Established in 1989, Day-Mer Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre works with and on behalf of Turkish and Kurdish people in London, helping solve problems and promoting cultural, economic, social and democratic rights. Our focus is on contributing to a young migrant community’s integration in society by providing community services in response to changing and emerging needs. Such needs can include migrants facing difficulties linking to opportunities, families experiencing poverty and economic disadvantage, socially excluded young people, women, older people, and recent migrants receiving little or no support.

Our aim is to enable migrants and refugees to reach their full potential, ensure the provision of culturally appropriate services, respond to shifting community needs and increase understanding of ethnic minorities and refugees within the wider community. Day-Mer service users include members of families disproportionately affected by this public health crisis due to poverty, age, health and immigration status. Most beneficiaries are socially-excluded migrants, refugees or asylum seekers with difficulties linking into mainstream employment opportunities and services, under-perform educationally, have family difficulties, need support and encouragement, and have language needs. Services reach the community through promotion in local mother tongue media, referrals from providers and community organisations, and local authorities with which Day-Mer has working relations.

Based at the Former Library on Howard Road, Hackney, Day-Mer has grown from a small community centre to become a focal point for advice services, educational services, youth services, women’s services, social/cultural activities, and ESOL, literacy, art, music and drama classes for the community, among many other things, for over three decades. Our drop-in, AQS-certified advice services are open to all, and our annual Festival in the Park is one of the biggest festivals held in North London. We are part of the Hackney Advice Forum, BMER Advice Network, and engage with Hackney/Haringey Councils, the GLA, other local organisations, and universities to inform policy debate and facilitate collaboration.

Day-Mer’s work complements services addressing immediate to medium term needs experienced by members of an ethnic minority community by enabling access to activities that improve interpersonal, social, and creative skills, building social networks and enabling social inclusion. The activities facilitate community engagement. Day-Mer’s work includes contribution to policy and strategy concerning its target communities (as evidenced by continuing engagement with a range of statutory and voluntary partners), its leading role in local and regional BMER advice networks, and its research that continue to be among the only sources of data on our community.

Although based in Hackney, Day-Mer is a pan-London organisation and provides the bulk of its service and activities in the North and East London Boroughs of Hackney, Haringey, Enfield and Islington, where the majority of the community lives. Day-Mer has an excellent profile within the community, the local statutory and voluntary sector as a leading community service provider and active participant in local life through its work and broad engagement with a range of local stakeholders.