October Events Roundup

October 13, 2016

This month there are 2 events in support of GARAS which may be of interest to you.  The first, dancing to live devotional music by the Raga Babas, is on 22nd October in Stroud.  The second, “You, Me and the Distance Between Us” is a one-woman show (first shown at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer and currently touring Europe) which will be coming to Cheltenham on 25th and 26th October.  For more information on either of these events, please visit the Events page on our website, by clicking here.

Simpsons at the Stroud Half Marathon

October 13, 2016

You’ve heard of the Brownlee Brothers.  In Gloucestershire we have the Simpson Siblings!  They are very generously fundraising for GARAS as they run the Stroud Half Marathon together on 23rd October.  Please would you consider sponsoring them as they prepare and to help them keep motivated along the scenic 13.1miles?  You can visit their sponsorship page here.

Refugee Week – Day Four

June 24, 2016

This post was written yesterday & appeared on some social media channels then…

It’s an interesting day today isn’t it? It all feels a bit tense and I suspect there will be a far higher turn out than we have seen in years.

And it got me thinking about the pros and cons of democracy and the very fact that we have an opportunity to be allowed to make such a monumental decision.  I have worked with clients from countries as diverse as North Korea and Eritrea where  elections may be held, but nothing can change, the ruling party will stay the same.

Or countries such as the DRC or Sierra Leone where there have been competing parties and the very act of campaigning has been dangerous and the outcome has led to violence on the streets.

The causes of the civil war in Syria are complex, but a lack of voice and ability to democratically change things is a significant factor.

So today, whatever we think of the referendum, whatever our concerns about the outcome, whatever we think of the different parties involved in the whole process we have been able to make our own decision, that decision will be counted and, we believe, the truth of the outcome will be told in the numbers.

I am thankful we have this freedom and I hope and pray that we will be able to accept the outcome peacefully even if we are unhappy with it.

-Adele

Events update

June 22, 2016

A few more events have been drawn to our attention:

In Stroud this Saturday (25th June), there will be Arabic music playing at the Stroud sub rooms forecourt from 10am to 5pm.

On Saturday 9th July, a family fun day picnic will be held in Cheltenham at the Park Campus of the University of Gloucestershire.  (Please see below.)

Please mark your diaries if these take your fancy!  Thanks.

Refugee Week – Day Three

June 22, 2016

Again the day has changed any attempt at providing the history lesson I had considered. Instead I feel inspired to talk about the amazing ways people care for others; some they know; some they are yet to meet. Over the past few weeks, we have seen a number of new arrivals of young people, arriving in very hazardous ways. On each occasion, others, who have been there before, have helped in a number of ways to provide interpreting and support. (& I have learnt how to make chai!)

As we prepare for more arrivals on the Syrian project, we have been ensuring that we prepare properly for them to be welcomed and the families who are already settling have offered to provide the first meals in order to help them on that exhausting first day.  Following a meeting with Foster Care, Social Workers we realised that a number of our previous clients are beginning to explore the possibility of helping in this field, wanting to give back a little of the love and care they have received.

And then there is the continuing extraordinary generosity from across Gloucestershire.  Someone has just delivered a brand new vacuum cleaner, and day by day people are providing for others with such an outpouring of love that belies the nastiness of the past few months of campaigning.

So I celebrate all that is good and caring in our community and hope that tomorrow does not take us down some dark divisive path.

-Adele