For generations, the joy of getting out of the city and into the hills has been important to the people of Scotland. A Glasgow charity, Community InfoSource (CIS), has won SMT support to help asylum seekers and refugees, share in these pleasures and realise their wishes to “to get outside Glasgow, to walk in nature, to see the mountains.”
That is the main reason for CIS’s “Thrive” project, which got going at the end of 2024, and was awarded £4795 by the Trust. It will introduce hill walking to a minimum of 42 men, mainly from West African, East African, and Kurdish Sorani and Kurmanji communities.
Community InfoSource works with marginalised communities in Glasgow, primarily with asylum seekers and refugees, to put their ideas into action and to secure their rights.
The pilot trips to Braemar, Mull and Conic Hill have been an outstanding success, with previously isolated young men making social connections and one participant described it as “amazing, “unbelievable,” and “life-changing.” Participants also noted considerable improvements in their mood and sense of achievement.
They will go out in instructor-led groups of seven for a day’s walk, of 4-5 hours in the winter months. Everyone will do six outings, plus a pre-walking session and a celebration at the end of the programme.
The November walk, first of the programme, explored the countryside near Lochwinnoch. It had five Sudanese participants, one Egyptian and one Syrian, the main age-group being 18-30. Likely hills ahead include Conic Hill, the Kilpatricks and Campsies, and hopefully Ben A’an above Loch Katrine.
CIS sees the walks, professionally led, as more than a day out. They aim to build hillwalking and safety skills, an appreciation of Scotland’s landscape and history, and improve the mental and physical health of the men who’ve chosen to come to this country.
There is also a way in which the walking days, with time for long one-to-one conversations, act as outdoor workshops for one of CIS’s central campaigns, CVAW (Challenging Violence Against Women). Uniquely in Scotland, CIS’s choice is to challenge the violence through working with men. So at Lochwinnoch,Abubakr, the project worker, was able to engage with walkers about the subject, and to stress the importance of community involvement and support support in providing this opportunity to enjoy the hills.
For more information go to CIS Glasgow Web Site
