Partnerships

The original idea for starting a project in partnership came from a conversation with the Resettlement Coordinator from West Dunbartonshire Council at a Trauma workshop. During lunch she was speaking about her work and how good it would be to have a project that filled a gap for the women. Her concern was that the women no longer had the same support systems they would have had in Syria. We discussed the work of Outside the Box and agreed to get in touch to see what we could potentially do together.  

Our independence as an organisation means we are not part of the geographical or political make -up of the area. This has been very beneficial to ensuring the project belongs to the women. We are still able support place based partnerships from a distance, meaning the women lead the work with a real sense of agency from their community. 

Working in partnership with the women was never about being there to deliver a specific model or way of working for set outcomes.  We’re there to explore and nurture our relationships with the women to find out their assets and what they want to bring. Our partnership with the Resettlement team from inception was about nurturing this space for the women and has been key to forming healthy associations across the community and beyond. 

Our approach to partnership working is focused on reciprocity which has allowed us to form innovative associations with other organisations, community groups and services who we work with collectively around common goals: putting into action community gatherings, intergenerational learning, sharing stories through local news papers and hosting cultural events. By developing these relationships the women have been able to share their expertise, support and learning just as they have gained from them- to take their place as equal partners and community members. 

Reflections from the West Dunbartonshire Council’s Refugee Resettlement Team