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I BELONG HERE raised £1,370 from 23 supporters

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Closed 01/09/2023

0%
£1,370
raised of £1,000 target by 23 supporters

    Iʼve raised £1,370 to journey against racism & increase access to nature, books and a sense of belonging for all.

    Manchester
    Funded on Friday, 1st September 2023

    Don't have time to donate right now?

    Story

    I was racially abused while on a train journey through the North (a place where I was born and bred, but where a racist man suggested I didn’t belong). The man who racially abused me told me to go back to where I’m from – this is where I’m from. The man was arrested, charged, pleaded guilty and was convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence.

    It’s my aim to transform my experience of hate into one of hope and activism and that’s why I’m fundraising for the I Belong Here foundation, creating virtual and physical places of belonging. Racism and inequality urgently need to end. That requires systemic change.

    I need your help to make this dream a reality. Please join me in supporting the project, and help everyone be able to say… I belong here.

    The I BELONG HERE initiative has several objectives including:

    • Free books

    Donating free copies of I Belong Here to those who can't afford them.

    • I Belong Here workshops

    Outreach work. Help socially excluded communities have better access to nature through hosting walks and writing workshops getting close to nature of both the city and countryside. Following my experience of being racially abused my mental health suffered and walking in nature did wonders for my wellbeing. Yet inequality in access to nature is an urgent issue.

    • Host I Belong Here writing workshops & talks around the UK & worldwide engaging groups marginalised from the publishing industry.

    • HOME: I Belong storytelling centre

    Creating a physical place of belonging. I grew up in inner-city Manchester and aim to create ‘a house of stories of the North’ in my childhood neighbourhood, inspired by projects such as Ministry of Stories. This space would feature: reading room/workshop space. Books and stories can create a profound sense of belonging, and for far too long marginalised communities have been made to feel that their stories don't belong in books.

    I received £150 in victim compensation after the man who racially abused me was convicted – in the spirit of ‘paying forward’, I am donating this into the foundation. Matches, or more or less, would be greatly appreciated for this dream to become a reality. Times are tough and every bit of support helps.

    Those who donate £150+ will also receive a signed copy of I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain which stems from the experience of being racially abused and subsequent journey of reclamation walking through urban and natural wildernesses of Northern England. It is an aim for this book to start a wider movement in place, storytelling and belonging, garnering audiences who have hitherto been excluded from ‘the literary world’.

    * * * * *

    Updates

    1

    • I BELONG HERE 3 years ago
      I BELONG HERE

      I BELONG HERE

      3 years ago

      Many thanks to everyone who has supported this project so far. I'm delighted to share the latest news that x100 signed copies of I Belong Here have been donated to charity through the Manchester Museum's Christmas charity giveaway, and are being distributed via charities across Manchester supporting those experiencing homelessness and poverty, including: Invisible Cities; Mustard Tree; Booth Centre; Coffee4Craig. With thanks again for your support in making this possible, and warm wishes for the festive season.

      Share this update to help us raise more

    4 years ago

    I BELONG HERE started crowdfunding

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    Page last updated on: 1/3/2022 17.01

    Supporters

    23

    • Anon

      Anon

      Jan 3, 2022

      What admirable work. God bless you!

    • Carole Hailey

      Carole Hailey

      Nov 21, 2021

      £50.00

    • Bruno Girin

      Bruno Girin

      Nov 21, 2021

      £40.00

    • Steve Padley

      Steve Padley

      Nov 21, 2021

      Good luck, Anita. You've come so far and achieved so much.

      £20.00

    • Susie Symes

      Susie Symes

      Nov 21, 2021

      Wishing you willing feet and good spirits. Or perhaps the other way round is better? 🥾

      £15.00

    • Anonymous

      Anonymous

      Sep 28, 2021

      £100.00

    • Anonymous

      Anonymous

      Sep 14, 2021

      fantastic work! hugely inspiring.

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    I BELONG HERE

    I BELONG HERE

    Manchester

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