Summary of the impact

Cathy McIlwaine's research has raised the profile of Latin Americans in London and placed the community more centrally in public debates and policy frameworks. McIlwaine provided the first official estimate of the size of the Latin American population in London in 2011, and this led Southwark local authority to formally recognise Latin/South Americans as a distinct group in their ethnic monitoring, in order to improve their access to health and welfare services. Her work has informed the work of charities, NGOs and lobbyists, leading to the creation of the Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK and the expansion of services at the Latin American Women's Rights Service. It has also been used by Latin American consulates to provide evidence about their communities in London, and has improved public awareness of the Latin American community in the capital, including providing a key source and inspiration for the play Juana in a million by Vicky Araico Casas, performed to over 7,000 people in the UK and Mexico.

Underpinning research

McIlwaine's research on the Latin American community in London dates from 2004 and includes five research projects funded by the ESRC, British Academy, The Leverhulme Trust, Trust for London, the Latin American Women's Rights Service and Queen Mary's Centre for Public Engagement.

McIlwaine's research in Latin America since 1989 laid the foundations for her research with the Latin American community in London. Pilot research with the Colombian community (British Academy, 2004-05, Livelihood security among recent Colombian migrants in London, £3,401) analysed the conditions under which this population were living in London, the reasons why they migrated and the gendered nature of their integration and transnational ties. A follow-up study (Leverhulme Trust, 2006-07, Coping practices among Latin American migrants in London, £24,995) explored these issues in greater depth among Colombians, Ecuadorians and Bolivians in relation to the construction of livelihoods transnationally and locally. Related work on Global Cities at Work by McIlwaine (ESRC, 2005-07, Global cities at work: migrant labour in low-paid employment in London with Wills, Datta and May, £249,669) documented the contribution of foreign-born workers in the UK's economy and analysed the importance of low-paid migrant labour in London (Wills et al. 2010). Associated research (British Academy, 2010-11 Transnational voting practices among Colombian migrants, £7490) has analysed the importance of the external vote from abroad and how citizenship, professional education and high socio-economic status in the UK facilitate close political ties with Colombia (McIlwaine and Bermudez 2011; McIlwaine 2012).

McIlwaine led a large quantitative study, `The Latin American Community in London' (Trust for London — an independent charity tackling poverty and inequality in the capital — and the Latin American Women's Rights Service, 2009-11, £58,000), which aimed to raise the profile of Latin Americans in London and address their neglected status in the city. Research findings published in the influential report No Longer Invisible (McIlwaine et al. 2011) and from previous research have directly informed subsequent articles in international peer-reviewed journals (McIlwaine 2010; McIlwaine and Bermudez 2011; McIlwaine 2012) and a co-authored and edited book (Wills et al. 2010; McIlwaine 2011; see section 3).

The project provided a representative account of the characteristics of Latin Americans in London across the socio-economic spectrum and the first official estimates of the size of the population. At 113,500 in London and 186,500 in the UK, the Latin American community is as large as the Polish and ethnic Chinese populations. The research also showed where Latin Americans live in the city, their occupational status and their access to statutory and non-statutory services. It outlined the main livelihood strategies developed by Latin Americans including the nature of their transnational ties as well as the conceptual utility of using a livelihoods framework in the context of a city in the Global North. This project also explored the ways in which migration affects gender identities through the notion of `migrant machismos' that reflect how practices can transform while ideologies remain more intransigent (McIlwaine 2010). NLI concluded that members of the Latin American community in London have not only been invisible, but that they also experience high levels of marginalisation which are exacerbated by their lack of recognition as a distinct ethnic group. They face many challenges including severe language barriers, the concentration in low-paid, low status jobs such as cleaning (half of all Latin Americans), and the poor take up of public services (only one-fifth access GPs or welfare benefits). The overall result is that 70 per cent of Latin Americans in London have experienced discrimination (McIlwaine et al. 2011).

References to the research

Details of the impact

McIlwaine's research has had a significant impact on improving the visibility of the Latin American community in London and meeting its needs via the work of 3^rd sector organisations, lobbyists, consulates and embassies. It has also inspired creative work about Latin Americans in London.

i. The NLI report has been used by the 3^rd sector and lobbyists (a) to establish the Coalition of Latin Americans UK and (b) to provide evidence about the Latin American community in London in consultations and funding applications

(a) McIlwaine's NLI research led directly to the first formal coalition of Latin American organizations in the UK: Coalition of Latin Americans UK (CLAUK — www.clauk.org.uk), which brings together 11 non-governmental organisations of the community with the main purpose of ensuring that the recommendations of the research are implemented in London and across the UK. The first objective under the Terms of Reference for the Coalition is `To work together to pursue the implementation of the recommendations contained in No Longer Invisible'. CLAUK, the Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS) and the Latin American Recognition Campaign (LARC) use the NLI report extensively in their work (see http://www.larcuk.org/index.php/our-objectives.html). the Director of LAWRS writes, `as a result of the publication of the report we have been more united as a community and have been better able to advocate for the issues that are important to us' (25/10/12).

(b) The NLI research has been used widely in other work by 3^rd sector organisations. As the Director of Policy and Grants at Trust for London writes, `It is the most comprehensive research undertaken on the community and we have cited it in a number of consultation responses to government, including to the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Justice, Department of Work and Pensions and Greater London Authority (16/10/13). NLI has been used as a core resource to allow 3<sup>rd</sup> sector organisations to apply for funding for projects as noted by the Director of the Indo-American Refugee and Migrant Organisation (1/7/13): `It has always been very difficult to evidence the demand for our services and reveal the numbers of Latin Americans who struggle to get the support they need. The "NLI" report has helped us to show that our work is important and how it changes the lives of our community members. This ... has made it possible for us to lobby decision makers, receive funding, get exposure and enhance integration.'

ii. The recommendations of the NLI report have been implemented by local authorities to formally recognise Latin Americans as an ethnic group

The NLI research outlined a series of recommendations that included lobbying for ethnic monitoring to include a `Latin American' category, the need to increase awareness of employment rights and provide access to health services given the large number of Latin Americans experiencing labour rights infringements and ill-health. Ethnic recognition is at the heart of these recommendations to ensure that local mainstream services are available to the Latin American community. The Director of Policy and Grants at Trust for London explains that evidence provided in McIlwaine's research has been `central to ... policy changes such as the recognition of Latin Americans as an ethnic category by Southwark Council,' and in ongoing campaigns for recognition with other local authorities including Lambeth and Islington.

The London Borough of Southwark was the first council to formally recognise Latin Americans (14/9/12; www.southwark.gov.uk/news/article/953). Haringey, Hackney and Newham now also use the category Latin/South American in their ethnic monitoring forms. The Councillor and Cabinet Member for Communities and Economic Development, London Borough of Southwark, writes: `The report NLI has been crucial in providing us with information about the Latin American community in Southwark and in London more widely. Given the concentrations of this community in Southwark, the report has allowed us to inform our policy work more effectively. In particular, the report was very important in informing our official recognition of the Latin American population as an ethnic group in our monitoring efforts.' The NLI report is the core text used by the Latin American Recognition Campaign (LARC). As noted by the Argentinean Consul General (26/6/13), `The research has become an extremely valuable source to try to understand the Latin American community, its status, its contribution to UK society and its aspirations. I have participated in various meetings concerning the campaign for recognition of the Latin Americans in the UK. All of those meetings have referred to No Longer Invisible'.

iii. McIlwaine's research recommendations have been implemented via two posts.

(a) LAWRS employed an 'Outreach Development Coordinator' in 2010 to lobby local councils to improve the access of Latin Americans to services. The NLI report has been used as a tool for training meetings including with five departments in Southwark Council, as well as Southwark Legal Advice Network and Southwark Citizen Advice Bureau. An additional 675 Latin American women not previously known to social services have accessed support locally through LAWRS as a result of this work.

(b) Trust for London funded an Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator based at LAWRS for the Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK (£90,000) for two years from 2012 to `take forward the recommendations of the [NLI] report in relation to labour rights, access to health care and ethnic recognition' (Director of Policy and Grants, Trust for London). This coordinator works closely with local councils, advocacy groups and migrant organisations to raise the profile of Latin Americans in London and to highlight their needs as an important ethnic minority group.

iv. The NLI report has been used by Latin American consulates and embassies to provide evidence about the number and nature of their communities in London.

McIlwaine has conducted outreach work with consulates and related forums providing information about the community and highlighting policy recommendations such as at the Chilean Embassy (2010), the Casa Ecuatoriana (linked with the Ecuadorian Embassy) (2012), the Brazilian Embassy (2012), the Argentinean Embassy (2013) and Canning House (2011, 2012). The Argentinean Consul General (26/6/13) notes: `As Consul, one of the most frequent questions you receive is how many of your nationals live in the UK? It is very hard to tell because there are no official records ... Now we have NLI which answers these questions'.

v. The NLI report has been a key source and inspiration for the play Juana in a million by Vicky Araico Casas and other creative work

This award-winning play highlights the experiences of Latin American migrants in the UK and has been performed to over 7,000 people in the UK and Mexico, and was directly inspired by McIlwaine's research (see www.juanainamillion.com/about-1). As Casas writes about McIlwaine's research, `Not only does it provide the first ever comprehensive information on the growing importance of the Latin American community in the city, but it also outlines the range of exclusions and hardships experienced by Latin Americans. This proved to be invaluable in making decisions about the storyline.' Four pages of the programme focused on the NLI research, and stated that `As well as the real life experiences of Latin American migrants living in London, Juana in a Million was inspired by the report No Longer Invisible.'

The play was performed 23 times at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012 (to 1,840 people) and won a Fringe First Award. The play has also been performed in Southampton, Belfast, Oxford, Mexico City and New York (to 1500 people) with a London run at the Southwark Playhouse in 2013 for 28 shows (to 2,800 people). This also entailed a Q&A and a one-day symposium led by McIlwaine (funded by the Arts Council and Queen Mary's Centre for Public Engagement). The reviews note: `The plight of South American women is one that vitally needs to be raised, and Juana in a Million is a dazzling way to do it' (The Stage); `this is a beautiful piece of physical theatre, featuring a remarkable performance from Araico Casas ... A must-see' (The Telegraph).

McIlwaine's research has also inspired other creative work, as shown by the photographic collaboration between Roxana and Pablo Allison on `Uncovering the invisible: a portrait of Latin Americans in the UK.' This photographic project `is in response to the research project No longer invisible: the Latin American community in London conducted by Cathy McIlwaine' (www.uncoveringtheinvisible.co.uk/about-the-project) and will be exhibited in Manchester and London in 2014.

v. The NLI report has improved public awareness of the Latin American community in London

McIlwaine's research has been widely disseminated via a dedicated website: www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/latinamericansinlondon (20,141 page hits and 11,777 pdf report hits since May 2011). The NLI research findings have been widely disseminated to policy makers through a launch event at the Greater London Authority led by Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes (May 2011) and at a Spanish/Portuguese language launch at Bolívar Hall, London (June 2011). They have also been widely disseminated in the British and Latin American media, including coverage in The Independent (19.5.11), The Guardian (4.3.12: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/04/uk-latin-american-community"; 22.6.12 www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/22/london-latin-americans), The Prisma: the multicultural newspaper (10.3.13: "http://www.theprisma.co.uk/2013/03/10/cathy-mcilwaine-more-latin-americans-but-more-vulnerability"; 24.3.13: www.theprisma.co.uk/2013/03/24/clauk-a-latin-american-coalition-in-the-united-kingdom"); the cultural magazine Ventana Latina (Oct. 2013: http://issuu.com/ventanalatina/docs/ventana_latina_octubre_2013); BBC World (May 2011), in Spanish on BBC Mundo and in Portuguese on BBC Brazil (May 2011).

Sources to corroborate the impact

i. The Latin Americans in London website on McIlwaine's research:
www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/latinamericansinlondon

ii. Latin American Women's Rights Service: www.lawrs.org.uk

iii. Latin American Recognition Campaign: www.larcuk.org/index.php/our-objectives.html

iv. London Borough of Southwark: www.southwark.gov.uk/news/article/953/

v. Coalition of Latin Americans UK: www.clauk.org.uk

End-user contact details to corroborate impact:

i. Director, Latin American Women's Rights Service (impacts i — iii)

ii. Director of Policy and Grants, Trust for London (impacts i — iii)

iii. Councillor and Cabinet Member for Communities and Economic Development, London Borough of Southwark (impact ii)

iv. Consul General, Argentinian Consulate (impacts i and iv)

v. Playwright of Juana in a Million (impact v)