CityNews

SolidariTee: The Right to Refuge

6 October 20218 October 2021By
SolidariTee: The Right to Refuge

The charity SolidariTee is looking for reps at City University to raise money to help refugees and asylum seekers obtain legal aid.

What is SolidariTee?

SolidariTee is a student led charity that raises money and awareness for refugees and asylum seekers, with their focus being on providing legal aid to those in Greece. Legal aid is a human right and yet still many refugees and asylum seekers are constantly denied it.

Facts:

  • 1 in 70 people worldwide is caught up in a humanitarian crisis.
  • As many as 70% of Syrians live in extreme poverty, on less than $1.90 a day.
  • 1 out of every 6 people in Lebanon is a refugee.
  • In 2017, 439,505 people were denied entry at the EU’s external borders.
  • In the 12 months up to September 2018, 60 minors were locked up in immigration detention in the UK. That’s more than 2 average sized primary school classes.
  • The population of refugees and asylum seekers in Greece is around 120,000, with about 20,000 being on the islands of Lesvos, Samos, Chios and 100,000 on the mainland

 

Importance of Legal Aid:

Legal aid is “crucial to the realisation of refugees’ rights, especially the critical first step: recognition of refugee status”. Lawyers can guide those seeking asylum through the process by assisting with the interview process, translating medical documents, communicating with the Greek asylum services and informing them on their rights.

Without legal aid asylum seekers can lose their appeal at their first interaction with the country they are aiming to settle – this is due to not being informed about important aspects of the asylum process. For example, any information given after their first interview will be disregarded even if it is crucial to their case. This has led many to fail the process despite being eligible. Therefore, access to a lawyer is vital to the life of each person holistically, financially and pastorally.

Some charities SolidariTee fundraise for are:

  • Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
  • Legal Centre Lesvos
  • Avocats San Frontières
  • Mobile Info Team
  • European Lawyers in Lesvos
  • Ss.I.S.T (Asylum Seekers Information Services Team)
  • Kitrinos Healthcare

 

How does SolidariTee raise money?

SolidariTee has many methods in place to ensure they reach their financial goals. The main one is the selling of their iconic t shirts. Each year SolidariTee releases a new design, each one designed by asylum seekers and refugees. For example, the 2020-21 t-shirt was created by asylum seekers and refugees at a community centre in Thessaloniki, Greece called Elpida Home. The t-shirts also come in a variety of sizes, colours and unique designs so you can have one for every outfit!

While selling t-shirts is a key way SolidariTee raises money, they also put on a variety of fundraising events such as panel discussions, bake sales, pub quizzes, club nights, sport events and many more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CR2ASKgBT7F/?utm_medium=copy_link

How to Get Involved:

As the charity is student led, you will find teams of SolidariTee all throughout UK universities. Each university has a dedicated group of reps that sell t-shirts, organise fundraising events, raise awareness and encourage people to talk about the refugee crisis.

As a university, City has not been involved with the charity until this year, so we are currently looking to recruit reps for the 2021-2022 year. To be a rep you do not need any previous experience, just the drive and determination to help make a difference.

What will the Role Entail?

  • Each rep has 20 t-shirts to sell throughout the academic year
  • Reps must encourage people to have conversations about the refugee crisis to raise awareness
  • Reps will have the opportunity to organise fundraising events
  • Each rep only is required to work around 3 hours a week

How to Apply  :

Simply follow this link at the bottom of this page and fill in an application form indicating you want to become a rep.

If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email at the following address:

Alice.Clifford@city.ac.uk – Head Rep at SolidariTee City

Follow this link to find out about World Refugee day.