No matter where our stories began and in what language they were told, we all deserve our next chapters to unfold with dignity and safety in the country we call home.

And yet the stories of EU citizens living in the UK that we have seen in the media over the last weeks were stories of heartache, challenges and the harrowing impact of the heartless UK immigration system on our lives. It is so important that these stories are told both to raise awareness of the issues and so that people who experience these problems know that they are not alone and that they are heard and seen and ultimately that their issues have solutions.

We want to encourage more EU citizens to tell their own stories and share their journeys in the UK. And so we are launching two campaigns to unlock the storytelling potential bursting inside each of us in order to spark interest, conversations and celebration of our lived experience in others.

Send a Letter to the Editor

This International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day, help us raise awareness of the contribution women in EU citizens’ communities bring to the UK, our shared struggles, or cultural identity.

Letters to the editor can be about anything, but their chance of being used is greatly increased if they are published around the date of an anniversary or celebration. As 8th March is International Women’s Day, and 10th March is Mothers’ Day in the UK, it’s a great chance for women from our EU citizens’ communities to write about our struggles, celebrate our contributions, and raise awareness.

You could be a woman entrepreneur, or someone who brings together your community, or helping other women access their rights. We’ll help you shape your story, whether you’d like to speak out against injustice, or celebrate our community and contribution.

We invite you to take part in a webinar on 1st March, where you can learn more about how to write a letter, how to find the details of the editor you will send it to, and draft your letter during our workshop. You’ll get a chance to work with one of our team members to edit your letter, and if it doesn’t get published in your local newspaper, we’ll publish it on our Common Ground website, and share it on our social media channels.

Stories of Hope - Photography Open Call

Stories of Hope builds on the success of Stories for Change and provides a platform to express ourselves creatively and share our unique narratives. Through photography and storytelling, we aim to foster understanding, empathy, and solidarity within our diverse community.

Through this project, we seek to explore and showcase personal stories and the themes of identity, belonging, and aspirations using photographs of objects from your life which symbolise these concepts. The photos are accompanied by a text or a piece of poetry of up to 250 words, delving into the meanings behind the objects and how they reflect your personal journey as an EU citizen in the UK so far and your vision for the future.

Your story will be showcased at the upcoming Common Ground events and on our website, and the author of the winning entry will be invited to join us at our networking event in Brussels on 21st May to share their story and artwork with a wider audience.

More details and information how to submit your entry can be found on our dedicated Stories of Hope page.

We look forward to discovering your stories!