Welcome to the Refugee Council newsletter

[Alison J Stevens]

Welcome to the Refugee Council newsletter

 

Welcome to the Refugee Council newsletter! This week we were alarmed by figures showing that children were detained in December last year, responded to a shocking report into the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that allowed separated children to be returned to France, and responded to the Prime Ministers call for reform in the European Court of Human Rights.  If you haven’t signed our pledge to protect refugees yet please do so – we are hoping to smash our target of 10,000 signatures in time for a special event in March.  In other news, The BASIS Project held a successful conference, our expert training courses continue and we are holding an ‘everything must go’ sale as our e-shop will close at the end of February.

PS – If you love us, please ‘Give as you Love’ this Valentines Day – your shopping could raise vital funds for our work!

 

 

Ten children detained at Cedars in December: our response

The Home Office published statistics that showed 17 children were held in detention in December 2011, and ten of those were held in the new family detention unit at Cedars.
In response to this news, Donna Covey, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council commented on the governments promise to end child detention.  A short version of Donna’s quote appeared in the Independent along with the story, you can read the full quote here.

Shocking Report: Child Trafficking Victims sent back to France after arriving in UK.

The Children’s Commissioner for England last week published a shocking report that found separated children including victims of trafficking arriving in Dover were being sent back to France, with complete disregard for their welfare. Our Advocacy Officer Judith Dennis and our Children's Section helped to uncover this practice in the first place and assisted with the report.  The report received a lot of press coverage, including the Guardian and the London Evening Standard,  See our full response to the report on our website.

Prime Ministers call for reform: European Court of Human Rights

A On Wednesday, the Prime Minister made a speech calling for the reform of the European Court of Human Rights, which has protected the rights of a number of asylum seekers who have been let down by the UK courts. See our full response to the news here and a BBC article on the topic.

Young people who walk from Afghanistan to find safety in Europe

An article in the Observer magazine last week documented the horrifying stories of young asylum seekers who have fled Afghanistan and travelled, mainly by foot, to Europe to find a place of safety. Their experiences reflect those of young people who have made it to the UK and visit the Refugee Council’s Children’s Section for practical and emotional support. The Observer talked at length to our Policy officer, Judith Dennis, in writing the article. Read the full article here, and our news story about it on the website.

The Basis Project Conference

 

The Basis Project conference saw around 250 delegates including RCOs, funders and second tier organisations come together to look at practical ways forward for Refugee Community Organisations.

Donna Covey, Chief Executive of Refugee Council opened with a speech addressing challenges facing refugees and those supporting them and recognising the valuable work RCOs do to raise awareness. Elizabeth Balgobin, of Voice for change gave her analysis of the current climate including the Big Society and the impact on BME organisations. Micheline Safi Ngogo of Light Project International and Sirak Berhe of Investing in People and culture shared their inspirational stories of responding to challenges on the ground. The day finished with closing remarks chaired by Yvonne Cass of Migrant and Refugee Community Organisation.  
Find out more about this event on Storify

Refugee Council Training – booking now for LONDON & LEEDS Courses

We are taking bookings now for the following courses, follow the links for more information or contact us.

• Age assessment awareness and working with age-disputed young people - LONDON Tuesday 21st February & LEEDS Thursday 15th March 
• An introduction to working with unaccompanied children - LONDON Tuesday 28th February 2012
• End of process: Support for asylum seekers who have been refused asylum - LONDON Wednesday 29th February 2012
• Working with refugee children in schools - LONDON Wednesday 7th March 2012
• Refugees and migrants: Entitlement to housing and other services - LEEDS Thursday 8th March 2012 
• The Refugee Council Therapeutic Casework model: Supporting clients with mental wellbeing needs - LONDON Tuesday 6th March 2012
• NEW DATE - Emotional wellbeing of refugee children and young people – LONDON, Thursday1st March

Book your place or enquire about a course by contacting us.

Everything must go!  Reduced prices on bilingual materials

 

Our e-shop will close at the end of February so we have significantly reduced our prices on resources for children and adults.
Languages include: Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, Somali and Tamil.  We have educational resources, bi-lingual folk tales and books about asylum issues.  The minimum order is £15 and postage is free.  Last chance to buy!
See the full catalogue of books

Please help promote our pledge

We are really hoping to smash our target of 10,000 pledges from people who say they are PROUD TO PROTECT REFUGEES so if you haven’t signed our anniversary pledge yet - please do so now.   We are also looking for organisations who can include the call to sign the pledge in their newsletter so we can reach as many people as possible.  In March we are going to present the pledge to Parliament and show them that people in the UK care about refugee protection.  Please help!

Sign the pledge here

Contact us to include the pledge in your newsletter and we will send you some text

Refugee Council Seminar series

Our seminar series in partnership with the School of Advanced Studies continues.  Our next seminar entitled Integration: Global perspectives on the transition from apart to being a part (of something) presented by Professor Alastair Kenneth Ager, Columbia University (USA).  Details as follows:

Date: 23rd February 2012
Time: 5.30pm
Place: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

 

The event is free but registration is required – book now.

Run for the Refugee Council

If you’re looking to get active in 2012, why not run for the Refugee Council?
Taking part in a sponsored challenge is a great way to get in shape as well as raising money for refugees. Places are disappearing fast, so register now to secure your entry!
There are a wide range of options available across the UK, including the British 10K London Run, Just Walk events through beautiful English countryside and the BUPA Great North Run series. For our full range of events and challenges, visit our website, or to find out more about taking part in a sponsored challenge, send us an email or call 0207 346 1205.
What better way to get in the spirit of the Olympics?

Give as you Love this Valentine's Day

Thousands of stores including Thorntons, Interflora and Hallmark will donate to the Refugee Council when you shop through Give as you Live, so with Valentine's Day only 2 weeks away, why not shop online for a gift for your loved one.

And if you are a first-time buyer spending over £10 on your online shopping, you will raise an extra £5 for the Refugee Council at absolutely no cost to you! Simply sign up to Give as you Live, and start shopping online for your Valentine's Day gift.