By Ibby Osman, student at Cathays High School Cardiff

Leaders from Citizens Cymru Wales joined chapters from across the Citizens UK network for the Citizens UK Civil Society Summit in London on 29 June this year. Nirushan Sudarasan, Ibby Osman and Abdi Osman were among the Welsh cohort that traveled up to celebrate Citizens UK’s 30^th anniversary, hosted amazingly by Kings College London on the Strand.

It was an amazing and inspiring day with lots of fascinating testimony from so many leaders including a resettled Syrian family from Milton Keynes whose children are flourishing in school. They took to the stage to launch the ‘Extend the Welcome’ campaign – which is all about making sure the UK government continues to resettle refugees once the current programme ends in 2020.

Representatives from Citizens alliances across the country came together at the recent Civil Society Summit to agree on a National Agenda that will guide Citizens UK's work at the national level over the next few years. Find out what the five priority issues at the heart of our new National Agenda are.

By Catherine Griffiths, Croeso Menai

On July 4th Croeso Menai held its first public meeting in Emaus Chapel, Bangor, to explore the possibility of community sponsorship in the Bangor/Menai Bridge area. Although we now have several Syrian families living locally through resettlement under the council-led programme, so far there have been no areas in North Wales considering community sponsorship. And what a turnout! We had around 45 enthusiastic participants who, by the end, voted overwhelmingly to continue with the project and bring a refugee family to North Wales. 

Gan Catherine Griffiths, Croeso Menai

Ar Orffennaf 4ydd, cynhaliodd Croeso Menai eu cyfarfod cyhoeddus cyntaf yn Eglwys Emaus, Bangor, i ystyried y posibilrwydd o nawdd cymunedol yn ardal Bangor / Porthaethwy. Er bod gennym lawer o deuluoedd o Syria yn byw yn lleol trwy’r cynllun ailsefydlu o dan arweiniad y cyngor, hyd yn hyn ni fu unrhyw ardal yng Ngogledd Cymru ddechrau grŵp nawdd cymunedol i ffoaduriaid. A daeth criw da i’r cyfarfod! Roedd gennym oddeutu 45 o gyfranogwyr brwdfrydig a oedd, erbyn y diwedd, wedi pleidleisio'n frwd i barhau gyda'r prosiect er mwyn dod â theulu o ffoaduriaid i Ogledd Cymru.

Here is the flyer invite for our next taster training on 17 October in Pontypridd

Email richard.weaver@citizenswales.org.uk for more information and to book your place on this training

Our latest newsletter includes a reminder of how you can personally make a positive difference to some of our current campaign priorities - including how you can sign up and get sponsored for our fund-raising summer bike ride in Nottingham on Sunday 29 July - and recognises the contribution of Bilal Hussain, one of our organisers who is moving to pastures new.

Read the Nottingham Citizens June 2018 newsletter now.

By Fr Dean Atkins, St Mary’s Church Butetown, Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff

I am exhausted and ready to go home.  As people leave - even the trainers too -  I am left alone in the hotel.  It feels a very different place now.  The space has reinvented itself, become just another hotel.  A family books in at reception.  They wait for their room.  The children look tired.  At last, their room is ready. They pull their suitcases behind them.

Six days ago I checked in for the Citizens UK Training in Community Leadership - an hour late -  and was soon plunged into a leadership roleplay as I tried to work out what was happening and what my role this week would be, dazzled by the diversity of those participating, moved by the stories, the experiences, the sheer emotion of those who want to change the world!  These were “power hungry” people, a phrase which has very different meaning for me now than when I first arrived.  Power is no longer a dirty word.

Fulham FC marks its return to the English Premier League by announcing that it intends to accredit as a Living Wage employer, thus committing to pay all its staff - including security workers and cleaners - wages that meet the true cost of living.

By Lesley Cox, Croeso Penarth

In June 2017 we enthusiastically began our Community Sponsorship journey, never guessing that more than a year later we still would not have welcomed a refugee family to our town.

In April 2017, a small group of interested individuals met together following a Citizens Cymru Wales event where the Community Sponsorship scheme was described. After talking through the requirements, we unanimously agreed that we wanted to go for it! In June we held our first public meeting and this view was supported by all present, and shared by many in the town in the following months. Croeso Penarth has the active support of all the churches, people of most political persuasions and of many individuals  who  strongly believe that this is something positive that Penarth can do to help one family in need at this time. We love living in Penarth and want to offer a family who has experienced the horror of war and the loss of their home, the opportunity to come and settle in our town. We also have a number of people who have offered time and expertise to help them settle here and to learn the language.

Charlotte Fischer, Senior Organiser at Citizens UK, which is campaigning to make misogyny a hate crime said:
“We’re very disappointed to learn that the Police Chief’s council has decided against recognising misogyny as a hate crime at this time. We understand they want more time to review the evidence but feel they have missed an opportunity to offer women further protection from deplorable hate and abuse. Citizens UK will continue to call for the police to adopt misogyny as a hate crime both locally and nationally; it’s vital we take this step to shift unacceptable behaviour and allow women to live their lives without fear."

"Whilst Police Chiefs review the evidence, our members will be talking to local forces who are still able to adopt misogyny as a hate crime in their constabularies. Now, more than ever, we encourage members of the public to write to and encourage your local Police Commissioners and Chiefs to support this move." 

"It’s 2018 - it’s time to tackle the abuse, harassment and problematic behaviour that many women are subjected to. Misogyny and misogynists have no place in society and we are continuing our campaign. We invite anyone who wants to join us to sign up here: http://www.citizensuk.org/hate_misogyny"

Citizens UK is taking part in the 2018 Greenbelt Festival: Acts of the Imagination! Greenbelt is a vibrant arts festival which takes place on the August Bank Holiday weekend (25-27 August). It's organised by Christians with an emphasis on social justice and inclusion. See www.greenbelt.org.uk for lots more information on the festival and the programme for the weekend.