There are many ways migrant support organisations can build participation into their everyday work. You may already be supporting clients to access volunteering opportunities—this is a great start. Use this resource to explore additional ways to embed participation in your services.

Organizational commitment

Develop a participation strategy and action plan. This may reflect the vision and mission of your organisation and specify how promoting and supporting migrant participation may enhance your core activities and impacts.

Staff training

Develop knowledge and skills to champion migrant participation; for example, raising awareness among frontline staff about different ways to voice concerns and how migrants can be supported to get involved.  

Awareness raising

Help migrant clients understand their rights and UK participation structures which, in the short term, may not be relevant to everyone's situation, but can strengthen migrants’ confidence to participate in the long-term. This may include workshops and educational materials offered in different languages.  

Include participation in wider services

Include elements of civic, political and public sector participation in ESOL or integration classes.

Facilitate volunteering opportunities

Encourage civic engagement and support migrants to develop new skills and confidence by facilitating access to volunteering opportunities.

Voter registration campaigns

Inform migrants who are eligible to vote about registration and election procedures by organising voter registration campaigns or drives.

Signpost to participation opportunities

Signpost migrants to opportunities, such as submitting views to public consultations that allow them to voice concerns on issues they care about.

Foster public participation

Involve migrants in opportunities like service co-design and evaluation. Create pathways for migrants into public sector jobs. Advocate for recognition of foreign qualifications.

Support pathways to leadership

Mentor migrants to ease their access to leadership roles (such as volunteering coordinators) and help them get involved in advisory roles (for instance, on advisory boards and committees) to increase migrant representation and inclusion in decision making. 

Partner with organisations

Create participation opportunities for migrants by partnering with local authorities, migrant participation experts and others to institutionalise migrant representation and to promote talented migrant leaders.

Recognise migrant contributions

Celebrate the contributions migrants already make to civic, political and public life to enhance their sense of belonging and confidence while also creating role models for future migrant leaders.

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