We are a Leeds based group of people who want to make a practical difference to help asylum seekers and refugees get their voices heard. We know that prejudiced opinions can be changed. The incredible experiences of the people we work with have the power to educate and inform the general public about the reality of seeking asylum. Whether it is writing articles, producing films or empowering refugees and asylum seekers themselves to share their stories, Press Gang seeks to provide an alternative platform for positive representation.
We need as many voices as we can to offset the dominant roar of the mainstream media. Press Gang aims to rectify much of the misinformation found in the daily press about asylum seekers and refugees, and also attempts to make links with the local and regional media in order to get our opinions across. Our writers and contributors have achieved brilliant things so far, from facilitating Sky News reports to hosting a film showing at the Leeds International Film Festival, but we need more ears, more eyes and more minds.
Some of the things you could get involved with are:
•Gathering stories by interviewing refugees and attending events
•Writing press releases and feature articles;
•Writing regular blog updates;
•Making links with the media locally and regionally;
•Responding to ill-informed coverage in the national press;
•Empowering asylum seekers and refugees to talk with the media;
•Attending meetings in order to plan our press strategy.
Only a few hours a month can make a great difference. We keep in contact through monthly meetings, an active email list and our online blog. If you can write a good story or have a good story to tell, please get in touch.
We hold our meetings 5.00 - 6.30 pm on the first Wednesday of the month as follows:
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November 6th, 2013
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December 4th
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January - no meeting
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February 5th, 2013
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March 5th
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April 2nd
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May 7th
Interested? Please email pressgangleeds(at)hotmail(dot)com for more information.
