Organise a Welcome Weekend event

Contents:

• Planning your event

• Week of the event

• Day of the event

• Safety

1. Consider the objectives of your event.

Think of what you want to accomplish - visibility in your community, a welcoming experience for refugees, a chance to engage your neighbours, or spark a conversation with your MP? Also consider what resources you have available. A space to host an event, a friend with time to help you organise, a connection to local organisations, an MP who's especially willing to come to community events, a well-read local newspaper? All of these can help shape the event you want to plan. 

2. Identify local supporters, allies and partners. Identify a core of at least 7-10 group leaders and allies.

Identify a core of people who can help you. These may be people who can help you plan the logistics of the event, people who can help on the day or people who can put out the word about the invitation. 

3. Look for people with lived experiences of migration, displacement, etc and build a powerful story base.

This might be you, your friends, people involved with a local organisation working with refugee communities. Reference this document on involving people with lived experience.

4. Reach out to supporters and potential attendees

This could be sending an email out to people your organisation has contact details for, adding a post on your social media. Don't overlook the value of personally inviting people you know would be interested to help you organise your action. Direct contact like calls, texts, WhatsApp messages, Facebook messages will help you firm up your team and turn-out.

5. Set a planning date to discuss the Welcome Weekend

Get your core of planners together to divide up your tasks in the run-up to the event. 

6. Make the Welcome Weekend event simple, fun and something to catch the attention of press or your local MP

This could be something your organisation already does, themed for the Welcome Weekend, or a brand-new activity. Options include a summer picnic, a card making activity, a moment of reflection at a place of worship, a stall at a local market, a small rally in your local park or a well-known community space. 

7. Set a date, time and venue for the event. 

What venues are available to you? A community space, park, place of worship, office space lent by a local organisation or supportive small business. Make sure you have permission if needed for an event taking place in a public space. Consider accessibility for people with disabilities and for people using different methods of transport. 

8. Notify the local MP and invite them to come to the event.

Invite your local MP to attend. Give them a clear time, place and purpose for the event. If you don't hear back, feel free to follow up with an additional email or phone call. If your MP does not attend the event, you can follow up after the event with a recap of how it went and request a meeting. See this page for more detailed guidance on involving your MP.

9. Work on logistics, and reach out for support. 

Reach out to network@asylum-reform-initiative.org.uk for advice and support. Members of the Campaign Organising Network can also contact your organiser. 

10. Identify local press, bloggers, people who can amplify your message. Let it be the local talk.

Consider inviting a local journalist, or submitting a letter to the editor of your local paper. See this page for more information on engaging with the press.

11. Keep organising

Think of how this event can lead to what's next. It could be a chance to put out a sign-up sheet for interested people, build relationships with local journalists or start an ongoing conversation with your MP. 

4th August: Check everything is in order – the turnout, logistics and event leaders. Divide responsibilities for the day: like who will be the main coordinator and point of contact, who will collect sign-ups or post-card signatures, who will be the photographer/videographer to help capture the event to share later?

5th August: Organise a short pre-meet – discuss next steps, make everyone understands the plan and boost team spirits. 

1. Arrive at the specified venue in advance of the event.

2. Call attendees/text them to firm their turn-out. Keep it relational. Keep it secured and structured.

3. Deliver the event, be it a local community walk, coffee event, town hall event, event at a faith institution, poetry event, reflections. etc

4. Deliver the welcome card / signatures to the MP in person or to their offices.

5. Social media posts, buzz moments

6. Evaluate the event

7. Ask your team for feedback (don't forget to let us know too at network@asylum-reform-initiative.org.uk)

8. Thank all who took part.

Ensuring you and your community are safe is a top priority. The Together With Refugees team is in touch with our friends at HOPE not hate to monitor potential far-right activity to mark the anniversary of the riots. 

If you are concerned about safety, we would encourage you to look at HOPE not hate's resource, including this briefing produced during last year's riots, and this general safety and security resource.

We would also encourage you to take extra safety precautions if you have lived experience and/or are collaborating with those who do. With thanks to our friends at One Strong Voice, here is some guidance on lived experience participation.