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Project Londoner-Pole-Citizen (LPC)

Under the “Londoner-Pole-Citizen (LPC)” project, the Centre of Migration Research Foundation (CMRF) working together with Lewisham Polish Centre, Goldsmiths, University of London and the London Borough of Lewisham Authority reach out to young people with Polish background in the London Borough of Lewisham. The London Borough of Lewisham is one of 32 London boroughs, with 275 thousand inhabitants. It is characterized by a high proportion of young people and a large share of migrants and people of non-British origin. It is also an area with the poverty and crime rates higher than the London average. Wages in this area are low and a large share of students are eligible for free meals (data for Lewisham).

In the borough, many participatory social projects are organised, such as the Deptford revitalization plan, but this is also where we see some of the most innovative, popular and successful projects empowering the young people in the UK, encouraging them to co-decide on matters of local and urban areas, mainly in the framework of the “Young Mayor” programme (www.b-involved.org), which has been operating in this borough for as much as twelve years as for now (the longest in the UK).

Poles constitute the third most numerous minority group in Lewisham. In 2011 there were 4347 Poles living there, which represents 1.6% of the population of the borough. They remain not particularly active, however, both in the activities of a more ethnic (national) nature, and in the more general civic initiatives. We see it at the Lewisham Polish Centre as well as within extensive youth participation mechanisms initiated by the borough and the city authorities addressed to all citizens (including the Young Mayor programme, c.f. Kordasiewicz 2013).

Within the framework of the project we will undertake an exploratory desk research of the Polish young inhabitants of the London Borough of Lewisham, involve them in a participatory diagnosis and work towards greater involvement of youth in the Lewisham Polish Centre operation as well as facilitate involvement of youth in participatory mechanisms of the Borough.

The project team consists of: Anna Kordasiewicz and Przemysław Sadura (CMRF, University of Warsaw), Agnieszka Łokaj (Lewisham Polish Centre), Malcolm Ball and Katy Brown (London Borough of Lewisham Authority, Young Mayor Office) and Kalbir Shukra (Goldsmiths, University of London). Katarzyna Kołodziejczyk is a project’ administrative coordinator and Magdalena Lesińska takes care of the project on the part of the CMRF Board.

Timing: April – December 2016

Funding: Project is co-financed by the Senate of the Republic of Poland from the grant within the framework of delegation of public task of patronage over Polish diaspora and Poles abroad.

Partners

Centre of Migration Research Foundation supports the research of migration processes, promotes academic knowledge and translates it into practical use. CMRF carries out interdisciplinary projects to the benefit of the citizens, and those in which data and Polish and foreign expert knowledge translates into practical application. CMRF hopes to facilitate and promote public debate on issues related to migration in the context of demographic and social changes in Poland and seek answers to the most pressing problems and questions related to migration processes. We initiate and support research and publications. Since its establishment in 2011 the CMRF has i.a. worked with Polish migrants in the Netherlands, collaborated with Polish National Bank in studies on Ukrainian economic migrants in Poland and carried out a project on EU Eastern partnership.

Anna Kordasiewicz and Przemysław Sadura (CMRF) have both worked together with London Borough of Lewisham Council and Goldsmiths, University of London within a framework of “Youth have an impact” project carried out by the Field of Dialogue Foundation (2012-2014) and have carried out numerous participatory processes and research projects.

The Lewisham Polish Centre (LPC), is a charity (Registered under the Charities Act 1960 No. 264998) founded in 1963 in south-east London by Polish emigrants (http://www.osrodeklpc.com/o-nas/).

The Centre has recently been growing rapidly, especially for the last two years it has experienced a growth in the number of people participating in their events. In each such event there are usually from a few dozen to over a hundred people participating with classes held daily. The Centre is the owner of the so-called Centre House (Pol. Dom Ośrodka), which is housed in a separate two-storey building at Waldram Park Road 8, in a quiet area of Lewisham with low-rise buildings. The Centre has a garden behind the house, a classroom on the ground floor and a bar on the 1st floor. The Centre is currently successful in targeting its main activities at children of school age and pre-schoolers. Some initiatives have been undertaken to involve older youth in volunteering at the Centre, and this project is supposed to support the Centre in doing just that.

London Borough of Lewisham Borough Council (London Borough of Lewisham Authority, Young Mayor Office) is a local government authority responsible for one out of 32 London boroughs, an ethnically diverse area on the southern bank of Thames with 275 thousand inhabitants. The borough takes on multiple civic participation projects such as revitalization of Deptford, as well as efforts to involve the youth in local and municipal issues that are innovative and popular in the UK, in particular through the „Young major” project that has been in place in the borough for twelve years now (the longest in the UK).

Centre for Community Engagement Research, Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London CCER is a dynamic research unit within Goldsmiths, one of famous colleges at the renowned University of London. Goldsmiths not only has outstanding researchers and boasts premium study programmes, it is also a unique part of the University of London thanks to its location in Lewisham. A unique feature of Goldsmiths is its involvement in local issues by combining research with activity with local community projects. The department specializes in courses in youth work, art psychotherapy, counselling, social work and community development. Goldsmiths has many years of experience in co-organising, studying and evaluating practices of including youth in decision-making processes on a local level. http://www.gold.ac.uk/community-engagement-research