News West London Welcome at G&L! 18.11.2024

One of the aims of Languages Week is to foster cultural understanding and empathy and we were delighted to open the week with an assembly by Joanne MacInnes, Director and Founder of West London Welcome, and her colleague Ibraham Kamara. West London Welcome is a local community centre for refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants. It is open four days a week and supports people from over 70 countries who speak more than 50 languages and provides safe refuge, food, social time, advice, casework support, advocacy, English classes, childcare, creative activities, Mums’ groups, and outings around the City and beyond. The centre helps people dealing with isolation and trauma, people who are navigating the ‘hostile’ UK asylum process and the lack of affordable housing. Joanne outlined the difference between migrants, asylum seekers and refugees and presented a number of moving case studies before we heard from Ibraham about his experience of coming to the UK and his hopes of being a lawyer.

This year West London Welcome is the House charity for Quinn Brown, and is championed by Isabel Spira, Year 11, who volunteers with the charity. During Languages Week the school is organising a collection for Christmas gifts for under 18s at West London Welcome and we hope that the school community will give generously.