“New Arrivals CIC faces the momentous task of supporting communities dealing with complex and overlapping issues such as trauma, poverty, language barriers, digital exclusion, and insecure housing.
A significant challenge is countering negative and simplistic media narratives surrounding refugees and migrants to ensure they feel welcomed and properly understood. So the main challenge is meeting their urgent needs and finding practical solutions while pushing back against harmful narratives that don’t truly reflect the majority. I want to make sure that real voices and stories from the community are heard.
My personal and professional experiences came together
My journey through the world of social enterprise has been shaped by my own experience and professional background.
The birth of the organisation was driven by both my personal journey as a migrant who arrived without speaking English and my professional background as an NHS midwife supporting vulnerable migrant women.
The breakout of the war in Ukraine served as a final catalyst that compelled me to take action and create the organisation to provide immediate support, which has since expanded to serve a broader range of refugee and migrant communities.
I want to help more people hear our stories
Coming from a healthcare background, I didn’t often get the chance to improve and explore my public speaking skills, especially with bigger audiences, which can be daunting! I signed up for the Sounddelivery Media Leadership Programme to build confidence, gain practical public-speaking skills, and learn to represent my work more effectively in larger public spaces.
Advocacy is a daily part of my life, and in my leadership role, I’m dedicated to representing the communities I serve and stand for. Therefore, I need to be active, build my confidence, and be prepared to speak under pressure in front of wider, larger audiences and the media.
Storytelling is a key area where I want to improve my skills and learn to further amplify the voices of the New Arrivals CIC community.
I’m excited to learn from others with lived experience
I’m so eager to meet others on the programme and network with other “changemakers” and community leaders, learning from shared experiences, and utilising the space to recharge while acquiring useful new tools to navigate the complexities of running a social enterprise.
Examples help me learn best, so I feel this space will bring together case studies from others, especially women in a similar position to me, and give me the chance to get to know the Sounddelivery Media team too!”
“What began as an emergency response has since managed to grow into a broader effort to support refugee and migrant communities outside of the Ukrainian community. It’s sort of that mixture of lived and professional experience that actually shaped what I do and led me into this work.”
About the Author
Oksana Kalala is the founder and Managing Director of New Arrivals Support CIC, demonstrating her leadership in supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and newly arrived migrant families in London. Her work, rooted in both lived and professional experience, showcases her capacity to lead impactful initiatives.