Backgrounf
The UK has for many years been a destination for those seeking asylum and today asylum seekers come here from over 36 countries. Under the 1951 Refugee Convention asylum seekers must prove they are persecuted as individuals and in danger if they return, and it is only by convincing the authorities of this danger that they can be granted the title 'refugee'. Those who are not successful in their attempts to do this are deemed to be 'failed asylum seekers' and are likely to be returned to their country of origin. Legislation since the 1990s has made it virtually impossible for asylum seekers to enter the country legally and material conditions for asylum seekers have become increasingly difficult with dispersal, destitution, forced removals, combining with poor housing, limited access to legal support and sometimes the risk of harassment or racial attack. Refugee organisations, as well as voluntary and statutory sector agencies provide advice and support of a practical or material nature. Some projects include opportunities for creativity and self expression, employing the arts to enable refugees to negotiate shifting identities, provide ways in which arts and cultures from the 'home country' can be kept alive, and facilitate integration into new communities.
