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We’re collaborating with Migration Yorkshire on an exciting new project to welcome migrants and refugees to the area

In the run-up to the Yorkshire Integration Festival 2023 in September, The Jo Cox Foundation and Migration Yorkshire are coming together to support migrant and refugee groups, particularly Hongkongers, to run or participate in local Great Get Together events.  In her maiden speech in Parliament, Jo Cox said, ”We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us”, and by creating new connections between our Yorkshire communities, we can show that this message is still as relevant as it was in 2016. Events will take place in August and September 2023.

These events will help Hong Kongers and other migrants and refugees in Yorkshire to make meaningful connections with people in their local community. To help facilitate this, The Jo Cox Foundation will connect individuals with local community groups, helping to create longer-term, sustainable connections. Individuals or groups wanting to run events can also apply for up to £1000 to support the running of their event.

Great Get Together events can take many forms, so long as they help make meaningful connections between people and help bridge divides. They might include film screenings, walks in the Yorkshire countryside, music nights where people can share their culture, or conversation cafes which allow people to connect over a tea or coffee.

Join in

We are delighted to have awarded a total of £8,110 to support over 15 Great Get Together events across Yorkshire as part of this project. The majority of events will take place between 16-30 September 2023. We have been delighted by the variety of ideas put forward and the willingness of community members and organisations to connect and collaborate to make these events happen in a short space of time.

Great Get Togethers taking place include:

Multiple locations

  • Several events to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, sharing traditional culture with local communities, include arts, crafts, calligraphy, traditional embroidery, decorating lanterns and sharing food (Sheffield, Wakefield, Leeds)
  • A daytrip to Scarborough for asylum seekers, refugees and other vulnerable migrants from across Leeds and Wakefield to experience the famous British seaside

Leeds

  • A series of three community badminton sessions aimed at bringing together 1990s Hongkongers
  • Several food-sharing events with asylum seekers, refugees and local communities
  • Board games and socialising for University Students from Hong Kong
  • Primavera Latina, a gathering organised by a group of people from different Latin American countries living in Leeds

Hull

  • Weekend swimming events, cultural food-sharing events, two international football events and a final celebratory event

Wakefield

  • A tea party for the Hongkonger community who have children from 0-18 years old
  • Everyone can Draw – a drawing event in the park

Bradford

  • A poetry workshop on ‘identity, home and Ancestors’ followed by an open mic

Sheffield

  • Stand as One and PASH are working together to put on a celebration of Congolese, Burundian, Rwandese and Tanzanian cultures through dance and song

If you would like to find out more about any of these events, please contact: [email protected]

This project is supported by Migration Yorkshire (including the Yorkshire Integration Festival and Hong Kong Hub) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

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