Welcome To DayMer

DAY-MER – Our Philosophy

DAY-MER   was set up on 11 November 1989 to work with and on behalf of Turkish and Kurdish people living and working in London to help them solve their problems and promote their cultural, economic, social and democratic rights; to strengthen solidarity among themselves as well as local people; and to help their integration into the society.

DAY-MER is a non-profit making organisation and registered charity, of which its activities are funded by various government operated authorities and schemes.  As well as participating in local projects in London DAY-MER also participated in trans-national projects funded by European Social Fund. DAY-MER has an important role within the Turkish and Kurdish community in terms of providing information on and advocacy for refugees and humanitarian entrants in England.  DAY-MER  provides various services, mainly targeted at Turkish and Kurdish people who have either arrived to the UK recently and in immediate need for their essential requirements such as help with their accommodation and welfare matters, filling in application forms and other interpretation services; or those who have been in the UK for a while, have settled lives but in need for social and cultural activities, such as organizing festivals, events, setting up folk dancing, theatre and music groups, to participate more effectively within the community. 

Since its establishment, DAY-MER has concentrated and based the emphasis of its work especially on issues the Turkish and Kurdish people encounter as people who live and work in London. In the early period of its establishment, when the largest influx of Turkish and Kurdish people to Britain was taking place, DAY-MER concentrated on the problems of Turkish and Kurdish people of immigration, settlement and formation as an ethnic community. As well as providing the community with services aimed at their concrete problems which are still ongoing, it brought significant sections of the community together to discuss and act upon its problems and needs related to being an ethnic community and the issue of the relationship with the rest of the society, through the range of services, cultural and social activities provided.

Current DAY-MER services include a drop-in centre for the community, information, advice and awareness sessions, comprehensive education and youth services, health, education, human rights and pro-democracy campaigns, regular arts and culture activity and festivals, the work of its local groups, youth and women’s commissions and its football federation. DAY-MER aims the empowerment of the community as an organised entity, aware of its problems, needs and social and democratic rights as well as emphasising the need for a harmonious interaction between the Turkish and Kurdish community and the rest of the society and the creation of conditions for the migrant communities and the rest of the society to work and live together.

As a community centre, DAY-MER has a well-established and respected reputation within the communities it serves.  It has both paid and large number of voluntary members who are fully committed to provide help for Turkish and Kurdish communities to settle a decent life in the UK, integrate with other communities and get more involved with their own community.  This is the key to DAY-MER’s future success.

As a Turkish and Kurdish community centre DAY-MER  has most of its members and service users belonging to Turkish and Kurdish ethnic origins, however, the centre, its services and facilities are open to anyone on the basis of its equal opportunities policy (regardless of race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, class culture, gender, martial status, disability or age).

With an annual budget of exceeding £300.000 funded by various local and central government bodies, the local strategic partnership, and different other charities DAY-MER  participates in 7 projects and works with various other community organisations by participating in different community development projects to meet the essential health, education and training needs of the community, to help them to deal with enterprise development issues and provides general support to the community with their day-to-day matters.

 Aims

• To provide quality controlled relevant direct services to the community.
• To enable refugees to reach their full potential.
• To ensure the service is accessible to all.
• To constantly respond to the changing needs of the community.
• To encourage integration with the local community.
• To increase understanding in the wider community about refugees.
• To foster co-operation between Refugee Community Organisations

 

Objectives

 

• Provide well-trained staff, available when needed, offering a range of services.
• Provide clear written information about services.
• Provide a wide range of resources for users.
• Provide clear monitoring and evaluation of services that influence service provision.
• Provide effective management of the centre.
• Develop links with other voluntary agencies and service providers.
•  Provide a drop in centre with direct services 6 days per week, 10:00 – 17:00.

 

Organisational Overview:

DAY-MER is a voluntary organisation, which has current membership of 950, and it provides services for around 10,000 people a year. It became a charity organisation on 3 July 1991.

DAY-MER has grown since its formation in 1989 from a small community centre to become one of the largest and first community centres where people sought help with their language, immigration, education, social and housing problems.  It went through a period of rapid growth when in receipt of ESF money in 1999, and then London Council’s, Hackney Council and The Learning Trust grants which increased the budget of the organisation by almost 50%.

DAY-MER’s annual festivals (takes place in summer) since its foundation are attended by thousands of people. Festival activities such as dance, concerts, theatre, exhibitions, cultural and art activities bring together people from different ethnic minorities.

DAY-MER, as a community centre providing cultural, sport and community activities, has in years re-established itself as the only community centre consistently supporting working people’s struggle.  Since supporting the Liverpool Dockers’ struggle in September 1995, DAY-MER has become more widely recognised by workers’ organisations and trade unions in Britain.

The majority of the Turkish and Kurdish community traditionally work in textile industry, kebab and café shops, off-licences and supermarkets deprived of job security; in bad conditions, with low wages, overtime, without any legal rights and the right to unionise. This condemns the community to work and live in an isolated situation from the main community. Turkish/Kurdish factory workers have seen DAY-MER as the place to go to find solutions for their work related and social life problems. DAY-MER provides free advice services in health, education, welfare, accommodation, immigration, housing and interpreting services as well as providing enterprise development support.

DAY-MER gives great importance to youth issues. It has carried out projects, workshops, seminars on the prevention of drugs. It gives importance to sport activities to strengthen friendship among the youth and pioneers for founding sports clubs and federations. The Turkish and Kurdish Football Federation (TKFF) operating under DAY-MER currently is the biggest sports organisation working within the community. TKFF was set up in 1992 within DAY-MER. It holds tournaments every year on issues such as racism and drugs. It holds cultural events, workshops, trips on related issues. Friendship tournaments are held together with other ethnic minority football clubs. DAY-MER also organises summer camps for youth every year.

Besides festivals, DAY-MER organises cultural and art events, panels and seminars to respond to the cultural needs of the community. The "London Street Theatre" which is a DAY-MER initiative has presented various performances. DAY-MER also has a well-established folk dance group performing dances from various regions. The group has been performing in every festivals, events and shows. Along these activities DAY-MER holds guitar and saz classes taught by professional teachers. Computer, English language and Yoga classes are continual part of DAY-MER’s activities.