Solidarity not Surveillance: Creating Sanctuary Together

We often think about safety in that moment of violence, in that moment which is loud, visible, and [has] this spectacular amount of attention on it. But actually… safety is… the conditions… where we feel like the society around us wants us to grow, will give us opportunities — will allow us to thrive, to develop our creative and intellectual ambitions and desires.
— Dr. Shabna Begum, CEO at the Runnymede Trust

This programme of online workshops is being offered as part of the Movement Solidarity Fund*, and is being designed and facilitated by Common Knowledge. It is about equipping overworked, under-resourced frontline workers with the tools to respond in this context, whilst never forgetting that true safety is a society that “will allow [all] of us to thrive”. The sessions, which will run from October 2026, intend to cover a range of topics that touch on these themes — addressing safety from ongoing harm (surveillance, obstacles to work, housing and community, exclusion and isolation), safety from spectacular violence (riots and racist marches, street harassment and abuse, immigration raids, detention and deportation), and how we build a world that produces the type of safety Begum describes.

Key details:

• Sessions will usually be fortnightly, and take place on a Wednesday at lunchtime. 
• Currently there are five sessions on the timetable, until January 2027, but further sessions will be added beyond this date.
• Use the timetable for the session description and to access the sign up links.
• We ask that only one person per organisation signs up for a session. This will allow us to make sure we can reach as many organisations as possible with each session.
• If spaces fill up, there will be a waiting list.
• If you sign up for a session, but then cannot make it, please let us know.
• The main contact email for queries is Migration Exchange - mex@global-dialogue.org