When I first arrived in Glasgow, I didn't have anything, and I didn’t know anyone.   I was extremely isolated:  I tried getting support from community services and was always turned away, until someone introduced me to what was Govan & Craigton Integration Network, and is now Govan Community Project. I like the new name, it is shorter and easier to remember for people who are new to Govan.
 
From the first time I came to the women’s group I fell in love with the place, with everyone there. When I come to our Friday meetings or anything associated with Govan Community Project it gives me a sense of belonging, it assures me I have people to support me, for a shoulder to lean on. I feel empty when I miss my group.
 
To me, Govan Community Project is like a second home. When I go, it's a relief of stress, being and talking with people. It amazes me how the service providers and workers go out of their way to make sure we are all good. Every week we meet in the community flat in Cardonald to meet our friends and welcome women who are new to Glasgow by doing crafts, talking and sharing food. I especially love the art and craft sessions we have at the group!
 
Through Govan Community Project I have been able to be involved in a range of activities like art classes, swimming and becoming a volunteer on a new film project with Plantation Productions. My children don't attend the groups but even they have benefitted, getting the chance to go to see Justin Bieber in concert, a night I could never have given them.
 
I hope that, in the future, I will be able to help Govan Community Project to continue to grow, and that I will be able to help people like people have helped me.  Regardless, I will always want to be associated with Govan Community Project, it is and will be a part of my success story.
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Thank you all for listening to me this evening. I am proud to have had the chance to tell you how much Govan Community Project means to me.

​Dear friend,
 
After more than a decade as Govan & Craigton Integration Network we have decided to change our name to Govan Community Project.  I am writing to let you know a little of our thinking and plans.
 
We have been spending some time thinking about how we can make the most positive impact in our community.  The saying, ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you get there’ made sense to us so we’ve refreshed our purpose for the first time since we were founded, and now judge everything we do against achieving the following:
 
To achieve social justice in Govan & Craigton by building a strong community based on equality, respect, and mutual integration
 
We’ve come a long way in the 10+ years we have existed and the next stage of our development is trying to learn not to do things to New Scots in Govan but to truly do things with them.  To recognize and build on the skills and assets of the many brilliant New Scots coming to Govan, to facilitate community building with new and ‘old’ Scots and old in a way that is based on our shared rights and helps achieve social justice for us all.
 
The first step has been to truly listen to the community we work with, along with volunteers, staff, and directors. With the help of ‘pro-bono’ work from the communication firm, Good, people have told us that they didn’t know our full name, and often referred to us as ‘the Govan Community’.  So we’ve decided to use the ‘Govan Community Project’ as our name – because that’s who we are in our community.
 
With a new name and branding we continue to try and achieve our purpose, making sure that everything we do ultimately contributes to true integration.  We will continue to work alongside New Scots communities, sharing expertise and responsibility for making a positive impact on people’s lives.  With the limited resources we have we always want to make the biggest impact we can, and working in partnership with New Scots will help us achieve that.

Although we may no longer be an 'integration network' by name, we are still fully committed to working with migrants & indigenous communities to promote integration, and we will still continue our current activities whilst we reevaluate our work.
 
We hope you will continue to work with us and with the rising grassroots support for a rights based approach to welcoming New Migrants which we see despite the many challenges we face.

Thank you for reading this and for supporting our work.  If you would like to discuss any way we might work together, please get in contact using the details below.
 
Yours Faithfully,
 
Owen Fenn
Project Manager