Wintering: Routes reflection suggestions for films & podcasts

For those of us who have the space to do so, winter is generally a good season for reflections. With that in mind, we wanted to share some suggestions of things to watch, listen to and speak about with others, if you wanted some context to the news.

Films:

• Netflix Movie the Swimmers is the true story of the Mardini sisters from Syria, who make their way to Europe in search of safety. It follows their journey from Syria to Berlin, and finally to Rio, where one of them participates in the Refugee Athletic Team. It’s a story of sisterhood, solidarity and what happens at the borders of Europe.

• Another film about refugee athletes, the the documentary We Dare to Dream follows athletes from different parts of the world as they embark on their athletic careers. Directed by Waad al-Kateab, from the award-winning documentary For Sama. In cinemas now.

• The documentary Gaza documents the lives of citizens in Gaza in 2014 and 2015, and was a participant in the 2019 Sundance Documentary Competition. It was a popular movie on the recent London Palestine Film Festival, and is available here on Amazon Prime.

Podcasts:

• This episode of The Guardian podcast Today in Focus charts the story of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, who turns from novelist into investigating war crimes.

• The podcast On Things We Left Behind by the sisters Surer and Saredo Mohamed explores the hidden afterlives of war.

• The Experts by Experience podcast is hosted by Refugee Action, and its members explore different themes related to seeking asylum and the UK asylum system, including dispersal, statelessness and the impact of the government’s Rwanda policy. They also touch on wider topics, such as Pride Month and a celebration of art in its episode for National Poetry Day.

Using your advocacy power:

• All of us have different levels of power, in different contexts. Some of us might be able to vote in the country that we live in, contribute to a community initiative or share resources online. This winter period, we encourage you to make a list of the different places where you hold power, and how you might want to use that in 2024 to make the UK’s asylum system kinder and more humane - from signing petitions to speaking up in your workplaces.

• Women for Refugee Women is holding a campaign to Welcome Every Woman. Sign their pledge here.

We look forward to working together again in 2024!

A year at Routes

2023 has been a big year for us - both at Routes, and in the news. At the end of this year, we wanted to share some thoughts that we take with us for the final weeks of December - and provide you with some suggestions for reflection, too.

2023 started with a special transition in the Routes team. Daisy, one of our co-founders, stepped down from their day-to-day role. Leyla moved on to being Routes’ Founding Director, whilst Daisy continues to support our work together with the other members from our Non-Executive Board. Meanwhile, we welcomed Hanna to our team as our new Head of Business Development and Partnerships, and Roula as our new Project Development Manager. It has been beautiful to see Routes grow over these last couple of years, from a small start-up dreamed up by its two co-founders into a full-blown social enterprise with a growing team and alumni community.

Routes team members (from left to right): Tamana Safi, Wieke Vink, Roula Kheder, Hanna Kubbutat-Byrne, Leyla McLennan and Board Member and Co-Founder Daisy Jacobs.

The seasons at Routes are marked by the different cohorts of our Mentoring Programme. We run two Mentoring Programmes a year: one starting in Spring, and one starting in autumn. This year, we marked a big milestone, as we completed our 10th Mentoring Programme over summer! We are currently in the midst of our 11th Mentoring Programme, under the leadership of Mentoring Programme Manager Tamana and our Head of Programmes Wieke. Our alumni community is almost 400 people strong and a real testament to what can happen when people come together for shared learning.

Pictures (from left to right): participants at the Routes Public Speaking workshop; Leyla speaking at an event of London Community Foundation; and a screenshot from our Mentoring Programme Training Day.

In June, for Refugee Week, we collaborated with Chief to organise an evening about welcome at work. At this event, Roula presented some of the first findings of our research project ‘Routes to Employment’, for which our first report is expected in early 2024. Meanwhile, we are working on some interesting partnerships for the new year, with a focus on alumni support and accessing education and employment opportunities.

Tamana (left) and Roula (right) working on the Routes to Employment project.

It hasn’t been an easy year in the UK refugee sector. A lot of campaigning and hard work by sector organisations has gone into countering the detrimental effects of the hostile environment. Even just in the last weeks, we’ve seen the government continuing to work on its Rwanda plans (which has been ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court) and mourn the deaths of people as a result of the system. At Routes, we’ve signed onto a letter to demand the immediate closure of the barge Bibby Stockholm. We also feel the impact of the housing crisis and the shorter notice for evictions amongst our community.

In the midst of all this, we hold onto the immense power of connections - of different people, across sectors, working towards compassionate leadership, a kinder asylum system and inclusive workplaces as places of change. Our Mentoring Programme is currently open for applications, so if you want to join us in 2024, please do get in touch.

Participants from the 11th Routes Mentoring Programme with facilitator Teri at the Public Speaking workshop.

A big thank you to all our mentors, mentees, community members, workshop facilitators, funders and partner organisations! It’s been such a source of strength and joy to work together in 2023, and we look forward to continuing to do so in the new year. 

Poem from Routes: Ceasefire

From Routes, a poem by Routes’ Head of Programmes Wieke Vink:

Ceasefire

What do we have but our rituals

To anchor us in time and place
To give space to the unspoken
And gestures to community

What do we have but our bodies

To feel more than could be held in one place
To witness what is being broken
To gesture towards all that could be

What do we have but all we got

To hold onto our mourning
To bring together our worries and yearning
To say words we don’t yet know how to speak

And so when human rights come out into the light

When we are asked to think wiser
Hold our politics stronger, and lighter

I hold onto our rituals a little tighter
Hold community a little higher

And ask us all for a ceasefire

We know there's been a huge amount of collective grief and horror in the last few weeks about the events in Palestine, Israel and the surrounding regions. We stand firmly in solidarity with everyone impacted, in particular those experiencing loss and displacement, and support these calls made by Refugee Action.

We stand firmly against Antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination.

‘Emigration is not merely a term; it is a journey’

Fakhria Joya was a mentee on Routes 10th Mentoring Programme. Originally from Afghanistan, she came to the UK in the summer of 2021. In this blog post, she describes her journey and the role that mentoring has played in settling into her new life.

Emigration is not merely a term; it is a journey. It was autumn 2020 when I graduated from high school. My classmates and I were thrilled and determined to continue our preparation for a highly competitive university entrance exam, in order to achieve our goals and succeed in our favourite fields such as medicine, computer science, engineering and so on. We knew that education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.

As no one knows what the future holds, we worked very hard, day and night, tirelessly. During my high school years, many explosions occurred in educational institutions in Kabul. A few weeks before the actual exam, it was a quiet Friday. Around a hundred students were sitting the mock exam in a spacious classroom. In the middle of the exam, I heard the loudest sound ever: the sound of a bomb explosion which took the lives of countless innocent students. I was one of the students who survived. 

Time flies by, leaving its shadow behind. Eventually, we took the exam just a week before Kabul was taken over by the Taliban. I had planned to take a deep break from studying, after four years of continuous effort. However, on the 15th of August 2021, my intentions were demolished and everything changed. I realised that the presence of tanks and Taliban soldiers in Kabul affected nearly everything. For me, as someone who had not previously experienced such chaos, the silence of my father, my mother's fear, and my older sister's anxiety were responses to all my questions. A couple of days later, we left Afghanistan, as did many other fellow citizens.

Fakhria Joya, a mentee on the 10th Routes Mentoring Programme.

Leaving my country was an unbelievable and heart-breaking situation for me. I left everything behind, including my parents. Upon arriving in the UK, we were all uncertain about what lay ahead. Adapting to a different environment, language, and living in a hotel for a year was extremely challenging. Over these past two years, I have navigated very difficult circumstances, particularly on the education side. For me, as an Afghan girl, gaining knowledge and receiving an education is the most valuable thing in my life. Proficiency in English is key to entering university. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to learn English in my home country. Yet, in the UK, despite enduring mental health challenges due to immigration, I worked diligently to learn English and made it a top priority.

‘‘I am hugely determined to continue my education and go to university in the UK.’’ 

I am grateful to all the people who have supported me through this unexpected journey of my life. Compared to my fellow girls within the country, it feels like I am one of the luckiest. I have my freedom and some extraordinary people in the UK who have consistently supported me. For instance, the Routes mentoring programme has played a significant role in my life. I have gained so much from it.

Engaging in sessions with my mentor provided me with peace of mind, the opportunity to discuss my anxiety, fears, and goals. Indeed, it gave me a sense of look community and camaraderie, similar to what I experienced with my friends back in my home country.

I would like to express immense gratitude to Routes for their exceptional and beneficial programme, which offers significant support to refugee women. It has been an honour for me to be a part of the Mentoring Programme. I highly recommend the programme to anyone who wants to learn how they can get started with their new lives in the UK.

Celebrating our 10th mentoring cohort: lessons learned and bonds formed

This summer, the 10th cohort of the Routes Mentoring Programme completed their participation on our flagship mentoring programme: a 4 months mentoring programme, where professional women leaders from across sectors are paired with women from refugee backgrounds. In this blog, Routes’ Mentoring Programme Manager Tamana Safi shares some of the highlights from our 10th Mentoring Programme. It’s an edited extract from her speech, that she gave at our recent Celebration event.

Routes 10th mentoring cohort started in the month of April - a time filled with lots of festival celebrations, such as Ramadan, Passover, Easter, and even the King’s Coronation. This cohort was so special, as were all the festivals - and the start of the mentoring journey for the Routes mentees and mentors.

The journey of forming bonds started with mentors completing the two day training sessions with Routes and mentees coming over to the Routes office for collecting their Welcome Pack and attending the Mentee Launch. We at Routes enjoyed watching the pairs building their relationship with each other; saying ‘Hello!’ for the first time to each other over an email or Zoom or WhatsApp and sharing smiles in person.

Screenshot from our online Celebration event with mentors and mentees of the 10th Routes Mentoring Programme.

The highlights from the pair's meeting notes were so beautiful. Routes felt brighter - like the pairs did - after reading and hearing about their meeting highlights, learning and growth.

We heard from our pairs about wonderful moments in their mentoring meetings: learning about the motherland of the Beatles, sharing the meaning of your name and what it means to you, sharing the value of this Programme and what it means to you, sharing the excitement of saying ‘hello’ to a stranger and the way it made you feel seen by others.

We learned about people’s dedication to educate themselves. and how pairs talked about new concepts such as ‘talk the talk, walk the walk’. Some pairs celebrated their birthdays, someone was featured in a movie, some danced, and some prepared presentations together. The focus on learning, celebrating small successes and bonding relationships was really impressive.

Mentors had further training opportunities, and mentees joined us for workshops on topics such as public speaking, online communication and self-advocacy. A big shout out to the wonderful facilitators that we get to work with at Routes, and that share their skills and expertise so generously with our participants!

Some memories from our 10th Mentoring Programme (from left to right): Public Speaking workshop for mentees, Routes Head of Programmes Wieke with Routes Mentoring Programme Manager Tamana getting ready for some speeches, and a group photo from our August Garden Social.

This is indeed not the end but hopefully the beginning of new chapters in our participants’ lives. The knowledge, guidance, and support shared between the pairs have left a beautiful mark on their growth. Cherish the memories, the lessons learned, and the bonds formed. Continue to embrace challenges, seek wisdom, and pass on your knowledge to others. 

As our pairs part ways, we hope that they'll carry a piece of each other in their hearts. Celebrate the progress you’ve made and take pride in the impact you’ve had on one another. Routes will be here to cheer you on!

Our pairs are now officially Routes mentoring alumni, and we are delighted to welcome them to our alumni community! As a valued member of our alumni network, they join a diverse group of individuals who have benefited from our Mentoring Programme and are making a positive impact in their respective fields.  

Dear 10th cohort, we are wishing you all success, fulfilment, and joy in all your future endeavours. Cherish the lessons learned and the bonds formed. May yours and our paths cross again in the future! 

Mentors and mentees of the 10th Routes Mentoring cohort at the Garden Social in August 2023.

We are so proud to have supported 10 mentoring cohorts so far, and are looking forward to welcoming our 11th this autumn. Please continue to read our blog and LinkedIn for updates about our upcoming programmes. And if you’d like to sign up to join us as a mentor or mentee, the next round of recruitment will open in December.

Statement on the passing of Anti Refugee Law

On the 11th July, the UK Parliament debated the Illegation Migration Bill, which ended with the passing of the Bill for royal ascent. Please see below a statement written by Routes Founding Director Leyla McLennan:

You may have seen the news that the Refugee Ban Bill will now become law, despite the fact that it breaches the Refugee Convention. We are deeply saddened by this news.

Seeking asylum is a human right, but the UK has now effectively extinguished this through passing this Bill; anyone arriving ‘irregularly’ to claim asylum will be banned from doing so. There are almost no safe routes into the UK so this will affect the majority of refugees that need protection.

We stand in solidarity with everyone who this bill unfairly punishes, and all the organisations and individuals who have tried their best to stop this from happening. 

This is a dark moment in the UK’s history, but we will continue to fight to create a compassionate and humane welcome for all those seeking safety. We hope you will join us!

If like us, you have been feeling disheartened by this news, watch this video for a message of hope from Freedom From Torture. 

This fight needs as much support as it can get; now that the Illegal Migration Act has become another one of the UK’s #AntiRefugeeLaws, it’s more improtant than ever to fight for a just, compassionate asylum system and commit to repealing these harmful laws.

Join us and sign the pledge today: fighttheantirefugeelaws.org

Welcome at work: what you and your organisation can do to support welcome in the workplace

On 28th June 2023, Routes organised an event exploring the role of workplaces in creating compassionate welcome for those seeking safety in the UK. Meeting at the leadership organisation Chief in Central London, we heard from a brilliant panel of speakers about the opportunities and barriers to meaningful employment for people with a refugee background.

In this blog, Routes’ Head of Programmes Wieke shares the event’s key takeaways and what you and your organisation can do to support meaningful employment for refugees and asylum-seekers.

‘What is the role of workplaces to create welcome for people seeking safety?’ was organised to mark World Refugee Day. It was in line with UK’s Refugee Week’s theme of Compassion Into Action. Chaired by Routes’ Co-Founder and Board Member Daisy Jacobs, the audience heard from a strong set of speakers: Anuradha Chugh (CEO of Pukka Herbs), Harbi Jama (Head of Development at the London Community Foundation), Yusuf Ciftci (Founding Director of Experts by Experience Employment Initiative), and Roula Kheder Alsheikh (Project Development Manager for the ‘Routes to Employment’ project at Routes). People from across sectors - charity, leadership and finance, amongst others - had an opportunity to learn about inclusive employment in the UK, and what can be done to create compassionate welcome in the world of work.

The meaning of work

The evening was kicked off by Leyla McLennan and Tamana Safi from Routes, providing a brief outline of the rights of people seeking safety. Importantly, not everyone who is in the UK from a displacement background has the right to work. Refugees and individuals coming through resettlement schemes (such as the ones set up in the aftermath of the evacuation in Afghanistan, and for the conflict in Ukraine) do. Asylum-seekers generally don’t - unless they have applied for the right to work. This is something you can only do once you have been in the country for over 1 year, and you can only work in jobs on the so-called Shortage Occupation List. This situation is different from that in other European countries or the US.

This part of the conversation comes back multiple times during the event. As Harbi Jama mentions: ‘Why is it here in the UK, that we have so many people waiting? That should make us angry. Because it is about dignity,  it is about fairness.’ Host Daisy Jacobs chips in: ‘We know that work is so important for people’s confidence, their mental health, their aspirations. And we know we have a system that can grind people down so intensely. Organisations should start with thinking really creatively - what are you doing in terms of opening up your doors?’

Routes panel (from left to right): chair Daisy Jacobs, Anuradha Chugh, Harbi Jama, Roula Kheder and Yusuf Ciftci.

From recruitment to onboarding

Once people have received their refugee status, the barriers to accessing meaningful employment are different. Yusuf Cifti started his own organisation to support people with lived experience into charity sector leadership. He shares: ‘First and foremost, we see a lot of focus on work experience in job vacancies. Maybe refugees have waited 5 years for their decision. There’s then a gap - how are they going to compete? If you focus on work experience and disregard people’s talents from their home countries, you won’t be able to give them a chance. The focus should be on potential: can you support them?’ 

Roula Kheder agrees: ‘We need support, we need training and we need to be onboarded properly in the work environment that we are working in.’

One-size-fits-whom?

Yusuf Ciftci shares a few practical things organisations can do at the recruitment stage, to be accessible for people with experience of seeking safety. ‘Currently, there is a lot of focus on a one-size-fit-all recruitment process. If you know how to write a CV and a cover letter, you can get a job. But I know many talented refugees, who might not perform well in the interview, but would be great at the job.’ He argues that there is a lot of work to be done in this area. ‘There’s so many small initiatives for people, to learn more about what it is like to be working. There’s been 3 inclusive recruitment toolkits just in the last year (including this resource by Yusuf's Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, ed.) so the knowledge is there.’

The impact of the asylum system is still felt after people have received their status, panellists agree. Yusuf Ciftci: ‘There’s a lack of confidence on people, because of the asylum system.’

Part of this, is also about creating more awareness and meaningful support for people when they want to access the jobs market. Anuradha Chugh - who currently sits on the board of Routes - speaks about her experience mentoring with Routes, while she was Managing Director at Ben & Jerry’s. ‘For me, Routes does that in a very meaningful and deep way. Routes gets you to send your employees (to participate in the Mentoring Programme, ed.), to really deeply connect with people (...) as equal(s).’

In her contribution, Roula Kheder also speaks about awareness at the stage of recruitment: ‘If there isn’t this awareness, employers might lose talent and we can really contribute. So we should be welcomed, really!’

Finally, there’s the issue of being out of work for a while, or ending up working in a different field than before. Yusuf argues that this is something that is really important for employers to be mindful of. ‘For a lot of refugees, their first job (in the UK, ed.) is trying to test their careers. So giving them a bit of space to explore themselves is really key.’

Routes’ Project Development Manager Roula, who is doing research for the new ‘Routes to Employment’ project.

Creating equitable workspaces

Harbi Jama speaks with clarity about inclusive employment practices: ‘What are employers doing to keep refugees? The first thing I ask, what are you doing to keep your current staff? You need that first, before looking at hiring refugees. You can’t hire refugees if you are not treating any of your staff well.’ He continues: ‘You need to make sure that you can support people, that you can identify any challenges and there are people who you can speak to. You need to be able to close the pay gap.’ 

Interestingly, some of the recent digital developments can be useful to welcome people from displaced backgrounds into work. Yusuf Cifcti argues that good use of remote working policies can be helpful.
‘For example, When you have Christmas or Eid, people might not have family here. So can you allow refugees to work from abroad, so they can spend time with their families.’

Harbi Jama adds another point that is crucial to keep in mind. ‘One thing that is super important in these conversations - we don’t know who a refugee is, until the person discloses it to you. The same thing with LGBT - you don’t know until they share. Some people will work in a workspace for 20 years - and then, when they have a safe space and the topic of refugeehood comes up, they turn around and share some of their personal experiences. Which is really beautiful, and it shows the importance of creating safe working environments, in which people feel they can share these bits of information.’

The importance of partnerships

A lot of this is about changing the conversation. As one of the audience members remarked, ‘There is a lot of work about D&I in corporates, but we never really talk about refugees.’ Harbi Jama mentions the fundraising space, and HR, as other areas that would benefit from having people with lived experience, who are able to challenge ideas and bring new ones.

Volunteering opportunities and corporate social responsibility should also be meaningful, and conversations with partners should be tailored towards that. As Harbi Jama says: ‘20 businesses doing CV workshops with refugees - it’s not useful. The people who have access to support from refugee organisations: they have already done their CV, got cover letter support.’ He instead argues for more funding for organisations doing this type of work. ‘Charities and CIC need donations to work and support and thrive.’ 

Routes panellist Harbi Jama, who is working at the London Community Foundation.

Harbi is clear that a core part of this work is commitment. ‘You need to really have that embedded into your organisation. You can’t just pick and choose when you want to support refugees. What we need to do is making sure that businesses are doing this work proactively. Businesses who are doing it well, are doing it well for a long time. And there are those that are learning, and starting.’

Anuradha Chugh agrees: ‘The hard work has to be done in the organisation before. First, within the company, you need to really get the mindset, the policies, and equity across people in the right place. Only after that can you get into advocacy. And once you do, use whatever platform you have, whatever agency you have - give it space. It doesn’t have to be a big billion campaign to be able to do that.’

Key takeaways from the panel on creating welcome in the workplace

• Yusuf: ‘The evidence is there. A lot of initiatives are creating equitable services. So it is now all about action.’

• Roula: ‘Do not stereotype refugees. Don’t put people in boxes. Don’t put expectations for them - they might surprise you!’

• Harbi: ‘Celebrate the amazing people - lots of people that have contributed so much to the UK. (...) And if you want to create opportunities, make sure they are meaningful.’ 

• Anuradha: ‘Each of us have agency. Talk to your father, your kids, your company - whatever it is. Don’t leave it for an event. Literally, do it next week - today is Thursday, so you have time!’ 

What can you do next?

• If you are a woman with lived experience of the UK asylum system, Routes is currently doing some research as part of our new project Routes to Employment. You can participate by filling out the form here.

• Support the Lift the Ban-campaign to give people seeking asylum the right to work. More information can be found on the website of Refugee Action.

• If you are interested in mentoring with Routes and embarking on a four-month, engaging learning journey with a woman from a refugee background, applications are open now for our autumn Programme.

• If you are or know of any socially-minded businesses, prioritising inclusive leadership, we would love to hear from you! Our work is done by partnerships and referrals, and you can connect with hanna@routescollective.com to chat more.

• Lastly, Routes has an Access Fund to cover the cost of travel expenses and data costs for refugee and asylum seeking women on our Mentoring Programme. You can donate here.

‘The human side of leadership’ - reflections from mentor Dee

Deepali (Dee) Desphande is Product Manager at Investec, and joined our 9th Mentoring cohort as a mentor. She was paired with mentee Mafusi, for 4 months of mentoring from October 2022 to February 2023. Find her reflections on Routes’ mentoring, and the lessons she learned from it, below.

" Hope is the thing with feathers-

That perches in the Soul -

And sings the tunes without the words -

And never stops - at all- "

- Emily Dickinson

It all started with an initiative on our work intranet, mentioning the Routes Mentoring Programme. This initiative caught my eye, because The Routes programme resonated with the purpose and values that are important to me at work. As I looked into the details I was intrigued and also slightly overwhelmed to find out the cause of the initiative: working with women who have experience of displacement.

I decided to apply and see where it took me. I felt like I was not fully prepared for what I was taking on. AlI I had was determination to try and make a difference to someone’s life, and learn something valuable myself as I went on this journey.

I myself have had quite a varied career so far. I started off as a Graphic Designer and Content Developer. Now I work at Investec and I have also recently started some coaching training. I was hoping that some of my experience might be relevant to someone else exploring their options, and I was really interested to learn more about Routes’ approach to mentoring. I was delighted when I got an email saying I was selected for the programme and I was found a match.

We had our first training session for mentors and I was blown away. Routes made the content empathetic and broke it down, so that we understood our responsibilities and boundaries. I loved the structure of the programme, because it touched upon a lot of practical side of things and gave us a lot of pointers on how to handle difficult situations. The training equipped me to go in with eyes wide open and some knowledge about the difficult systems mentees have to negotiate.

While I was very excited to meet my mentee Mafusi, I was a bag of nerves. I prepared for my first session like a diligent student. However, in my first session I realised that this session was going to be very different from the mentoring sessions I have had in the corporate world. I kept my notes aside and Mafusi and I set off on a journey.

This journey led us to become confidants. I was humbled with the amount of trust Mafusi put in me during these sessions, by sharing her life experiences.  I felt privileged to be a part of this process that we both trusted and the safe space we created for each other. We soon found things to talk about, that brought joyful memories back for Mafusi.

Mafusi wanted to work on her personal leadership, and next steps. We found creative ways to work on that. For example, one of the goals we carved out was for Mafusi to write a recipe from back home. The recipe is more than measurements and ingredients. It’s a part of Mafusi’s heritage, her culture and her family. It has history associated to food and where it comes from. Mafusi took time to put a lot of details in the recipe and it was a proud moment for both of us. It was a tangible output of our discussions and she proudly held it with a smile. 

From thereon, our relationship flourished. We set up further goals and identified small steps to tackle them. We met some challenges along the way, but we never lost our nerve or hope. I had excellent support from Routes when I was worried, which made me feel better and keep calm. Routes are very well equipped to handle challenging situations and find ways to support both mentors and mentees.

I am very proud of what Mafusi has achieved and how much I have learnt about myself through these past few weeks. I have been in leadership roles and have been quite mindful of the human side of the leadership. These sessions and training and Routes gave me another dimension to mentoring and leadership. Now if there is a problem; I try to understand the root of the problem rather than fixing the symptom. I have since incorporated some of the learnings to understand the team members better which helped create a cohesive work environment.

Another major learning was about experiences of people seeking safety in the UK. My time with Routes provided me with a perspective on how things are organised, and what that means for people’s lives.

The learnings I have had in the past four months will stay with me and have reinforced my desire to become Life Coach. I would like to work with women to build their confidence - be it in corporate space, coming back to work or just finding the spark they have lost. Every woman is confident and capable of achieving great things. Sometimes all we need is a little help to tap into our potential. If I can be that person and make even 1% difference to people’s lives, it will be rewarding.

There is a quote from a poem by Emily Dickinson that I really like. It talks about ‘Hope being the thing with feathers’. I hope I can provide a bit of that for someone in conversation. Mentoring and coaching can be so powerful for that.

Some news from Routes

Written by Routes Co-Founder Daisy Jacobs, 20th March 2023

Dear friends and supporters of Routes. I'm writing today to share some big news, which is that I will be stepping down from my day to day role at Routes on 19th April 2023. 

This has been such a hard decision to make, but I have decided that now is the right time for me to make this change. I am so incredibly proud of our work at Routes, and of everything that we have built with our inspiring, committed and visionary team and board over the last five years. I am also very grateful to have had their full support in navigating this time of transition. Whilst I will be stepping down from my day to day role, I am so excited to be continuing to support and champion our work as a member of the board.

Photo above of the Routes team and board at our end of year celebration meal 2022

As well as being a Routes board member, my next steps will involve taking some time to rest, before embarking on a Churchill travel fellowship later this year (you can read more about that here!). At Routes, I'm delighted that Leyla will be stepping into the role of Founding Director, to continue leading the organisation towards our mission, and our formidable programmes team will keep delivering high quality, impactful programmes for the women we work with. We are also very excited to be welcoming a new Head of Business Development and Partnerships into the team very soon - watch this space for more on that!

As we mark Routes' fifth birthday, I feel very sad to be taking a step back from the direct delivery of the work we do, but equally so energised to know that there are people in the organisation who will keep driving us towards our mission. At a time when the day to day reality of the hostile asylum system is getting increasingly harsh, compassion, care and intentionality are more needed than ever. I know that our team will continue to create the impact we want to see, with joy and deep thought, and I am so proud to be staying on the board to continue to support our impact.

Photo above from our first in person event after the pandemic: 'Routes: From Screen to Stage'

Some words from the board 

"We as Routes board members, want to thank Daisy for their immeasurable contribution to our organisation and community since its inception five years ago. It has been a privilege to witness their enthusiasm, compassion and skill. Daisy has been fundamental in developing innovative, uplifting and person-centred programmes for women with experience of seeking safety in the UK, and has driven our collective strategy and mission. The passion and ability to foster meaningful connection that is at the core of all Daisy’s work, is what makes Routes such an extraordinary organisation. We unanimously support Daisy’s decision to step down from their role as Executive Director, and are delighted that we will continue to benefit from their insight on the board in future. We wish Daisy every success in their next endeavours."

Some words from Leyla

“Routes has come a long way since we started in 2018, and it wouldn't have been possible to get to where we are now without Daisy. I'm so grateful for the collaboration, friendship and impact that has come out of working together, and so proud of what we have achieved in these past five years. I fully support Daisy's decision to step back, and I’m also excited to continue our working with them on the board of Routes.

I’m energised and excited to continue Routes' mission alongside our wonderful team. Routes will continue to fight for a UK where every woman who has sought asylum can build a fulfilling life. We know we want to support even more women over the next five years, and continue to do so with individualised and joyful support. The recent proposed changes to the asylum process will make life even more difficult for those seeking safety, but we will continue to innovate in the face of an ever-changing and increasingly hostile system.”

Photo above from our sixth mentoring programme celebration with mentors and mentees during the pandemic

Staying in touch

I will continue to be reachable on my Routes email address until 19th April, after which point I encourage you to reach out to Leyla, or another member of our team. Please also connect with me on LinkedIn if you'd like to stay in touch, and make sure to follow Routes on social media (LinkedIn / Twitter / Instagram) to stay up to date with our work!

Finally, I'd like to say thank you so much to everyone that I have had the privilege to work with and learn from in my day-to-day role over the last five years: from the 300+ mentors and mentees I have had the pleasure to meet and support, the 70+ organisations that have put their faith in our programmes, the inspiring facilitators and creatives who have shaped our work, and the countless coaches, champions and friendly faces that have supported both my personal growth and the growth of Routes since 2018. I hope you will continue to support and celebrate our work in the years to come, as I will. I truly can't wait to see how Routes continues to grow and flourish over the coming years, and am honoured to be staying a part of it.

With gratitude,

Daisy

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'I have always wanted to be an architect' - Linda's Mentoring Journey

This blog post was written by mentee Linda, who graduated from the Routes Mentoring Programme in February 2023, after four months of mentoring with her mentor. Find out more about the programme by reading the blog post below and exploring our website!

My name is Linda.

I have heard about Routes Mentoring Programme through Say It Loud Club, a kind charity which helps refugees and asylum seekers in need. I joined the programme because I wanted to be part of something beautiful and amazing. It proved me right.

From the time I remember, I have always wanted to be an architect. I have always been attracted to art, design, and drawing. I arrived in the UK in 2010 and got my bachelor’s degree in 2014 in Business of Arts. At the time, I did not have the opportunity to study design. From 2015 to 2021, life was tough because of personal issues. Until I got introduced to Routes in 2022, I was mentally low.

Before joining the programme, I had not had a mentor before. As a result, I was very much excited, apprehensive (a bit nervous too) the first time we met. It was via Zoom, and all went wonderfully well. How would it not be? My mentor Alexandra is an architect. A very nice person.

Alexandra shared with me so many things. I have enjoyed the online free drawing lessons offered at Artyfactory.com. I have learned some technique skills required to draw which I had not a clue on how to start initially. We also discussed master classes architects such as Giancarlo De Carlo and Frank Gehry whose works are total wonder. I have come to realise, architecture is not only a structural edifice of buildings, but something deeper as it affects society on a high level. Architecture brings happiness into people’s life.

My mentor Alexandra also encouraged me to apply for a bursary in Design subject in a London University, which I happily did. Hopefully I will get my portfolio ready in time for the interview which again, I hope, will be successful. 

The Routes Mentoring Programme has been a wonderful experience which I will forever be grateful for because it gives me the opportunity to meet kind-hearted people, people who bring light into people’s life, people I knew not existed in today’s world. Before Routes, I would not have dreamt of getting close to my dream job. Now however, I am filled with hope, optimism, and confidence in reaching my goal one day. I will not finish without mentioning Routes’ educational programmes which have been so helpful in building up my confidence.

To Routes mentoring programme, I just want to say thank you.

'Foggy Mornings' - A poem

Starting with our fifth cohort back in 2021, our Head of Programmes Wieke has written poems to celebrate the end of the journeys of each graduating cohort of mentors and mentees.

In ‘Foggy Mornings’, written for our ninth cohort, she reflects on the languages of mentoring, and the web of support that our mentors, mentees, team and partners are a part of, both during and after their time with us.

You can watch and hear Wieke performing the poem in the video, or read the words below. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Foggy mornings

Celebrating Our 9th Cohort, February 2023

It’s been winter in London

So we’ve seen foggy mornings

Their miracles and stillness

With weather changing from north to west

Some already up, others still at rest

All of you sharing some of your best

In four months of mentoring

And so this is a time for gathering

As we are meeting here

To mark the end of your mentoring

And the start of spring

With daffodils popping up in the parks

This is a poem for celebration

It’s a poem for you all

As we come together

Last week online – or today in East London

For Bethnal Green is the place of Routes

The place where we put our roots

After the pandemic

And where we welcomed all of you in

With a Tech Day to begin

With a Mentee Launch and Mentor Training

And off you went, into your buddies and pairs

With so many dreams

– some new,

and some ready to repair

For the fog is also there

Helping us

To envision what may lay behind its drops

That which we cannot yet see

We know it’s there

It’s possibility

Things from before

Or new mysteries

To connect, or re-connect with

New routes

Waiting for us

As you’ve opened doors

Into new parts of your goals

Into new parts of your learning

As you spent your time -

Looking at courses

Gearing back into engineering

Finding ways to combine work with care

Or combine them into social work or healthcare

Thinking about law or psychology

Getting back into art

Combining mentoring with college

Or looking after little ones – or both

And so

After lots of time to deliberate

Today it’s time to celebrate

Your journey of connectivity

In your pairs, 1:1

With exercises, brave sharing, and fun

In the moments across 4 months’ time

With the rest of this group, with MP9

With public speaking in the Anson Room

Blog writing for lunchtime

Online communication online

Taking it Forwards on a Thursday

And in collaboration with us, the team at Routes

In worksheets and over WhatsApp

With Tamana Jan always being there

Reading your messages with so much care

Providing travel top ups

For an in -person chance

To look at your plans

And with that

We keep in mind

The things we cannot control

Within the means of this mentoring

The structures and systems

Adding additional stressors

And so we bring

Presence

Shared thinking

And practical help

Monthly updates and the Workspace

Linking to our Resources Database

Filled with opportunities, organisations

And things to talk through

Including some suggested by you

As together, you grew and grew

So congratulations to all of you

As your talents shone through

Each of you bringing different strengths to the mix

As we know there is no easy fix

But lots and lots of great things to work on

And while the clocks might be set on Greenwich

There’s many ways to write an alphabet

As you found your own ways of working

With your partner, with your cohort and with Routes

With all of you becoming

Both students

And ambassadors

of mentoring

Of relationship-based learning

Of step-by-step success

Some picking up a book to share

Others catching a nice podcast mid-air

Or thinking through a tree of life

And

Facilitators sharing their wisdom in workshops

With multilingualism being your superpower

As we hold so many languages amongst ourselves

Some of you doing meetings in your fourth language

Speaking up and listening

With all parts of our brains

And if we trace

The sounds of our speech

Across the globe

We know we hold so much of the world

In our words

And so

On behalf of Routes

I’d like to say a muchas gracias and shukran kteer

In all the languages that you hold dear

Thank you for your trust

And for being here

And when the future seems unclear

Let’s remember

We can embrace those sounds and our shared interests

Across industries and regional dialects

And the strengths of our vocabs

Like the spider’s web

We are creating here today in this room

The threads

Fragile but steadfast

It’s beauty visible

In the foggy mornings

And when systems are trying to keep us disconnected

Let’s keep clarity of vision

Let’s aspire to become architects

And design new ways of being

For when we look in the mirror now

When we catch our reflection

When we catch our breath

As we walk down the streets

And see ourselves reflected back

In a shop’s window

The face of your workplace

Or in a waterdrop

We see a connected community

We see what belonging can be

A group of people

Holding the threads of that web

Looking inwards

Stretching out

Celebrating London from north to south

Building bridges of kindness

Being willing to act

And also taking time to reflect

And so we know

For your next steps

Beauty awaits

Big and small

As it has been created by you all

Written and performed by Wieke Vink, Head of Programmes, Routes