Citizens UK

Community organising develops leaders to build power and create long-lasting change. 💯 The Health Equity Leadership (HEAL) project empowers communities in Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest to tackle health inequalities. By equipping local leaders with the skills to navigate and transform health services, everyone is able to participate and access the care they need. At the first HEAL Champions training, over 20 community leaders gained the tools to access healthcare services. "The training was incredibly empowering. Now, as HEAL Champions, we can share this vital knowledge and help our communities navigate healthcare with confidence."- Averil Pooten Watan, TELCO Co-Chair. This is just the beginning! HEAL Champions are leading a movement for stronger community engagement and equitable healthcare. More voices will be heard, and more communities will gain the power to shape their health services. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/ezjGfCwK

🎉 Campaign Win 🎉      After two years of action, community leaders and workers have secured a commitment from all nine NHS Trusts in North West London to pay their staff a real #LivingWage.      This commitment ensures that 1,670 workers, including contractors, will receive fair pay that reflects the true cost of living. With 13.3% of jobs in London paying below a real Living Wage, and many being forced to work multiple jobs or skip meals, this win marks a crucial step towards ending in-work poverty.     “This commitment to workers has the power to transform the vitality of North West London.” Revd Jared Jaggers, The American International Church.    Well done to West London Citizens, community leaders, and everyone campaigning for a real Living Wage for all low paid workers, to ensure no family ever has to choose between heating their homes or eating a meal.    Find out more about this victory and join the movement for fair pay today 👇  https://lnkd.in/eeizXGGp   

Today is #CommonwealthDay. As we honour this day, we also recognise thousands of people across our communities for whom the UK is home, yet are blocked from gaining #citizenship due to a system so confusing, lengthy and expensive. Reverend Clive Foster MBE, Senior Minister Pilgrim Church Nottingham & Windrush Campaigner, shares his reflection. Whilst Commonwealth Day emphasises shared values, many face barriers to citizenship, and their reality often contradicts the rhetoric. The current UK citizenship system leaves many fearful, isolated, stuck in limbo and at risk of destitution. Recent policies may deny citizenship to those who entered through 'dangerous journeys,' no matter their time in the UK. This issue impacts real lives. Read the full reflection: https://lnkd.in/ey-cBqCr

“Community organising empowers me to collaborate with other women through collective action and drive meaningful change.” This International Women’s Day, we asked Citizens UK interns what community organising means to them. 💜 Watch the full video: https://lnkd.in/eadPrYvv #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction

Happy International Women’s Day! 🎉 This year’s theme, #AccelerateAction, reminds us of the power of women leading change through #CommunityOrganising. From saving local spaces like St George’s Pool in East London to campaigning for safer parks and better housing, women are not just advocating for long-term social change, they’re making it happen. 💬 “Power is flexible. It can work against you, or it can work for you. Community organising gives women a chance to take advantage of power's flexibility and redirect it to themselves. There is power in solidarity.” Syeda Jaheen, Citizens UK intern - Queen Mary University of London. Read our latest blog reflecting on the recent TELCO Accountability Assembly and the power of women-led organising: https://lnkd.in/efdmQX_h #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #IWD2025

Citizens of the North make history at the Convention of the North: the fringe event! For the first time in history, young people from Citizens UK took centre stage at the Convention of the North 2024, influencing real change in the Convention's Manifesto for the North. Last week, at the University of Central Lancashire, Citizens UK held its first-ever fringe event ahead of the 2025 Convention. Over 200 people attended, representing thousands of voices from communities across the North, including students, parents, workers, carers, faith groups, and pensioners. We heard powerful testimonies addressing: 🚌 The need for improved public transport 💰 Tackling low pay and insecure work 💬 Ensuring those with lived experiences are part of decision-making processes. In a moment of solidarity, community leaders signed a statement to be taken to the Convention of the North, to ensure that the people in our communities are involved in shaping the services they receive. Within 24 hours, on day one of the Convention of the North, a team of community leaders secured commitments from Northern Mayors, MPs, Council Leaders and decision-makers. Change happens when communities take action. Find out how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/dYW7pTau #CommunityOrganising #Transport #LivingWage #Democracy

🌙 Ramadan Mubarak to all our incredible leaders, colleagues, and members who celebrate! May this Ramadan bring you peace, joy, and countless blessings.

Low pay in the UK has hit a record high. 🚨     New research from Living Wage Foundation reveals that 4.5 million jobs in the UK now pay below the real #LivingWage - an increase of 800,000 in just a year. That's 15.7% of employee jobs.     The sectors with the highest proportion of low pay are hospitality, with more than half of all jobs (53.6%) paid below the real Living Wage, retail and wholesale, and arts and entertainment. Some regions see nearly 1 in 5 low-paid jobs, including Northern Ireland, the Northeast and East Midlands.      For workers like Sam, low pay meant choosing which bills to pay. Moving to a Living Wage employer meant more certainty, but millions still struggle.     The good news? If just a quarter of low-paid workers saw their wages rise to the real Living Wage, it would inject £1 billion into the UK economy.     Read the research 👇  https://lnkd.in/eC2gMWMw

❗ We believe that the UK should offer safety, protection and dignity to people for whom it is home. However, a new government policy means thousands of people will be shut off from #Citizenship forever.  Now, if someone comes to the UK via a ‘dangerous journey’, which is often the only option for those fleeing war, persecution and conflict, they will never be able to become a British citizen.  Rather than solving the challenges we are facing, this change further penalises people for whom the UK is home and creates a stark division between those who can participate in our democracy fully and those who will forever be excluded, denied safety and prevented from a full sense of belonging.  The UK already has the most expensive citizenship system in the Western world, with long waiting periods and uncertainty. Now, many will be locked out forever.  “I feel the pain for my fellow sanctuary seekers who will be left in limbo forever, not being able to rebuild their lives, plan their future, as if the years of limbo are not already enough”, Citizens UK community leader. Following the disturbing and violent riots of the past summer, we need to do all we can to encourage social cohesion. We’re urging the Home Secretary to reconsider this decision for the safety of those seeking sanctuary and the wellbeing and cohesion of all our communities.  Now is the time to make the pathway to citizenship fairer for all.  Read our full statement > https://lnkd.in/egU72CYg

❗ We believe that the UK should offer safety, protection and dignity to people for whom it is home. However, a new government policy means thousands of people will be shut off from #Citizenship forever.  Now, if someone comes to the UK via a ‘dangerous journey’, which is often the only option for those fleeing war, persecution and conflict, they will never be able to become a British citizen.  Rather than solving the challenges we are facing, this change further penalises people for whom the UK is home and creates a stark division between those who can participate in our democracy fully and those who will forever be excluded, denied safety and prevented from a full sense of belonging.  The UK already has the most expensive citizenship system in the Western world, with long waiting periods and uncertainty. Now, many will be locked out forever.  “I feel the pain for my fellow sanctuary seekers who will be left in limbo forever, not being able to rebuild their lives, plan their future, as if the years of limbo are not already enough”, Citizens UK community leader. Following the disturbing and violent riots of the past summer, we need to do all we can to encourage social cohesion. We’re urging the Home Secretary to reconsider this decision for the safety of those seeking sanctuary and the wellbeing and cohesion of all our communities.  Now is the time to make the pathway to citizenship fairer for all.  Read our full statement > https://lnkd.in/egU72CYg