Led By and For Refugees and People Seeking Asylum
For 28 years, the Centre has been shaped by what our community tells us they need. We recognise the wealth of strength and abilities in our community and value our community’s input in designing, developing and delivering our work.
Since September 2024, we’ve partnered with consultant ExpertLink through a grant with the Lloyds Bank Foundation to embed co-creation across the Centre, from surveys and feedback forums to creating and leading sessions and shaping content and services.
We regularly solicit feedback through two annual surveys co-designed with our community. Alongside surveys, we maintain a robust co‑creation framework that includes monthly in‑person and online feedback sessions, community-led sessions, representation of lived experience at every level of the organisation, and, beginning in 2026, a new community advisory panel.
The new community advisory panel will work directly with our Board on service design, further elevating lived experience in our decision-making. Currently, we are actively bringing together people in our community to join the panel and are planning training sessions with support from ExpertLink in early 2026.
Lived Experience at All Levels
Our team is deeply rooted in lived experience with 60% of our trustees, the majority of our staff, and many volunteers having personal or familial backgrounds in migration or forced displacement.
One of our Trustees, Angelina Durgaj, sought services from the Islington Centre when her family first arrived in the UK. Now she serves on the Board of Trustees to support others arriving in London. She shared:
“When I first came to the UK, the support I received from the Islington Centre was invaluable. It helped me improve my English, better understand the culture, connect with others in similar situations, access clothing for my children, and build meaningful friendships. These services made a significant difference in my life and in my ability to settle here.
Having once been in the position of those we support, I understand the challenges that newcomers face and the importance of having a place to turn to. Now, as a Trustee, I am committed to ensuring that the Centre continues to offer support to all who need it.”
Through lived experience representation, regular feedback, and expanding co-production, we ensure that the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum remain at the heart of everything we do.
Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants 