Welfare Needs of Turkish and Kurdish Communities – Launch of preliminary report

Friday, 1st February 2013 (2.30pm-4pm)
Day-Mer, Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre, 16 Howard Road, London N16 8PU

This event will see the launch of the preliminary findings of this research project – and will also represent an opportunity for discussion with members of the community and other local stakeholders.

Background – With a past of over 20 years in the UK, the Turkish and Kurdish people face significant welfare issues which are both specific to them and shared with the local communities they are a part of. Deprivation and low income, high rates of unemployment, significant housing and health issues, and lack of educational and professional progression constitute some of the problems which these communities face in the London Boroughs of Hackney, Haringey, Enfield, Barnet and Waltham Forest. In addition, Turkish and Kurdish communities face specific issues as part of their process of integration to life in the UK. Immigration policies over the last two decades could not provide migrant communities with a progression route through which their settlement is ensured. Language barriers and lack of knowledge of life in UK are additional factors in the persistence of these welfare issues as well as the levels of access to shrinking services and support initiatives.

The Research Project – Motivated by the lack of data about the needs of the communities in these fields as well as the possibility of evolving needs in the context of the current economic crisis and austerity policies, Day-Mer Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre commissioned Middlesex University to conduct a community-based research project on the welfare and advice needs of Turkish and Kurdish communities in London – with a particular focus on the North London area. Specifically, the aims of the project were to investigate the impact of the current economic crisis and welfare restructuring and to identify gaps in service provision. This was done with a view to inform local policy makers, service providers and the community sector on priorities and development needs.
The project included a review of existing research and statistics, a community based survey with local service users, and interviews with members of the local community.

Launching preliminary findings – Having brought together the views, insights and suggestions of a diverse range of stakeholders – from our staff to service users, parents and families, from other local community organisations and VCS service providers to statutory services – our research work is now reaching the final stage and we would like to share our preliminary findings with all the stakeholders in a community event we will be holding on Friday, 1st February 2013.
Participants will receive a copy of the “Preliminary Report” which includes results from our community based survey as well as original analysis of the latest 2011 Census data, which were released in December 2012.
Programme

• Welcome and Introduction Taylan Sahbaz, Day-Mer Co-ordinator
• Launch of Preliminary Summary Report Alessio D’Angelo, Lecturer in Social Sciences, Middlesex University
• Roundtable Discussion Cllr Nilgun Canver (Haringey Council), Wesley Harcourt (AdviceUK) and other speakers to be announced, followed by questions and answers and feedback from participants

The event is free to attend but we would appreciate if you could confirm your attendance at: mailto:info@daymer.org.

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