Co-production · Rushmoor Borough Council
A Rushmoor Community Anthology
““I may be far from my village, but I carry home with me in every spice, every aroma, every shared meal.” - Firdeus Achiaa”
The challenge
After anti-migrant tension and protest, Rushmoor needed spaces where people could encounter each other as neighbours, not categories
Rushmoor has a long history of migration alongside recent tensions around the accommodation of people seeking sanctuary. Public debate can reduce people to labels such as ‘migrant’, ‘refugee’ or ‘local’, leaving little room for the complicated ways people arrive, build homes, inherit identities and belong to a place. The project set out to create a different conversation through local stories and creative work.
What we did
Poetry and art workshops turned local stories of migration, family and belonging into a shared anthology
Open Routes Research designed and facilitated workshops with sanctuary seekers, recent migrants, people from longer-established migrant families and other Rushmoor residents. Participants used poetry, storytelling and visual activities to explore journeys, food, family, memory, identity, welcome and the meaning of home. Contributions are being edited into a community anthology, with local schools involved through dedicated workshops and a public launch bringing the work back into the borough.
What changed
The anthology is becoming a resource for schools and public conversations about belonging and social cohesion
The project has created a body of work in which social cohesion is approached through real people’s lives instead of abstract messages about tolerance. The anthology is designed to travel into schools and community settings, giving teachers, pupils and residents material for discussing how different histories are connected within the same place. The process has also strengthened relationships between local cultural, community and education partners.
Outputs
Community poetry and art anthology; creative workshops; school workshops; public launch and dissemination