Talk about the Refugee Crisis in the Countryside

Politics, right now? Yikes.

There’s a lot going on. Kids of the future studying British History in the 2010s? We feel you.

An issue causing huge debate at the moment is immigration and the refugee crisis, and Nottingham based not-for-profit company Communities Inc. recently discussed integration of refugees in a new and awesome way.

During International Refugee week, Communities Inc. and Nottingham Trams organised a four-mile walk through the Nottingham countryside not only to enjoy the pretty views but to give people a safe space to discuss how to help refugees further integrate into society.

The director Michael Henry said “by discussing sensitive and topical issues during a walk, we find that participants are relaxed and this leads to much more productive conversations”. Cool idea, and it seemed to work, as the CEO of the Mojatu Foundation, Valentine Nkoyo said “the walk was truly inspirational and refreshing. A great way to recharge oneself and forget about your cares and duties, albeit for a moment, by linking with nature and exploring the wonderful countryside”.

Even a dog turned up to the walk. Though we’re not sure how much it contributed to the discussion, it probably had just as much of a lovely day out as the human participants!

There are more than 15 million refugees worldwide and an estimated 126,000 refugees in the UK, so integration is key, as well as providing support wherever we can by donating money, food, clothes and furniture.

Communities Inc. aim to make Walk the Talk a monthly event where people can chat all things Nottingham and “sustain the city’s creativity and inclusivity”, however, in order to do so, they need more participants, so check out their website if you’re interested.

Get walking and talking, people!

Communities Inc. website