Borderlands: Members Lead the Way

Case Study: Borderlands is helping refugees and asylum seekers help each other

The Borderlands charity is based in Easton and supports asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants with unsettled status who live in and around Bristol. At the end of the pandemic, they launched a ‘social supermarket’ providing various nutrition and healthy food choices for Borderlands members.

“At the heart of the social supermarket, there is a desire for choice and dignity,” says Susanna Revolti. CEO of Borderlands.

This idea of choice and dignity is part of the charity’s commitment to member-led leadership. Members should engage and participate in activities and co-produce and co-design activities with the Borderlands team.

“We work with people in different ways and offer different services. We started in 2011, and our core project was the drop-in space, which is still open twice a week on Monday and Tuesday and provides a welcoming and safe space for our members.”

"We also provide English classes. At the moment, they are all for people with really low English levels. This is because we found that that is the gap that needed to be filled in Bristol as we offer pre-entry and through one level English classes on a Tuesday, we have our amazing nutritious halal hot meal prepared by our members."

Member-led activities like these provide friendship, connection, and opportunities to demonstrate skill and leadership.

“We are trying to build a meaningful leadership pathway to nurture future leaders. This is so that people with lived experience can get meaningful employment opportunities in this sector and become change-makers."

“This sector needs to be strategic and have a common vision for Bristol to become a real city of sanctuary. And to do that, it is clear for us that to be member-led to having people with lived experience and up front of our organizations is really, really crucial.”

“That is where I think the magic really, really happens and where we can see meaningful member participation and meaningful leadership pathways for people with lived experience.”

Bristol Churches City Fund funding has enabled Borderlands to continue to serve asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants in Bristol and raise up new leaders.

BCCF grants help deliver targeted positive impact to critical needs across Bristol. Your donations enable local projects like this one to serve and support local people.

For more information

• visit www.borderlands.uk.com or

• watch the Borderlands Charity Promotional Video

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