Routes to Roots: adopting Scotland as a homeland

The Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council's Routes to Roots (ELREC), founded in 1971, is a non-profit organisation working with communities in Edinburgh and the Lothians to eliminate discrimination in all its forms, reduce inequality, promote a culture of human rights, foster good relations between communities and individuals and among people from different equality groups, and promote cooperation between statutory bodies and voluntary organisations.

The Routes to Roots project is working with the South Asian, African, Polish, Spanish and Chinese communities in Edinburgh and the Lothians to mainstream the heritage of minority ethnic communities and explore the intertwining histories of both Scottish and diverse communities' heritages in the area. The project is interviewing members of the five communities and recording their stories and experiences of life in Scotland through video. These will also be transcribed and a book published at the project's completion. The project is also producing weekly video podcasts on shared heritage related topics as well as organising various visits to heritage and religious sites around Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and supported by Edinburgh Libraries, The National Galleries of Scotland, and the Living Memory Association.