Join us for a day of talks, networking, volunteer opportunities and showcasing of collaboration and partnership work with staff, students and local voluntary and statutory organisations. This event is a must for those interested in community engagement, service learning and employability.

After the success of last year’s inaugural event, London Met staff and students are again coming together with local community groups to share experiences and consider new ways of collaboration.

London Met Connects opens with a talk about refugee women in the UK. Guest speakers will address issues surrounding asylum seeking and the process, gender based persecution in the home countries, the needs of refugee women and the challenges they face at various stages of settlement in the UK, the resilience of women and their survival strategies, and the voluntary and community sector's initiatives and campaigns to support and empower refugee women.  A short video, produced by Protection Gap Campaign at Asylum Aid, will also be screened.

Speakers include: 

• Deborah Singer (Asylum Aid- Protection Gap Campaign)
• Gemma Lousley (Women for Refugee Women)
• Sarah Menzies (Evelyn Oldfield Unit)

In the afternoon, London Met Connects moves into an afternoon of networking, community stalls and presentations.  This will be followed by a book launch of Keith Popple’s updated seminal work Analysing Community Work.

 
Programme:

In Room BEUB-01

10.30 am - 12.00 pm: Refugee Women in the UK 

Followed by, in Room TG-30...

1.30 – 2.30 pm: Community stalls, networking and light refreshments
A chance to mingle informally with a range of groups and stakeholders including research and volunteering opportunities

2.30 – 5.00 pm: Introducing MetConnect - an update on 2014-2015's community engagement

Presentations including:

• Work with Islington tenants – housing management training
• Voluntary Action Islington – student led research project
• Health Watch Islington - student led facilitation
• Crisis UK – taster sessions
• Life history project – student led research
• Ways forward – how to secure effective collaborative working

5.00 – 6.00 pm: Book Launch of Keith Popple’s Analysing Community Work (2nd edition)
Since its first publication in 1995, Keith Popple’s book has given an essential overview of UK community practice and become a regular addition to required reading on all community and youth work courses. Written in a highly accessible style, the second edition (2015) updates the story, detailing New Labour and Coalition government policy developments whilst retaining the core principles underpinning community work practice.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities provides a vibrant, stimulating and supportive study environment where you can choose from a range of flexible courses taught by world-leading experts. Our courses are strongly linked to the world of employment, leading to outstanding career-building opportunities. Our location in central London and the public, private and voluntary sector connections of our lecturers and professors, mean that our students have the very best work placement opportunities. We also maintain very strong relationships with partner organisations and professional bodies which recognise and accredit many of our courses.