In September a group from Archer Project visited London’s Houses of Parliament.
Our activities programme provides opportunities that people we support face greater barriers to accessing, including educational days out like this one.
There was time to grab a quick coffee when we arrived, so we chatted about what we expected from the day ahead. Members of our group were motivated by different aspects: the history, the politics, the grandness of the building itself.
Jacob was very excited to tell me he could cross London off his bucket list. It was something he’d always wanted to be able to do, and without this trip he didn’t know when that might’ve been possible for him.
Freddie and Marcus had come prepared with questions for the Q&A session later that afternoon with Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central.
We started with an in-depth guided tour through Westminster Hall and the House of Lords, with lots of opportunities to take photos and ask questions. Next, we got to watch some of the proceedings in the House of Commons from the public gallery. It was a lot to take in!
After a quick photo opportunity with Big Ben at lunch, we met with Abtisam Mohamed for the Q&A hour.
Our Chief Exec, Tim put forward Freddie’s questions about homelessness pilot schemes and how the Union Jack flag could be reclaimed in an antiracist way to represent wider communities.
Marcus advocated for cleaner public spaces in his local area in Sheffield. Tim also asked about how discussions of antisocial behaviour in Parliament could be more nuanced.
Even though it was a very long and intense day, I could see how energising it had been for some of our Partner Volunteers to spend time together, enjoying a hands-on learning experience away from busy nature of our centre.
Ask anyone from our team what Archer Project is about and we’ll tell you it always comes back to building relationships.
People who have experienced homelessness are far more likely to have been through significant relationship breakdowns. Progress away from homelessness requires a foundation of support to rebuild connection and trust in both people and systems.
Building relationships with peers who can understand your lived experience of homelessness is transformational – that’s why we have a peer mentorship programme at Archer Project. It encourages growing a support network and friendships alongside making progress in your own recovery.
Opportunities like our trip to the Houses of Parliament create space to build relationships through positive, meaningful experiences.
When you make a donation, you make these experiences possible for Jacob, Marcus and Freddie. Please give today at archerproject.org.uk/donate
Written by Talya Stitcher, Marketing & Communications Officer at The Archer Project.
Some names have been changed to protect identities.
For more stories from our activities programme, take a look at our winter newsletter here (pages 5 and 8–9).
Image with headline: Some members of the Archer Project group stand together with Abtisam Mohamed MP on the steps inside Westminster Hall, smiling to camera. To protect anonymity some individuals have a yellow sticker graphic covering their face.
