Projects & Campaigns

MRN aims to strengthen the voice of migrants in discussion and debates, both within civil society and with regional and national authorities. Bearing this in mind, we conduct research and projects to enable migrant community organisations to engage with key legislative and policy issues.

MRN currently runs the following UK-based projects

• 'Strengthening Migrant Rights in London' Project (September 2009 - September 2012): A three-year project funded by the City Parochial Foundation which aims to support networking between migrant community organisations in London, in the context of the Government proposal to establish a London Regional Migration Partnership (LRMP). The project plans to review of what is currently known about the position of migrants in London; establish a partnership with leading groups working in support of migrants with representation from all parts of London; develop a programme of workshops, training sessions and conferences aimed at facilitating agreement on migrant priorities in the key areas of economic and social policy in London; provide an infrastructure of action research aimed at supporting the work of organisations directly involved in the LRMP and develop a media/communication strategy aimed at communicating the consensus to the wider public.
  
  
• Undocumented Migrants Project (May 2008 - April 2011): Under a three-year programme funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, this body of work aims to address concerns about the position of undocumented migrants within the context of the Government's 'managed migration' strategy and the roll-out tougher enforcement measures. As part of the work, we are currently running the 'Papers Please' research project, which is looking at the effects of the new 'civil penalty' regime which has imposed additional responsibilities on employers for the immigration status of their workforce. During 2008 MRN has been designing a training programme for trade union activists with the financial support of Unite the Union, which is being rolled out during 2009. A three-year campaign strategy for the Undocumented Migrants Project is under development.
  
  
• Communications Project (April 2008 - March 2009): As a network, MRN's communication with national and regional bodies is critical to our work. Supported by a one-year grant from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, we are working to review our website, produce a research report on migration flows to rural areas of the UK, and hold a series of workshops in 2009.
  
  
• Progressive Migration Policy Project: The Progressive Migration Policy Project produces papers which cover issues across all aspects of our work. It is intended to project a coherent sense of the progressive potential for immigration policies based on the rights of migrants. Our approach to this subject was set out in the publication 'Towards Progressive Migration Policies' (MRN/Compass/Barrow Cadbury Trust, September 2007). Our 'Papers Please' report also fits under this Project, as the first released in a series entitled 'MRN Migration Perspectives Papers'.

MRN is also involved in three European-level Projects

• Migrants Rights and Integration Project: (December 2008 - November 2011): We are project leaders for this three-year project alongside the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), supported by the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM). Working with partners in seven countries, the project involves a review of policies and practices in the participating countries with a view to assessing issues facing migrant communities and considering the transferability of best practice. The project will conclude with the production of a toolkit aimed at assisting migrant communities in increasing leverage and influence over the implementation of integration policies in Europe.
  
  
• Migrants and the Media Project (October 2008 - September 2011): We are the UK partner in this five country, three-year project funded by the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM). The work will aim to examine the ways in which migrant communities use the media to convey key messages.
  
  
• Migrants and Entrepreneurialism Project (October 2008 - November 2010): MRN is a partner in this two-year project funded by the European Union Leonardo da Vinci Programme. This project aims to provide support and assist the development of business entrepreneurialism in migrant communities across five EU countries (UK, Ireland, Romania, Poland and Denmark). MRN's input will be as the 'principle social partner', focusing on disseminating project activities and outcomes to migrant communities in the UK. Click here to see thepress release for this project.