Breaking the Cultural Silence Imposed upon Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants: A Snapshot of the Current Faithbased Project in Tigers Bay (North Belfast)

Oct 15, 2026

This case study documents a collaborative partnership between faith-based organisations and the North Belfast community, outlining early project stages focused on welcome-day delivery, cultural food and activities, and an Ulster University-led Unblocking Potential programme. It explains how these steps supported social cohesion and community integration through emancipatory practice. The study then describes the next phase: engaging participants in theatre to dramatise experiences and sharing the learning locally. It also identifies barriers such as fear, low self-esteem, and limited community mechanisms for confident participation in wider transformational cultural diversity work.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Context

Collaborative Partnership in Action

Breaking the Cultural Silence Imposed upon Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants: A Snapshot of the Current Faithbased Project in Tigers Bay (North Belfast) isobel steel-hawthorne, syd trotter, sinead bryne, melissa morgan Abstract This case study tracks an established collaborative partnership between faith-based organisations and the local community of North Belfast. The initial stages of the project of implementing a welcome day, a cultural food and activities fest day and an Ulster University led Unblocking Potential programme. This set the scene for social cohesion and community integration through emancipatory praxis. The next stage of the project is to engage the group in theatre dramatising their experiencesand disseminating the shared learning throughout the local community. Through the delivery of our programmes we identified issues around fear, low self-esteem and the lack of mechanisms within the wider community to empower participants to confidently engage more meaningfully within their own community and the wider community bringing a new dynamic to transformational cultural diversity work. Context The context of creating cohesive partnerships at local level is heavily influenced by the existing social constructs of a people in a process of conflict transformation. The cultural paradigm shift that has been created by the influx of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants, who have been allocated housing in already contested and polarised communities, can paradoxically further the cause of conflict rather than build bridges of hope and provide opportunities for reconciliation. Collaborative Partnership inAction The partnership between the faith-based group St Paul and St Barnabas (STP&B) and All Nations Ministry (ANM) came about from an invitation from ANM’s leader, David Maganda. He came along to an evening church service, and asked if the church could send a representative to a meeting the following week to discuss how they could begin building relationships in the area. The rationale for the church becoming involved in such a partnership was firmly embedded in the vision strategy of outreach to the local community which included: embracing diversity, provide a safe warm and friendly environment where indigenous people and newly housed refugees, asylum seekers and migrants could learn how to live together in community, to learn about cultural traditions and difference, whilst not losing indigenous identity, and gain skills of integration. David Maganda (ANM, 2018) gave an update stating that recent statistics revealed there had been 150 families from Syria accommodated in North Belfast since December 2015, and that new groups arrive every eight weeks. The ongoing work with such groups is widely recognised as being extremely important. This was highlighted by the Church of Ireland Refugee Working Group Report on supporting asylum seekers and refugees (2018): Clergy and parishioners whose neighbours include asylum seekers and refugees are encouraged to take up unexpected opportunities to serve as and when they arise e.g. by offering lifts to hospital appointments in rural areas, food banks, helping people to improve their English language skills through classes and everyday conversations, or giving goods for mothersand toddlers. During the first information sharing meeting with community representatives, a request was made for use of the STP&B church premises tohosta weekly ‘drop in’ session as the premises they currently were using was not suitable for group activities. Further discussions resulted in the suggestion of a welcome service to mark the initial launch of a suggested ‘drop in’ at the church. This was the first test of collaborative partnerships as the organising committee consisted of representatives from local churches/residents, ANM and local faith-based groups. The plans were detailed and action points taken on board. The STP&B group took a coordinating role and set in motion som

FAQs

What is the main focus of the case study in Tigers Bay (North Belfast)?

The case study focuses on a faith-based collaborative project with the local community, supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants through welcome events, cultural activities, and learning initiatives.

What programmes were implemented in the initial stage?

The initial stage implemented a welcome day, a cultural food and activities fest day, and an Ulster University-led Unblocking Potential programme.

What issues did the partnership identify during programme delivery?

The partnership identified fear, low self-esteem, and a lack of wider community mechanisms to empower participants to engage confidently within their own community and beyond.

Oct 15, 2026

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