Who We Are
A&M Consultancy is a partnership of two consultants with lived experience of the UK immigration and asylum system.
We bring our wisdom, credibility, and authenticity gained from our lived experience, along with our professionalism and diverse skills to the work we do.
Our Vision
The skills and expertise of people with lived experience are recognised and valued. They are regarded as equal collaborators and are actively and meaningfully involved in creating positive change.
Our Mission
Based on our lived experience of the UK immigration and asylum system, we inspire organisations and individuals to make positive changes for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. We achieve this by actively engaging in campaigns and advocacy. We advise organisations (national and international) and equip them with the tools to ensure meaningful lived experience leadership and involvement through research, and collaborative efforts in co-production and co-delivery.
Our values:
We believe in Integrity and acting with honesty, transparency, and ethical principles in all our business work.
We believe that each action should be solution-oriented.
We believe that Lived Experience Leadership plays a crucial role in achieving systematic change.
We believe that both lived and learnt experiences are equally important and can co-exist in harmony.
We consider people with lived experience as equal partners, which entails constructive feedback and readiness to be challenged.
We believe in fostering a culture of creativity, experimentation, risk-taking and thinking outside the box.
Our story
Focusing on lived experience leadership in the present, it is sometimes useful for us to take a walk down memory lane, and think about our experience of being a person seeking asylum in the UK.
Here is a summary of our journeys.
A&M Consultancy is a venture of two consultants with lived experience of the UK immigration and asylum system. Being a person seeking asylum in the UK is a very challenging experience and has multiple negative impacts on people’s lives.
Having personal experience of going through the system years ago, we decided that we needed to take action for ourselves and others who were adversely affected. As a result, since 2016, we have participated in numerous projects and initiatives to support and welcome people experiencing the UK immigration and asylum system.
Our initial focus was campaigns and advocacy and raising awareness about refugees and people seeking asylum. Following this, we decided to expand our horizons and set up our own consultancy.
Our consultancy has a specialised focus on lived experience leadership, co-production and co-delivery, and is based on the diverse skills we have built over the years, as well as the wisdom, credibility and authenticity that come with our personal lived experiences of the UK immigration and asylum system.
Authenticity. Lived Experience. Expertise
Authenticity. Lived Experience. Expertise
The timeline:
Focusing on lived experience leadership in 2023, it is sometimes useful to take a walk down our memory lane of being a person seeking asylum in the UK. Here is a brief timeline of our journeys.
Ana
2013
Learn the basics about being a person seeking asylum in the UK. Sorting out the problem of mice infestation in the asylum accommodation to keep the family safe.
2015
Struggling to get clothes and basic necessities for my newborn and explaining to my daughter why we cannot buy the toys for her.
2017
Becoming one of the first public speakers with lived experience of the UK asylum system.
2019
Finally was recognised as a refugee. Unconditional offer from the university, actively involved in campaigns and advocacy work led by people with lived experience.
2021
Distinction in LLM Human Rights, a research project on delayed asylum decision-making.
Mishka
2014
Stuck in immigration detention, not knowing the end date of my misery.
2016
Out of detention, the family scattered across the country, first steps in lived experience campaigns and advocacy.
2018
My first opinion piece about immigration detention was published in The Guardian.
2020
Still stuck in asylum limbo, although entirely focused on lived experience leadership and rights of refugees and people seeking asylum.
2022
Secured immigration status, excited to have an opportunity to become a trustee.
2023
Paths crossed, ideas shared, values aligned, trust established. People with lived experience are not limited to sharing stories. They are equal partners, and part of the solution - A&M consultancy was launched. (A&M)