of any others.
At the same time I was being asked what I /the church was doing about it! I decided to get ‘genned up’ on current best practice, contacted relevant organisations and attended a number of seminars on how best to provide a wrap around community welcome for refugees.
The initial aim was to connect registered hosts and possible hosts . This led to a series of useful get togethers where people could share advice and problems and help each other navigate the many challenges of getting their Ukrainian families (and their pets) into the country. It soon became clear that some hosts were going to need additional support and help once their families arrived: some hosts were working; some live outside the area and have provided their second home; while others were older and didn’t know anyone in their town or village of a similar age to their guests. In these situations we were able to put the host in touch with a small group of ‘befrienders’ who could offer additional help and lifts when needed. A Whats App group for hosts and helpers has proved extremely useful. (If you can bear the constant pinging or know how to switch it off, any councillors who would like to join this group would be very welcome.) We now have a parallel Ukrainian Whats App group, run by one of the Ukrainian mothers who also speaks excellent English and belongs to both groups. She regularly translates relevant info from the English group for the Ukrainian group.
We are currently involved with 8 families in the area, three of whom are in Barmouth. Another two families are expected, but still awaiting passports/visas. Two of the Barmouth families are living in second homes with 'absent hosts'. These have inevitably needed more help and support.
In these early weeks we have been involved in helping with form-filling; helping with applications for college and university; assisting with job hunting; arranging appointments and lifts eg to the nearest Biometric Centre at Colwyn Bay, Job Centre etc; generally befriending and showing people around; sourcing laptops, phones and, in one case, Wi Fi, and generally signposting people to other agencies they may need. The South Meirionnydd Food Bank and Elim clothes rails have been invaluable, particularly in our guests’ early weeks, while they are still awaiting their first benefits payments. Local churches and womens’ organisations have provided Welcome Boxes for each family. The adults’ English levels have been assessed at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, Dolgellau to ensure that there is adequate language provision in September. Some have virtually no English while others are very good. Unfortunately our group of colleges is unable to provide an English language Summer School at our nearest, accessible sites. However, having liaised with the Head of the Esol department in Bangor, local volunteers with TEFL qualifications will be providing informal lessons during the summer. All primary aged children have settled happily into local schools and will be attending the Welsh Immersion Centre in Penrhyn in the autumn. Older secondary school aged children are continuing their studies on line from Ukraine. A number of adults and older teenagers have already found jobs. We are frequently in contact with Gwynedd Council ‘Homes for Ukraine’ department and their Welfare Officer who are providing an excellent support service and are a great source of information.
We are also helping the Ukrainian guests to organise regular get togethers. We are grateful to several local organisations for providing rent free premises for these social events. Following successful family events at Llanbedr Village Hall and at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor in Pwllheli, the next planned day is at Meirionnydd Yacht Club who are also providing the opportunity for youngsters to get out on the water.
In summary, our Welcome Network is simply a group of local ‘befrienders’ and hosts who are seeking to help our Ukrainian guests settle in to their new environment, particularly during their first months in Wales. If you or anyone you know would like to help, please do get in touch.