EU families & Eurochildren in Brexiting Britain

Portraits of EU families in London: the book

In the Shadow of Brexit is now available on line and in print. It can be downloaded for free on our website. Hard copies are available print-on-demand from Blurb shop. You can hear the voices and views of the families in the book using the QR codes in the book, or this website or browsing…

London is the capital of a more cosmopolitan and yet fragile idea of Europe

Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham London is one of the capitals of the EU, home to over 1.1m non-British EU citizens, including a large number of families and children. This, according to my team’s ongoing analysis of data from across the EU, is by far the largest conglomerate of non-native EU citizens in the EU….

In the shadow of Brexit: launch and debate

Launch event for “In the shadow of Brexit: Portraits of EU families in London”, photo and video series produced by Eurochildren to capture the diversity of EU families in London through the stories of fifteen families. The launch will be followed by a panel discussion on the representation of EU citizens and Brits abroad in…

‘Congratulations on your achievement’: the day I became British

How does one mark the ceremony to become British? With mixed feelings, in many cases. By Nando Sigona (originally published in OpenDemocracy) ‘Congratulations on your achievement’, ‘I heard congratulations are in order’, ‘well done’. I look at my interlocutor undecided on what to reply. A smiling face looks at me, expecting a response. Eventually I…

“My mum is here, my sister is here, my nan is here. This is what home is”: Portraits of EU families in London

Edyta is an advice worker and casework supervisor for a local support organisation. She came to the UK in 2006 from Poland with son Artur and daughter Zofia. Her mother Antuanetta joined them in 2011 when her dad passed away. To catch up with previous episodes of Portraits of EU families in London: https://eurochildren.info/category/portraits-of-eu-families-in-london/

Coping with Brexit in Scotland: new Eurochildren briefs out today

We are launching two new Eurochildren Briefs today focused on EU nationals in Scotland. The first Eurochildren Brief (n.7), written by Dr Laurence Lessard-Phillips, looks at the geographical distribution of EU citizens in Scotland and the evolution of the EU population over forty year. EU nationals made up under 1% of the Scottish population in…

How EU families in Britain are coping with Brexit uncertainty

Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham Mirela left Croatia in 1991 because of the civil war in Yugoslavia. Her husband Frank grew up in the Republic of Ireland. Both are worried Brexit has left a deep scar through British society, one that it will take years to heal. They also worry about the impact of Brexit…

“There is too much talk about belonging”: Portraits of EU families in London

After two decades in Britain, Marta is contemplating going back to Italy for her children. It is an ongoing conversation with UK-born Bianca (11) and Luca (8) who love Italy but they know that moving there won’t be easy. Portraits of EU families in London is a participatory photo project linked to the ESRC-funded EU families…

“Will they take away a star from the EU flag?”: Portraits of EU families in London

Andrea is originally from Croatia. She moved to Britain when Croatia was outside the EU and the UK was still fully in. Simon is British. Seth and Emil are born in the UK and have a lot of ideas and questions on what may happen after Brexit. Portraits of EU families in London is a…