Dee Robinson

On the 6th of August, we interviewed Dee Robinson, project coordinator of the organisation New Routes. Based in Norwich, they work across the city to promote cross-cultural integration in local communities, focusing on refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. They aim to improve community cohesion through building connections between people of different cultures and social backgrounds, providing a range of projects that bring people together in an informal and friendly atmosphere to learn new skills and meet new people.

We talked about the prevalence of dehumanisation and discrimination in contemporary society, particularly the effects of the media. She talked about how a positive or negative portrayal of minority groups in the news can have a huge impact on public opinion and, ultimately, in government policy. Understandably, conversation focused on the refugee crisis currently dominating the media, and how we can see the effects of this in our communities. She argued that we can all help promote community cohesion through volunteering for local groups like New Routes, vocally disputing intolerant views of others on social media or in discussion, and being conscious of our own actions towards others.