The construction of a new flatted social housing development in Govanhill began this week with the ceremonial breaking of the ground, which is the first symbolic shovelling of dirt on the site to mark the occasion.

We spoke with members of the Southside’s creative and inclusive communities, who shared how local spaces like Glasgow Zine Library and Glasgow Sunflowers have fostered their sense of belonging.

Marzanna Antoniak shares her journey from feeling isolated as a new migrant in Scotland to finding belonging in Govanhill through volunteering, multilingual initiatives, and community connections, highlighting the power of inclusive spaces, and multilingual initiatives in fostering belonging and community.

In July 2024, people from the Roma community living in Govanhill were surveyed on their experiences with housing conditions and the local environment. The study found that basic human rights are not being supported when it comes to housing with the majority of those surveyed saying the conditions of their homes were poor.

Glaswegian poet and novelist, Shane Johnstone reflects on the ties between language and identity in Govanhill, tracing its evolution through Irish diaspora culture to today’s vibrant multilingual community. By exploring how migration shapes belonging while raising questions about preserving and celebrating the area’s rich linguistic diversity.

Sadia Sikander writes about the challenges she faces as a refugee in Scotland, from the emotional toll of societal hostility, systemic barriers, navigating unfamiliar systems and finding employment. Sikander also highlights the need to hold onto hope in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

Lottie Brand, from the South East Integration Network (SEIN) picks out a few volunteering opportunities to highlight the range of opportunities available at your organisations at your doorstep from Women on Wheels to Music Broth.

Unlike many European countries, Scotland lacks mandatory owners’ associations, leaving tenants and flat owners to navigate the complexities of retrofitting on their own. With legislative changes years away, the question remains, how can communities take action now to green-proof their homes for the future?

We had a chat wit musician Lizy Stirrat, a Royal Conservatoire alumna and the upper brass teaching musician at Big Noise – a music education and social change programme delivered by Sistema Scotland. Lizy shares how her love for music shaped her life and her passion for helping young people discover their musical talents.

Rohese Devereux Taylor and Kate Mackay explore the journey of co-founding the Glasgow Homebirth Support Group, the benefits of birthing at home, and the invaluable resources and networks available to parents in Glasgow, from sling libraries to breastfeeding support.

Gordon Palmer, spent 19 years as a Minister in the South of Scotland, now, he volunteers at The Well. In the latest issue, we spoke with Palmer and learned about what brought him to the Southside and how supports the visitors at The Well.

In this issue of Roma News and Views, Aliana Michalewicz sits down with her mum Sonia to learn more about their fascinating, famous family history rooted in music and dance, how they brought this from Poland to Glasgow, and their hopes for the future.

From bank robberies to links to the slave trade, the southside has homed a variety of radical social and political histories. In this piece we explore some of the area’s forgotten heritage and dive deeper to uncover the legacy behind these familiar spots.

Once labelled the ‘worst for fly-tipping in Glasgow’, before the end of last year you would have found Kingarth Lane at Bowman Street full of sofas, mattresses, carpets, fridges and bags of household rubbish. Then in November 2023 the Lane Community group was successful in getting gates erected with the hope that they would bring an end to the endemic fly tipping issue. 

In this series of articles, we hear from resident, Aoife Hutton, who was tired of seeing litter on her street and started taking care of it herself. What started as a solo two-hour morning litter pick has evolved into a monthly Govanhill-wide litter picking group with community groups and residents.

Community organisations are doing impactful work to support the neighbourhood, but short-term public funding cycles make it difficult for them to plan ahead, leaving them struggling to survive. We spoke with some local organisations to find out their experiences with the current funding cycles.

On Novermber, over half of the US population relected Donald Trump as their President for the next four years. The world held it's breathe and watched on as such an important election played out, one which will have a major impact on not just the US but the rest of the world. We asked Govanhill locals hailing from the US for their reactions following his win.

We Incite This Meeting is a powerful performance that invites the audience to discuss women’s rights and question: “What remains to be done, and how are we going to do it?” 

In this series of articles, we hear from residents who had enough of fly-tipping and decided to take matters into their own hands.  Dana Cherepkova, shares more from her first community meal on the often fly-tipped Kingarth Lane. After a quick spring clean, it was transformed into a wonderful space to meet the neighbours, share a meal, a collaborative project between residents, supported by community food project Kin Kitchen.

To find out more about a proposed new urban park below the M8, we went along to the design launch and spoke with to local residents about the ambitious transformation which could happen on their doorstep.