A Tale of Two Sheffields: Everyday Borders and City of Hope

'Happy Group' is Chilypep's participation and support group for refugee, asylum seeking and newly arrived young people in Sheffield. 

The group was established in 2019 and it remains the only youth group specifically aimed at supporting young asylum seekers and refugees in the city. The members of Happy Group are 13-22 years old and come from all over the world: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Kurdistan, Iran, Albania, Chad. Some have lived in Sheffield since they were 7 or 8 years old, others for just a few weeks. The majority of Happy Group members are UASCs (Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children). Happy Group is one facet of the RUBIC2 project, which aims to empower communities and individuals to address and challenge barriers that undermine the development of cohesive and inclusive communities.

The art project involved a series of workshops conducted by Dr Maria Teresa Ferazzoli and Abigail Ward, a young photographer from Sheffield, to express young migrant people’s experiences of 'everyday borders' in Sheffield. 

The young artists selected photography as a means of communication because it transcends language barriers, and they recognised it as a common and easy channel through which they are able to express themselves.  This photographic project was an opportunity for the artists not only to communicate the difficulties met by young migrants when they arrived in Sheffield, but to also share their positive experiences of the city.