Welcome

Established on 11 August 2005, Bradford Refugee Forum (BRF) operates off premises of Bradford Action for Refugees at 40a Piccadilly Road in Bradford city centre.  It is part of a growing regional network of refugee Forums run by the Northern Refugee Centre in Sheffield.  The City of Bradford itself has a population estimated at just over half a million, 22% of which is BME. This makes Bradford one of England’s melting pots with a significant BME presence.  Beginning 1960’s, the importation of migrant labour largely from South Asia to work in the city’s growing textile industry resulted in a big concentration of the Pakistan community.  The city was rocked by race riots in 1995 and 2001.  It also experienced increasing inflows of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants from all over the globe especially from Afghanistan, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia and other A8 and A2 EU states.  It is against this background that BRF was formed with a broad remit to provide a strong voice for the refugee and asylum community and to achieve this by ensuring active representation of these communities at various strategic forums in political, economic and socio-cultural organizations.   Closely allied to this commitment, was the need for empowering these communities through effective learning and development and the delivery of wanted information to the right people, at the right time and place. Through this strategy, barriers to essential services would be unlocked and the potential for social integration enhanced.  Additionally, it was hoped that building capacity in the asylum and refugee community, would increase opportunities for individuals to grow their skills, knowledge and competencies as well as their income earning potential

A total of 20 refugee community organisations are affiliated to BRF namely:

  • Africa 2000
  • African Network
  • African Communities Support
  • BIASAN
  • Bradford African Women Empowerment Forum
  • Braford French SpeakingCultural Centre
  • Bradford Zimbabwe Group
  • Bulawayo Football Club
  • Burmese Community
  • Chadian Society for Integration
  • Centre Resolution Conflict
  • Eritrean Community
  • Frontline Women
  • Holmewood Ethnic Minorities
  • Iranian Organisation Bradford
  • Kurdish Community
  • Maendeleo Refugee Youth Group
  • Malawian Community
  • Somali Community -Bradford
  • HIV/AIDS -Our Project

BRF is committed to win-win partnership working.  Our core values are; providing a strong voice for the asylum and refugee community, building an all-inclusive Forum that is self-sustaining and daring to be different.  Action programmes drawn from our Strategic Plan are championed by selected volunteers from within the Forum’s ranks in order to maximize members’ ownership of the Forum’s work.  In addition to its core business, the Forum will, in the long term strive to become self-sustaining with resource capability to acquire assets and employ staff.

 BRF’s executive committee comprises the Chairperson and vice Chairperson, Secretary, Campaigns Officer, Media and Publicity Officer and an Events Coordinator.  Whilst the Forum’s meetings are held monthly, the executive committee’s meetings are convened as and when necessary to meet the exigencies of the Forum.