Scotland’s New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy is a collaborative effort led by the Scottish Government, COSLA, and Scottish Refugee Council, working with partners across sectors to make Scotland a welcoming place for refugees and people seeking asylum.
At the centre of this strategy is the New Scots Core Group, which brings together key stakeholders to monitor progress and guide the delivery of the strategy’s outcomes. A vital part of this group is the New Scots Core Group’s Advisers – a collective of individuals with direct, lived experience of seeking protection and rebuilding their lives in Scotland.
Bringing lived experience
The New Scots Core Group Advisers play a crucial role in ensuring the strategy remains inclusive, informed, and community-led. They represent a wide range of resettlement and asylum backgrounds and bring unique perspectives shaped by personal journeys, community work, and frontline experience.
By sharing their insights and advocating for their communities, the Advisers ensure that decisions reflect the realities, challenges, and aspirations of people seeking safety in Scotland.
The group is chaired by Professor Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow, whose leadership supports the bridging of policy, academia, and lived experience.
Two members of the New Scots Core Group Advisers shared their thoughts on being part of the group:
“Being a New Scots Advisor means using my lived experience to shape a Scotland where refugees are not just welcomed but truly belong. Our voices help ensure Scotland’s refugee policies are shaped by those who live them every day.”
– Motaz, New Scots Core Group Adviser
“Being part of the New Scots Core Group means a lot to me because I can use my lived experience as an asylum seeker to support others and create change. Since arriving in 2019, I’ve seen how hard it is to access services or feel part of the community. I help people overcome language barriers, isolation, and meet basic needs. Lived experience is powerful – it shapes better policies and reminds decision-makers of the real people behind the numbers.”
– Syed, New Scots Core Group Adviser
Connecting communities and decision-makers
The New Scots Core Group Advisers are building vital bridges between communities and decision-makers, using their lived experience to help ensure Scotland’s approach to refugee integration remains rooted in compassion, inclusion, and respect for those seeking safety.
Their contributions are a powerful reminder that the most effective policies are shaped by the voices of those who experience them first-hand.
