Supporting migrants to take part in civic, political and public life may not be the core priority for your organisation. You may lack the resources or capacity to raise awareness or to develop support in this area. Yet, there are simple things you can do to promote participation in day-to-day work and help empower migrants; for example, by signposting to educational resources or organisations that offer specialist support.

Benefits of embedding participation support

Embedding participation in your current support services can be beneficial for both your organisation and the migrant community you work with.

Whether you provide help with housing, work or education, migrant inclusion (or exclusion) in decision making affects their experiences of engaging in different areas of life. For example, many migrants face instability or exploitation at work, which may motivate them to express concerns.

Understanding how to support migrants to voice their concerns and solve problems, for instance, by joining a trade union, helps ensure migrants know their labour rights and how to fix issues.

A key advantage for your organisation is that fewer clients may need help because you’ve given them the skills to speak up and handle problems on their own. Overall, this can make migrant communities in the UK stronger and more resilient.

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