Making a New Life

Since the EU enlarged to include the A8 Member State countries of Poland. Slovakia, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Slovenia. Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary and Estonia there has been an influx of new economic migrants into Britain.

In Bradford, the newly arrived Central and Eastern European migrants have settled within five of Bradford's most deprived communities (Leeds Road, Great Horton, Girlington, Manningham and West Bowling). However, these communities already have high percentages of 'settled' ethnic minorities, mainly of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin, as well as a white population which experience similar low levels of educational attainment, high unemployment, live in areas with high crime levels, and have poor housing and health. There are problems of local cultures clashing and major misunderstandings of each other's backgrounds and ways of living.



This two-year (2006-2008) research project, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, seeks to clearly identify the migration and integration issues by working with communities, community partners and statutory organisations, and to find new ways to strengthen community cohesion that can then be applied in a national policy context.

The project's aims are:

• To identify the causes of tension between the new and settled migrants of Bradford.
  
  
• To develop a means of dialogue and exchange between the different communities.
  
  
• To enable those who have settled successfully to share their experiences with new arrivals.
  
  
• To improve the cultural understanding between the indigenous (white and ethnic minorities) and the new migrants thus building trust.
  
  
• To strengthen the partnerships between statutory bodies and the community and voluntary sectors for the benefit of communities.
  
  
• To derive the policy implications for national immigration policy and local community cohesion.

For more information contact Adeeba Malik MBE (QED's Deputy Chief Executive) at Quest House, 243 Manningham Lane, Bradford BD8 7ER. Telephone: 01274 483267,email a.malik@qed-uk.org.