Humans of Scotland will follow powerful and thought-provoking stories from ALLIANCE members and colleagues. This new initiative will span three weeks and showcase short stories about the everyday lives of the people they work with. My contribution to the project was published earlier this week.
As you can read on the The ALLIANCE's website, the aim of the project was:
'"to give the people we work with and who access support and services a visual platform to express their opinions on issues that they are passionate about. Their stories are the catalyst that operates the ethos of the ALLIANCE’s work and vision. Our hope is that this initiative will inspire, spark ideas and drive improvements of health and social care support and services.Humans of Scotland stories will cover a wide range of different topics and help people understand some of the issues facing people who are disabled, living with long term conditions and unpaid carers. The stories will be shared via our social media channels, mainly Instagram and Facebook."
You can read my contribution below or find it on the ALLIANCE's website.
I’ve never ‘stolen anyone’s job’ and have always been extremely conscious about not interfering with the British queuing system (referring to well-known politicians comments on Brexit). Yet, in recent years my status as a human being has been questioned, investigated and debated daily. Am I contributing enough in tax? Using the NHS too often? Am I one of the good migrants or one of the bad ones? In Brexit Britain, everyone seem to be allowed to examine and judge the usefulness of your existence.
At times like these, when your identity is a bit broken, extra levels of self-care are required. I’m extremely lucky to live in Scotland. Although I might not be protected from the political effect of the changes (as everyone else in this country), I receive enormous amounts of support from from my friends, local activists and Scottish people in general. If you’d asked me what I love the most about Scotland, I’d say it’s the sense of community, inclusion and resilience. I’m surrounded by amazing activists, passionate artists and educators who want to make world a better place. Being able to get involved, learn and spark even just a little idea for social change keeps me going and helps me to stay resilient to the external narratives of my migration status. For now, I’ll continue to define myself as a ‘New Scot’ and frame my existence around being a decent human-being, not just a deserving migrant.