Articles

Putting ourselves in the picture: Ivan Petrov

I’m 25 and I come from a small town in Bulgaria called Kazanlak. I had planned to go and study abroad and the UK seemed very suitable at the time. I picked Glasgow because I wanted to live in a big city and take advantage of the cultural scene and all the events that are on, just everything that a big city has to offer. My first impressions... it may sound a little anecdotal but, literally, it didn't stop raining for the first three days after I came here, so…

I’m 25 and I come from a small town in Bulgaria called Kazanlak. I had planned to go and study abroad and the UK seemed very suitable at the time.…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Louise Falconer

My parents are actually from Edinburgh. They migrated to Australia before I was born. In early 1970 there was a strong push from state governments to recruit more teachers from the UK, and my parents are both teachers. They initially went out there just for a couple of years, but they stayed although my dad still has a real longing for Scotland. Throughout my childhood we travelled to Scotland now and then, so being Scottish was part of my identity growing up. I graduated in Law and Asian Studies degree…

My parents are actually from Edinburgh. They migrated to Australia before I was born. In early 1970 there was a strong push from state governments to recruit more teachers from…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Ms Mushaka

I was born in Uganda, married in Zimbabwe and came to the UK in 2001. Back in Africa I worked at senior levels as a community development worker and as a consultant for disability and development NGOs. For over 10 years I worked on highlighting the plight of people living with disabilities in Uganda. I am now a naturalised British citizen, and have been working with Poverty Alliance for more than five years as a Fieldwork Development Officer. When I first came to Scotland, I was not allowed to work,…

I was born in Uganda, married in Zimbabwe and came to the UK in 2001. Back in Africa I worked at senior levels as a community development worker and as…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Hing Fung Teh

I was born in Malaysia, of Chinese ancestry. I came to the UK in 1973 as an accountancy student studying for ACCA in Birmingham Polytechnic. I felt a lot of excitement and had many expectations on my arrival to this foreign country, especially of seeing real snow. On one of my many trips around the country I met my future husband, Leong, in Glasgow. We have been married for 37 years now and have two grown up children, Han and Ying. We have lived in Kirkintilloch for the last 28…

I was born in Malaysia, of Chinese ancestry. I came to the UK in 1973 as an accountancy student studying for ACCA in Birmingham Polytechnic. I felt a lot of…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Sir Geoff Palmer

Migrants have really put themselves in the picture in Scotland: an exhibition of photographs by and about migrants at a Glasgow museum has attracted more than an estimated 150,000 visitors. The 60 portraits at the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery are vivid proof of the many ways that migrants contribute to Scottish life. They also help ensure that migrant heritage is documented and recognised as part of Scotland’s past and present. Migration is not a one-way movement: a previous government estimated the worldwide Scottish diaspora (emigrants and their descendants) at…

Migrants have really put themselves in the picture in Scotland: an exhibition of photographs by and about migrants at a Glasgow museum has attracted more than an estimated 150,000 visitors.…

Lack of support for freed victims of modern slavery

One of the current government’s first announcements was a promise to clear the backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases it had inherited and help get the victims’ lives back to normal. But even if their status is confirmed (and some of the other estimated 100,000+ modern slavery victims identified), survivors are not guaranteed support, such as counselling, safe housing and legal advice. This is because new laws allow the government to decide on a 'case-by-case' basis whether support is 'necessary' in each case. As a result, some survivors go through…

One of the current government’s first announcements was a promise to clear the backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases it had inherited and help get the victims’ lives back to…

Volleyball - more than a sport?

You never know what might happen when you play volleyball in a Glasgow park. One day, it’ll be a playful dog who’ll snatch and destroy your pricey professional ball; another day an unassuming passer-by you let onto the pitch turns out to be a seasoned Argentinian player who ends up coaching your team. Several groups and clubs play in city parks and venues. The biggest, Glasgow Outdoor Volleyball Club (GOVC), brings together more than 150 players of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities. My own experience began several years ago when…

You never know what might happen when you play volleyball in a Glasgow park. One day, it’ll be a playful dog who’ll snatch and destroy your pricey professional ball; another…

Undocumented workers trapped in limbo

One of Migrant Voice’s top targets for 2025 is to see government action to take the estimated 745,000 undocumented workers out of the untaxed, unregulated economy and regularise their immigration status. “This government needs to focus on what will benefit the country as a whole instead of playing with voters' minds, using the issue of undocumented migrants,” one undocumented worker told Migrant Voice. That worker, like hundreds of thousands of others, is not undocumented by choice: he wants a proper job, free from exploitation, to support himself and contribute to…

One of Migrant Voice’s top targets for 2025 is to see government action to take the estimated 745,000 undocumented workers out of the untaxed, unregulated economy and regularise their immigration…

The joys of volunteering

From left to right: Oksana Borysova, Yves, Anna Treder More than 14 million people in the UK volunteer through a group, club or organisation at least once a year, with women and 65-74-year-olds the most prominent groups. The voluntary sector’s total annual income is about £57 billion a year, according to the UK Civil Society Almanac. As with every other aspect of British life, migrants contribute to this vital resource. Four migrants in Scotland talks about their volunteering experience Oksana Borysova, Ukraine After a year of war, I…

From left to right: Oksana Borysova, Yves, Anna Treder More than 14 million people in the UK volunteer through a group, club or organisation at least once a year,…

'Surely that is not how my life was meant to be'

“Detention is the worst thing you can do to a human being, especially one who’s trying to survive. It is cruel.” That’s Stella Shyanguya speaking. One experience of cruelty is bad enough; it’s twice as bad when you are detained after your life has already been disrupted and you move to what you thought was a safe haven. It’s triple cruelty if, like Stella Shyanguya, you are detained because of a Home Office mistake. The France-born, Kenya-raised and legally naturalised British citizen was wrongfully imprisoned in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal…

“Detention is the worst thing you can do to a human being, especially one who’s trying to survive. It is cruel.” That’s Stella Shyanguya speaking. One experience of cruelty is…

Articles

Articles

Putting ourselves in the picture: Ivan Petrov

I’m 25 and I come from a small town in Bulgaria called Kazanlak. I had planned to go and study abroad and the UK seemed very suitable at the time.…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Louise Falconer

My parents are actually from Edinburgh. They migrated to Australia before I was born. In early 1970 there was a strong push from state governments to recruit more teachers from…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Ms Mushaka

I was born in Uganda, married in Zimbabwe and came to the UK in 2001. Back in Africa I worked at senior levels as a community development worker and as…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Hing Fung Teh

I was born in Malaysia, of Chinese ancestry. I came to the UK in 1973 as an accountancy student studying for ACCA in Birmingham Polytechnic. I felt a lot of…

Putting ourselves in the picture: Sir Geoff Palmer

Migrants have really put themselves in the picture in Scotland: an exhibition of photographs by and about migrants at a Glasgow museum has attracted more than an estimated 150,000 visitors.…

Lack of support for freed victims of modern slavery

One of the current government’s first announcements was a promise to clear the backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases it had inherited and help get the victims’ lives back to…

Volleyball - more than a sport?

You never know what might happen when you play volleyball in a Glasgow park. One day, it’ll be a playful dog who’ll snatch and destroy your pricey professional ball; another…

Undocumented workers trapped in limbo

One of Migrant Voice’s top targets for 2025 is to see government action to take the estimated 745,000 undocumented workers out of the untaxed, unregulated economy and regularise their immigration…

The joys of volunteering

From left to right: Oksana Borysova, Yves, Anna Treder More than 14 million people in the UK volunteer through a group, club or organisation at least once a year,…

'Surely that is not how my life was meant to be'

“Detention is the worst thing you can do to a human being, especially one who’s trying to survive. It is cruel.” That’s Stella Shyanguya speaking. One experience of cruelty is…

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