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New Roots, Active Lives: Forced Migrant Wellbeing, Community Sport and Physical Activity in Charnwood

    Collaboratory 2025 Research Placement Project

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    Key Details

    Project Title: New Roots, Active Lives: Forced Migrant Wellbeing, Community Sport and Physical Activity in Charnwood

    Deadline:11:59pm, 29 June 2025 

    Host University: Loughborough University

    Start date: Monday 06 October 2025 

    Funding offer: Tax-free bursary of £1,300 (paid in 2 parts, in arrears).

    Working hours: Part-time (11-14 hrs per week). 

    Working style: Primarily in-person at host university. Flexible working supported. Working pattern to be agreed between successful candidate and lead supervisor.  

    Project Supervisors

    About The Project

    This participatory project with Loughborough University, Leicester University, and Leicester City in the Community aims to
    understand the wellbeing, sport, and physical activity (PA) experiences of forced migrants in Charnwood and co-create
    recommendations for community partners to enable meaningful participation.

    Charnwood is home to approximately 500 forced migrants (Home Office, 2024), including resettled Ukrainian and Afghani
    refugees, asylum seekers housed in two hotels, and unaccompanied minors supported through social services and Baca
    charity. Forced migrants experience overlapping and complex challenges in the UK including long-standing impacts of past
    trauma, social exclusion, language barriers, integration, and hostile policies (Chase & Allsopp, 2021; Hocking 2018), often
    resulting in destitution, marginalisation and poor mental health outcomes (Isaacs et al., 2023). In Charnwood, these challenges are heightened by a primarily white British population and place-based inequalities (Office of National Statistics, 2021).

    Sport and PA can positively impact forced migrant wellbeing through fostering social connections, integration, and positive
    emotions, alongside reducing symptoms of depression, PTSD and anxiety (Doidge et al., 2020; Ley et al., 2018; Smith et al.,
    2023; Spaaij et al., 2019). Existing provision for forced migrants in Charnwood includes football, gym, yoga, and multi-sport.
    However, there are minimal opportunities for children, youth, and women forced migrants with gaps in inclusive and culturally relevant programming. With new community spaces and an extended community gym opening soon, centring the voices of forced migrant populations in developing local sport and PA programmes and spaces is imperative.

    This project builds from our existing trusted relationships with local forced migrant groups and community partners including
    staff at the hotels, Loughborough Town of Sanctuary, Baca, the Loughborough Wellbeing Centre, and NHS Charnwood.

    Through interviews with key community partners, creative participatory workshops, and knowledge dissemination, this project will 1.) explore what matters most to the wellbeing of forced migrant groups, in particular women, children, and youth in
    Charnwood, 2.) investigate their motivations, needs, and barriers related to sport and PA participation, and 3.) co-create
    recommendations which can inform the design/delivery of locally grounded, culturally-relevant sport and PA programmes and
    spaces. Outcomes include a presentation to stakeholders at the Charnwood Asylum Seeker and Refugee Network meeting, an
    infographic, and written recommendations. Through centring the lived experiences of local forced migrants and working in
    collaboration with local organisations, the project will make significant contributions to enhancing the wellbeing of forced
    migrants in Charnwood.

    This project has been co-created and is supported by researchers from Loughborough University, the University of Leicester, and partners at Leicester City in the Community. The successful candidate for this project will be enrolled at Loughborough University.

    Project Aims 

    The overall aims of the project are:     

    1. Explore what matters most to the wellbeing of forced migrants living in Charnwood.
    2. Understand needs, preferences and challenges faced by local forced migrants, in particular among women, children, and
      youth, in accessing physical activity and sporting opportunities and spaces in Charnwood.
    3. Collaboratively co-create recommendations for local community organisations in developing inclusive and needs-based
      sport and physical activity programmes with, and for, local forced migrants.

    What will the successful candidate be doing?

    • Exploring relevant literature to develop a broad understanding of the current academic contexts relating to the project and its community challenges.
    • Collecting data through conducting interviews with organizations who support refugee and asylum seeker participants during site visits to local sports and wellbeing activities for forced migrants.
    • Co-facilitating four participatory workshops with academic supervisors to collect further data through collaborating with community participants.
    • Developing a summary report and resources to be used to share the findings of the work with the Charnwood Asylum Seeker and Refugee Network meeting.

    Core Competencies 

    Category

    Competencies 

    Assessed:

    Application (A), Interview (I) 

    Comprehension and evaluation 

    Strong understanding of the project and its subject matter. 

    A / I 

    Analytical, researcher mindset with keen attention to detail. 

    A / I 

    Communicate complex concepts with clarity and precision. 

    A / I 

    Able to identify connections, patterns, gaps, and irregularities in information/data. 

    I

    Able to interpret data/information confidently with logic and empathy to derive meaning. 

    I

    Social and emotional

    Demonstrable experience of responding effectively to changing contexts, information and demands. 

    A

    Ability to persevere in the face of challenges/failures and to remain constructive in developing solutions. 

    A

    Demonstrable passion for learning with clear drive and curiosity to undertake this specific research project.

    A / I

    Strong desire to make a positive community impact through the research. 

    A / I 

    Willingness to think deeply about complex concepts and engage with academic ideas and theory. 

    A / I

    Preparedness and potential for success

    Experience of working, collaborating and communicating effectively with different stakeholders. 

    A 

    High level of self-motivation and ability to work with minimal guidance. 

    A / I 

    Strong organisational and time-management skills with the ability to balance and prioritise multiple tasks. 

    A / I 

    Able to identify the technical, personal, or professional skills required for a task and take action to develop these. 

    A / I 

    Community Context

    Appreciation/understanding of the importance of community insight and experience in the generation of new knowledge. 


    A / I 


    Awareness/understanding of the broader societal context related to the subject matter of the project. 

    A / I 

    Project-Specific Competencies 

    EssentialAssessed: 
    Application (A), Interview (I)     		Desirable Assessed: 
    Application (A), Interview (I) 
    Experience in building and maintaining trusting and culturally-sensitive relationships with diverse stakeholders. A / I An understanding of the UK policy landscape and current debates surrounding refugees and asylum seekers, including the
    social and legal challenges they experience.    		 A / I 
    Demonstrable commitment to social justice and equity, particularly in working with marginalised populations, with an awareness of how systemic inequalities shape lived experiences. A / I Experience in delivering workshops/training with and for diverse groups, in particular using creative, participatory and arts-
    based approaches.    		 A / I 
    Working understanding of the social factors that influence health A / I Experience directly working with forced migrants in either community, advocacy, sport, therapeutic, support, research, or educational settings. A / I 
    Knowledge/appreciation of the barriers faced by marginalised groups in accessing community sport and physical activity. A / I Lived experience of forced migration or migration. A / I 
    Proficiency in one or more additional languages including Arabic, Dari, Pashto, or Farsi, which may support relationship
    building and data collection.    		 A / I 

    NOTE: The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check

    Apply here

    References for Further Reading 

    1. House of Lord. (2022). Refugee and Asylum Seeker Policy. https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/refugees-and-asylum-seekers-uk-policy/
    2. Isaacs, A., Burns, N., Macdonald, S., & OʼDonnell, C. A. (2022). ‘I donʼt think thereʼs anything I can do which can keep me healthyʼ: how the UK immigration and asylum system shapes the health & wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland. Critical public health, 32(3), 422-43. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09581596.2020.1853058
    3. Smith, R., Mansfield, L., & Wainwright, E. (2022). ʼShould I really be here?ʼ: Problems of trust and ethics in PAR with young people from refugee backgrounds in sport and leisure. Sport in Society, 25(3), 434-452. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2022.2017620
    4. Spaaij, R., Broerse, J., Oxford, S., Luguetti, C., McLachlan, F., McDonald, B., … & Pankowiak, A. (2019). Sport, refugees, and forced migration: A critical review of the literature. Frontiers in sports and active living, 1, 47. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33344970/
    5. UNHCR. (2018). Sport for Protection Toolkit. https://www.unhcr.org/media/sport-protection-toolkit