Holding the work and each other

September 24, 2025

Senior Influencing and Grants Manager Dami Makinde shares her personal experience of our 2025 Justice Together conference: the sessions that have stayed with her and the values lived out at the event.

In July, I returned briefly from maternity leave to help at the Justice Together conference in York. Bringing my son along felt slightly daunting at first, but it turned out to be one of the most special parts of the whole experience. Colleagues and attendees alike welcomed us both with such warmth. People would come over, gently coo at him, and tell me what a calm and happy baby he was. For me, this set the tone for the entire conference, a space for connection as well as strategy and discussion.

Where relationships begin (and continue)

From the moment registration opened there was a buzz in the air. People came in greeting old friends, finding their name badges and deciding on workshop choices. The energy felt lively, with plenty of chatter and laughter.

I helped at the registration desk and with moving people into the main sessions, so I saw first-hand how participants were eager to engage. Many were excited about meeting new people and reconnecting with those they’d met at previous Justice Together events.

A staff member from Asylos – an organisation that provides high-quality Country of Origin Information (COI) research for people claiming asylum and their representatives  – reflected on the conference as a powerful space for connection.

“I think the conference is an amazing opportunity to connect with other organisations. I’ve been three years in a row now and every year it’s really nice to see new faces and also connect with people that I met the year before.”

They went on to share how attending last year led to an unexpected but impactful collaboration with Rainbow Migration. After discovering they were working on the same issue, their initial conversation sparked a joint project that achieved far more together than they would have alone. It’s stories like this that remind me why spaces like this matter so much. They’re fertile ground for building relationships that can change the landscape of migration justice work.

Standing in solidarity with young people

One of the sessions that left a strong impression across the conference was the Standing in Solidarity with Young People workshop. Alex, a Justice Together colleague, shared with me how moved he was by the contributions of a young person volunteering with PAFRAS. Alex described him as “remarkable,” noting how:

“When you listen to him speak, everything just feels so solvable. He spoke so simply and effectively about breaking down barriers and making connections with communities… getting outside your bubble and forging connections in your local society.”

The young person spoke about how inclusion activities don’t always have to be framed around asylum seekers or migration status. Instead, they can simply be community spaces such as football clubs, creative arts projects, social gatherings and more, where anybody and everybody can come together. This approach, he explained, helps build authentic connections and reduces stigma, creating spaces where people can participate as equals rather than being singled out for their migration journeys.

The young person also raised practical concerns, highlighting the lack of transparency around Home Office processes and the barriers this creates for those navigating the system. He emphasised the need for more people – both professionals and the wider public – to be educated about how the immigration system works and how it affects individuals on a daily basis. It was a reminder that the work of integration isn’t just policy or legal change; it’s also about human relationships, shared spaces, and mutual understanding.

Workshops and spaces of reflection

One session that particularly stayed with me was the Shifting Media Narratives on Migration workshop. It explored how stories about migration are shaped in the media, who gets to tell them, and how we can challenge harmful narratives. Participants shared practical examples, discussed new strategies, and seemed eager to keep collaborating beyond the conference. As someone who works in influencing, I found it heartening to hear how people are thinking about narrative power.

Meanwhile, therapeutic spaces ran throughout both days. Solace, an organisation providing specialist therapeutic support for people affected by trauma and the asylum system offered drop-in sessions for anyone who needed time to process difficult feelings arising from the discussions or their work in general. It felt significant to me that the event didn’t only focus on external change, but also on supporting individuals doing this often exhausting work.

Creative and wellbeing sessions added a different texture to the event. There was a sound bath session that people emerged from looking serene and refreshed – I could hear its soft, hypnotic tones from outside the room. Participants said it helped them feel grounded and present, providing a much-needed pause from the heavy conversations.

The zine-making workshop offered another outlet for expression, with people creating pages imagining a just future. It was lovely seeing participants, often so used to strategy and policy work, fully absorbed in cutting, pasting and drawing.

A sense of gratitude

The overall closing reflections captured the spirit of the event beautifully. Participants stood up one after another to share what they were grateful for. Some mentioned specific workshops, others the new connections they’d made. When it was my turn, I shared how grateful I was for how everyone embraced my baby. It might sound small, but for me, it was a profound reminder that the values we talk about in migration justice, compassion, inclusion, and community were genuinely lived out at this conference.

From here, with hope

Walking away from York, I felt hopeful. Even amid all the challenges facing the migration sector, this event was a reminder that we are not alone. We are part of a community: one that is creative, committed, and human.

I’m happy I had the chance to help, even briefly, and to witness the seeds of new partnerships and friendships being planted. I’m excited to see how they grow and shape our collective work in the months ahead.