Graphic with spring background reading We're closed for the Easter break - Friday 3rd April and Monday 6th April. Office reopens Tuesday 7th April. Enjoy your weekend!
The Community InfoSource office is closed today and Easter Monday. We reopen on Tuesday 7th April. Take care, and have a good weekend.
Graphic explains that people seeking asylum receive very little money from the government. UK asylum system support covers £9.95 weekly in hotels or £49.18 in self-catered housing.
An asylum seeker is someone who has asked for protection in the UK and is waiting for the Home Office to make a decision on their claim. A refugee is someone whose claim has been accepted because they have proven they’re at risk of serious harm in their home country.
Less than 7,000 people are seeking asylum in Scotland. People seeking asylum do not get priority access to housing or healthcare. People seeking asylum do not live in luxury hotels, they live in cramped hotel rooms with strangers.
Infographic explaining why most refugees stay in neighboring countries and the UK hosts less than 1% of the world’s refugees due to connections and language.
We've seen a lot of divisive language and misinformation about people seeking safety lately.
This is the reality of claiming asylum and being a refugee in Scotland 👇
We had a fantastic day yesterday at our annual conference and celebrating 20 years of solidarity, activism and welcome with NACCOM members.
Huge thanks to our keynote speakers @jonnydarling.bsky.social and Jehangir Malik.
🧩 We are all pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, working to #enddestitution
Community InfoSource delivered one of the most successful workshops, focusing on working with men. The workshop was very well received, with strong engagement and positive feedback. We clearly explained and demonstrated how we address violence through working with men from minority communities.
Five men stand on a marble tiled floor in front of ornate pillars and a staircase.
CIS, the GVAWG Partnership, and the Women’s Support Project co-hosted the FGM Aware event on 5 February, marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
Minister for Equalities @kaukabstewart.bsky.social joined us on the day, along with many groups working to tackle violence against women.
The asylum legal system is part of the Hostile Environment.
Many have no legal representative for their asylum appeal. These Right to Remain pages can help people who have appeals and their friends and supporters.
Please share it widely!
#refugeeswelcome
righttoremain.org.uk/no-legal-rep...
Date: Monday, 15th December
Time: 9.00am (please arrive on time to gather)
Address: Glasgow Sheriff Court, 1 Carlton Pl, Glasgow G5 9DA
REFUGEES FOR JUSTICE - JUSTICE FOR REFUGEES
Join Refugees for Justice members outside Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday 15 Dec for the fourth hearing of the Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of Badreddin Abdallah Bosh. We continue to show solidarity with Badreddin, his family, the victims and all who have suffered in asylum accommodation.
This week we marked 100 consecutive weekly drop-ins at the initial accommodation centre in Glasgow. Our volunteers and staff team have been absolutely invaluable in providing practical and emotional support to new arrivals. Huge thanks to everyone involved in providing this essential service.
From Falkirk to Aberdeen, Dundee to Inverness. Far right groups are attending anti-asylum protests across Scotland.
We spent three months investigating. People doxxed, attacked, threatened. And communities standing firm.
Our first monthly long read.
bit.ly/ferret-long-...
"Unsafe, unsustainable, and deeply inhumane". The grim reality of hotel life laid bare in new @ramfel.bsky.social report, Profiting from People: Inside the UK's Asylum Hotels.
#ProfitingfromPain
www.ramfel.org.uk/asylum-hotel...
Cat and the Community InfoSource team
Cat had a great time meeting the team at Community InfoSource as part of our #BefriendingWeek Coffee and Collab visits. ☕ Community InfoSource works with marginalised communities in Glasgow, primarily with asylum seekers and refugees, to put their ideas into action and to secure their rights.
You’ve got £9.95 to last you the whole week… what’s your plan?
This impossible choice is played out in asylum hotels. Whilst people await a decision on their claim, they are banned from working & receive just £9.95 for clothes, travel, data & more.
This is not luxury. This is a hellish limbo.
🧵
📢1 day to go!
What: #ScotlandDemandsBetter march & rally
Where: Edinburgh, assemble at the Scottish Parliament from 10am and then march onto The Meadows
Who: Everyone demanding a decent and dignified life free from poverty.
Why: Because change happens when we stand together and demand it
Community Infosource's Befriending Project is looking for Volunteer Befrienders.
We are looking for kind, friendly and committed volunteers to support people seeking asylum to overcome social isolation and become involved in community activities. Training and support is provided.
We are now recruiting for a Consultant Fundraiser:
goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP...
Closing date for applications: 9.00am, 13 October 2025.
@goodmovesjobs.bsky.social
Photo of mass anti-racist protest with text: take the streets back. Aye welcome refugees. Women against the far right. Make fascists afraid again. Saturday 4th October Perth station hotel 10am and Falkirk Cladhan hotel 11am. Sunday 5th October Aberdeen Hampton hotel 2pm & Dundee Alloway place 2pm
Another weekend another call-out to support local anti-racists who will be standing in solidarity with refugees and opposing the far-right.
Defend refugees ✊
Support #womenagainstthefarrightScotland exposing the far-right’s lies & racism
WHOSE STREETS? ✊
This topic generated great interest, particularly in light of the growing threat of aggressive far-right activity. Learning how to identify hate crimes and protect our communities is more important than ever. Thank you to @policescotland.bsky.social for a very helpful and informative session.
An image produced by Police Scotland showing a map of Scotland and a sign indicating offensive speech #%*! is prohibited. Text reads “Help make Scotland a better place. Hate happens every day. But we don’t need to accept it.”
Last week's New Scots Hub focused on hate crimes: how to recognise them, and how to report them.
www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-i...
Fieldworker @comminfosource.bsky.social - design and lead workshops tailored to the needs of asylum seekers and New Scots from West African backgrounds.
💵£26,408 pro-rata
🕑21 hrs pw
📍Glasgow
🔗 tinyurl.com/5cys6fy5
#outreach #engagement
📣Assembly point for this Saturday announced!
This will be a safely stewarded counter-protest for all who say refugees are welcome in Glasgow, fascists are not.
Please email sutrscot@gmail.com to join the stewarding team🦺
Bring trade union and campaign banners and flags!
Three hikers stride across a flat path with mountains in the background and large clouds gathering above.
Two hikers celebrate with arms out wide and big smiles at the summit of a mountain.
To quote one of the team: "We hiked, climbed, learned so much, and achieved goals by reaching challenging places, but all of this was made possible thanks to our teamwork and support for one another… I won’t forget the friends I met after joining the group. We became a team, friends, and a family."
Hikers on a woodland path stop to pick brambles. The sky is bright blue with vapour trails and a few small white clouds.
A group of hikers have lunch on a riverbank next to a woodland trail.
Our group enjoyed some truly memorable days out in the great outdoors and learned how to access the hills independently, safely and with greater confidence. Huge thanks as ever to Tiso, Mhor Outdoor, @johnmuirtrust.bsky.social and our amazing programme leader, Kat Jackson.
A group of eight hikers at the summit of a mountain with large clouds overhead and mountains in the distance.
Three hikers climb a rocky path as low cloud drifts in.
We've now completed our seven-week Connect Outdoors educational hiking programme, finishing with the 1,103m Munro, Beinn Ghlas, overlooking Loch Tay, and a 10km woodland trek around Chatelherault Country Park. Community, connection, camaraderie; so many great achievements, so many proud moments!
A man delivers a presentation for a group seated around a long table, in a white room with large windows at the back.
A man standing in front of a large screen delivers a presentation for a group seated around a long table. On the walls are various signs, including 'GLASGOW HAS NO PLACE FOR FASCISTS' and 'NO HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT IN SCOTLAND'. The screen shows a slide headed 'Cultural Differences', with the subheading 'The Rule of Law: Justice for All'.
Last week our Field Engagement Hub ran its latest workshop on cultural awareness and challenging violence against women. The event was part of the New Scots Hub project, with many volunteers attending. It proved a very interesting session for everyone, with lively discussion and a lot of engagement.
A woman delivers a presentation to a group seated around a long table, in a white room with large windows at the back. On the walls are various signs, including ‘GLASGOW HAS NO PLACE FOR FASCISTS’ and ‘NO HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT IN SCOTLAND’.
Westminster outreach officer Philippa Mason visited CIS yesterday to talk about the UK parliament and how to contact your MP. Many of our volunteers attended the event, delivered as part of our New Scots Hub project. Thank you to Philippa for a very informative session!
@ukparliament.parliament.uk
A group of hikers stand at a viewpoint with backs to the camera, looking across to a loch and distant hills.
A group of hikers standing on a wet, rocky forest trail. There are trees all around and a wooden footbridge in the background.
Special thanks to Ross from Mountaineering Scotland for joining us to deliver a couple of excellent sessions on navigation skills and mountain safety; to Tiso, Mhor Outdoor and @johnmuirtrust.bsky.social for making this possible; and of course, our programme leader, Kat, for all her amazing work!
A group of nine hikers pose for a photo standing on a path surrounded by fern. In the background is a loch with several small islands and thick clouds overhead.
Two hikers standing either side of a cairn at the summit of a hill. Behind them is another mountain with low cloud moving in.
In the last couple of weeks, our participants on the Connect Outdoors programme have taken on the challenges of climbing Beinn Dubh, and exploring Kirkton Glen near Balquhidder. The group showed great spirit and determination throughout, overcoming wind, rain and midges to enjoy two fantastic hikes!
Community InfoSource remains committed to standing in solidarity with those who have lived experience of the asylum system. We will continue working with partners to push for justice, accountability, and lasting change.
Hotel accommodation is not appropriate for people seeking asylum. It stifles integration, strips people of agency, and significantly harms mental health. The system must change.
