Migrant and refugee women across the globe face a number of challenges, often intensified by their gender, including workplace discrimination, domestic violence, and a lack of language proficiency. These are just some of the many obstacles these women face throughout their journey of integrating.

It is imperative to recognise that that what women migrants and refugees are faced with are often a result of systemic and societal factors in their host country. 

It’s November: the time of full speed ahead. The holiday break is in sight, but there seems like there’s always more to do, more decisions to be made, more work to be done, and needing to have a more focused approach. Whether you feel like huddling under a blanket in your self-sufficient pillow fort or forging ahead with the force of a bullet train, sometimes the world doesn’t give us a choice—and the only thing left to do is the next right thing. 

What that is is anybody’s guess. It will be unequivocally different for every single one of us. 

The promotion of inclusivity and building a strong community is extremely important in our incredibly interconnected and diverse world. Imagine you have just arrived in your new country, Scotland, after looking for safety by fleeing your home country.

You are unsure where to start with language, employment, education, groceries, housing, and cultural integration. 

Migrant integration is a multifaceted process which involves the social, cultural, economic, and political incorporation of migrants into their host society. Central to the process of migrant integration is the recognition and protection of the human rights of individuals, regardless of their migration status or citizenship.

It’s early autumn at the time of writing. A time when it may be good to be outside; a time when weather or circumstance may invite you inside.

A time for reflection, whether gathering in community or staying on one’s own.

How do you feel as a person when you are mistreated and disrespected? Terrible, I believe. 

“It (neuroplasticity) refers to the physiological changes in the brain that happen as the result of our interactions with our environment. From the time the brain begins to develop in utero until the day we die, the connections among the cells in our brains reorganize in response to our changing needs. This dynamic process allows us to learn from and adapt to different experiences.” 
- Celeste Campbell (n.d.).

What do you say about a man who is renowned as the most internationally famous Spanish painter of his time? 

From September 17, 2023, through January 7, 2024, the Meadows Museum of Dallas commemorates the 100-year anniversary of Sorolla’s death with Spanish Light: Sorolla in American Collections. It is one of only two exhibitions being held in the United States.

As late summer shifts into autumn, it is a time for gatherings and festivals.

Celtic Colours International Festival is one such event. It takes place across nine days in early October every year all across Cape Breton Island in the north of the province of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada.