Xenia is a grassroots women’s organisation working towards a vision for more welcoming, equal and connected communities in Hackney, East London. Our mission is to create local communities where migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking and British women are better supported to connect with each other, share cultures and learn together as equals. 

We achieve our mission by running weekly community arts and heritage-based workshops locally at the Hackney Museum which welcome long standing Hackney residents, alongside people who have more recently moved to the area or the country. Our work aims to:

• Increase accessible opportunities for migrant women to learn English, regardless of their life stage or situation;

• Improve diverse women’s knowledge, understanding and awareness of other cultures through community arts;

• Reduce social isolation and mental ill-health experienced by migrant women;

• Enhance underrepresented women’s agency, including access to local services and local decision-making.

Since 2016 we have provided high quality, innovative,  accessible learning and social opportunities to almost 500 women. We have welcomed participants from 82 nationalities, all ages, religions and backgrounds.  The women we work with  often experience significant barriers to  accessing opportunities for learning and social integration. Barriers include lack of childcare, low level of English, sexism and xenophobia. Xenia operates in Hackney, which is the eleventh most deprived area of England, and one of the most diverse boroughs of London with at least 89 languages spoken.

During Covid-19, Xenia has been a vital source of contact and signposting for our participants - many of whom face social exclusion, are isolated and are not connected to other local services. 

Xenia also has a strong track record of working with artists and arts organisations in East London, and the use of creativity as a tool for connection is a core part of our model. We have successfully completed projects previously with Peer Gallery (Hoxton), SPACE Studios (Hackney Central), as well as artists Fourthland,  Anna Crystal and Olivia DePrelle. With our base at Hackney Museum, our other key partnership focus is with the heritage sector where we have run collaborative projects alongside Hackney Museum, Hackney Archives, Sutton House (a local national trust property) and the Museum of the Home.