At The Welcoming we are proud to announce the creation of our new logo. We made the decision to redesign our logo in order to reflect the growth of our organisation and represent our ethos and purpose more clearly.
Our new logo is made up of three exclamation marks which represent the life, joy and creativity of our Welcoming community. We chose bright and engaging colours to represent the passion our community feels towards making connections, attaining our potential, and striving for growth as individuals and as a collective.
Where we are coming from
The Welcoming was created in 1999, by the Adult Learning Project Association (ALP) and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Community Learning and Development workers. We initially delivered a social and cultural integration programme to the most marginalised and isolated asylum seekers in Edinburgh.
We were then established as an independent association in 2011. One of our primary objectives was to enable New Scots to forge friendships with local Scottish people as part of their settlement and integration into local Scottish communities.
At the time we also recognised that the growing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities living in Edinburgh were experiencing varying levels of marginalisation, racism, discrimination and inequality. As a result, we decided to include these communities in our work and offer our services to them.
Where we are going
We currently provide activities for more than 1600 New Scots from 80 different countries and nationalities, and mobilise more than 200 volunteers from the local community.
Since the start of 2020, we have created four new roles to support our growing organisation:
- Finance and HR Manager
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Communications Coordinator
- Admin Assistant
We have adapted our services quickly and creatively to the needs of our community throughout the pandemic and we continue to provide a variety of activities, classes and support for newcomers in Edinburgh.
Read more about our current activities.
Our plans for the future
In July 2020, our Board of Directors approved a strategic three-year plan, which strives to contribute to the following priorities:
- helping New Scots to feel confident in their new lives in Scotland
- helping New Scots to learn English, find jobs and access local services
- providing opportunities for New Scots to engage in social and recreational activities
- connecting established and New Scots through social and cultural exchange
- collaborating with others to share knowledge and influence positive change
- supporting New Scots to adopt eco-friendly behaviours, act against climate change and reduce their carbon footprint
- supporting New Scots with active citizenship to address global issues that affect their lives in Scotland
- supporting New Scots with active citizenship in climate challenge and other global issues that affect their lives in Scotland
- soliciting and articulating the experiences and perspectives of our New Scots to inform our work and those of other organisations and policymakers
In order to accomplish the above priorities, we will be strengthening our organisational capacity by:
- extending the geographic coverage of the services that we offer
- strengthening our Association so that we remain fit for purpose and the preferred agency by many
- promoting participation by New Scots and volunteers in influencing the direction and ongoing development of the Association.
Our new donation system
We are also delighted to announce our new donation system on Localgiving.
If you would like to support us in building a diverse and inclusive Scotland where everyone can achieve their potential, please visit our donation’s page and explore donation options:
Donate to The Welcoming (Localgiving)
A word of thanks
We would first like to thank Bold Studio for designing our new logo and providing us with an empowering process through which we could create something with reflected who we are at our core.
We would also like to thank the incredible community of participants, volunteers and staff who have engaged with The Welcoming over the past 20 years and helped us get to where we are today. We would not be here without your support, engagement and passion and we are grateful to you all.
Finally, effective from today, we will be rolling out our new logo across our website and on social media. We ask you to please show your support for The Welcoming by spreading the word about our work and enabling us to welcome more people into our creative, caring and passionate community.
With thanks
Tesfu Gessesse
Director
The Welcoming
We would love to hear what you think of our new logo and our plans for the future. Please email [email protected] to share your thoughts with us.