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Moments of Freedom

Moments of Freedom is a project that is led by New Scot women in Clydebank, in partnership with Outside the Box. Moments of Freedom use community mapping and peer support to develop inclusive community connections in their local area.

You can learn all about Moments of Freedom on their website: www.momentsoffreedom.org

Regular blog updates are posted here: www.momentsoffreedom.org/blog where you can read all about what the women are up to.

The women have also been working on creating useful resources for other New Scots which you can find here: www.momentsoffreedom.org/resources

You can watch their December 2022 appearance on STV here.

Moments of Freedom. New Scots connecting with communities. "Where we are now is what matters most"

What we're doing

We work to build and strengthen relationships at a local community level. We are setting up community gatherings to build and strengthen relationships in our local community so that we have opportunities to learn from each other.

We are making links with groups across greater Glasgow to share experiences with people new to Scotland so that we can shape our communities to work better for families local to Clydebank. Before Covid-19 we held monthly community gatherings across different venues in Clydebank – all welcome – providing hot drinks, cake, activities for children and a space to relax and chat.

In 2022 and 2023 we held in-person community gatherings in Centre 81, Clydebank. These were a chance for us to come together with local community members and local elected members to chat about our work and share recipes and food.

In February 2024 we held a community gathering and invited local and national organisations to be stall holders. We welcomed over 50 people who came together to get advice and support over some delicious Arabic coffee and cake! On Wednesday 19th June the women hosted a community gathering in Centre 81, Clydebank as part of the the Scottish Refugee Festival Week. Over the summer the group worked with the Clydesider Magazine on some creative workshops. At the end of the sessions they created a new resource which has been helping welcome other New Scot women across Scotland, sharing our tips and advice.

The impact it's having so far

Impacts for women

Increasing confidence and reducing social isolation

safe spaces for women to come together, connecting with other New Scot women, local families and other community associations.
contributing to and taking part in local community activity to build new networks and access to wider opportunities.
sharing skills, knowledge and experiences through peer support and cultural learning to bring people together.

Impacts for communities

Increasing diverse, well connected and resilient communities by:

supporting kindness and wellbeing at the heart of community by sharing local welcoming activities
access to co-produced resources and tools that support diverse community activity
new community initiatives and networks are part of creating new opportunities for the whole to community to enjoy.

Impacts for local authorities and resettlement teams

A partnership with OTB that enables New Scots to be active in their communities by providing:

an effective and sustainable approach for the meaningful integration of New Scot families that continues past their initial support period.
access to co-produced resources and tools that support integration and new partnerships for sharing good practice.
a clear and sustainable local strategy that supports the ongoing delivery of the Scottish New Scot: refugee and integration strategy.