Migration event: understanding immigration in polarised times
We were delighted to host 'Understanding and Shaping Immigration and Cohesion in Polarised Times', an event bringing together Churchill Fellows, charitable trusts, and organisations to discuss migration, integration, and cohesion. The event was co-hosted with the think tank British Future.
Across the day, participants explored how we can better influence policy and practice, and why meaningful participation from people with lived experience is vital – both in shaping policy and in the work that follows at local and national levels.
A huge thank you to all our speakers for sharing their insight and learning so generously. The keynote was delivered by Sunder Katwala (British Future), with a response from Churchill Fellow Rosie Carter, and the session was facilitated by Heather Rolfe (British Future).
The afternoon panel brought together Emily Graham (The Future Governance Forum) and Churchill Fellows Jacqueline Broadhead and Bekele Woyecha, alongside Sunder Katwala, to reflect on what effective, inclusive policymaking can look like in practice.
Through round tables and group discussions, the conversation ranged from place-based approaches to creating welcoming spaces, to improving access to services, empowering lived-experience leadership, and forging a shared narrative of inclusion.
We are grateful to our partner British Future for co-hosting the event, and to The Linbury Trust for funding the Migration programme and supporting this work.
You can explore learning from the 29 Fellows who took part in the Migration programme (2017–2019) in our Learning from ‘Living Well Together’ report, published in 2024.