PERN Strategy 26-29

June and July have been times of listening, talking and thinking together.

We have been thinking deeply about how PERN can achieve our mission to welcome diversity, strengthen community, pursue justice and rebuild lives, alongside ensuring the charity has a viable future.

Our values to be alongside and prioritise the most vulnerable as well as to challenge inequality and systemic racism has shaped the last three years of service growth. Our services are now embedded in communities across north Cumbria and into Barrow.

Solidarity means standing together in unity, with emotional connection and shared action while acknowledging the imbalance of power between refugees and those who have lived longer in the UK. We believe in a humanity where every person has a place to belong and nobody is deemed legal or illegal. We know that solidarity unifies and mobilises us to challenge the structures and narratives that exclude some people. We are examining how these values will shape the next three years.

PERN members gathered recently for a Strategy Day and soon we will publish our 2026 to 2029 Strategic Plan for consultation. Let us know if you want to be part of this conversation.