Young Asylum Seekers and Refugees at BLCG (Plants, Place, People)
Year of Project: 2024
Location: Barracks Lane Garden, East Oxford
Collaborators: Barracks Lane Community Garden, Oxford Spires Academy
Stream: NatureConnect
With thanks to: The National Lottery Communities Fund
The Story
Over the last two years, we have been working with Barracks Lane Community Garden — a local community garden in East Oxford — to support Plants, Place, People, a two-year initiative developed with the Oxford Spires Academy (OSA) Steps Programme.
The project works with unaccompanied asylum-seeker and refugee young people aged 15–19, offering opportunities to connect with nature, build practical skills, develop confidence, and feel more at home in the local community.
Through hands-on, creative sessions, participants explore the many ways plants shape our everyday lives — from food and medicine to materials, culture, and wellbeing.Impact
Plants, Place, People supports young people as they settle into life in the UK through gardening, cooking, and outdoor activities, while creating opportunities to develop English language skills, confidence, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. The garden provides a welcoming space where young people can build connections, share experiences, and develop skills that support future education, employment, and community involvement.
Since January, students have taken part in outdoor cooking sessions, preparing meals over a campfire while learning about plants, ingredients, food traditions, and language. They have also explored creative activities including pebble painting with the Replenish team and collage artwork using maps in collaboration with Rana Ibrahimi from the Iraqi Women, Art and War project.
The sessions have helped young people feel supported, valued, and connected, while celebrating their own experiences and cultures. As one participant shared through the project team, the cooking sessions provided opportunities to share food traditions while discovering new ingredients and ways of preparing food.
This ongoing project is supported in part by Kate’s Garden Fund, established in memory of Kate Jury — a local landscape designer, community advocate, and director of The Nature Effect. The fund continues Kate’s commitment to nurturing people, plants, and community connections by supporting socially prescribed activities and nature-based opportunities across East Oxford.
