As a 19 year old student, I sometimes find news programmes and papers to be very tedious, leading to me avoiding them. However, as my ascent into adulthood is fast approaching it may be useful (and also less embarrassing) to become better associated with news and current affairs.
A recurring issue in the news is that of immigrants and refugees. The most recent crisis has taken root from Syria where thousands of refugees have attempted to seek solitude in areas of Western Europe, including the UK. These attempts at seeking refuge have been met with major resistance from many nations, resulting in drastic ends for some of these refugees.
As students we are very reserved from most real life issues, and often when news does spread we only receive one side of the story, usually from the journalist’s point of view. I decided to delve deeper not only into the issue, but into how we as students at the University of Leeds can help with the relief effort…
I attended the RefugeesWelcome talk last week to find out more.
The talk focused not only on the migrant and refugee issues currently being broadcasted in the media but also the global crises that have been ongoing for years – which advocate the need for a rapid resolution. Included in the evening were proposals from various refugee aid groups on how to get involved as a student here in Leeds.
The Student Action for Refugees (STAR) group is an active member on campus and has a host of opportunities for anyone to get involved in. Opportunities coming up soon include the RefugeesWelcome Leeds rally on Saturday 17th October, held in millennium square. Something a little more low key is a world food tasting GIAG hosted by Leeds Students for Global Health, where you can taste cuisine from all over the world while joining in discussion about the wider issues of global health.
The main objectives of the local refugee groups are to provide support through campaigning and fundraising initiative to those who are involved in or have experienced issues embedded in the crisis. By providing necessities such as food, shelter and proper security, we can make huge improvements to the harsh reality for many when seeking refuge in the UK and elsewhere.
For more information visit the RefugeesWelcomeLeeds page where information is often posted about new local opportunities on volunteering for refugee relief. You can also catch the second general meeting for RefugeesWelcome on the 19th of October if you are interested in finding out more about the cause.
Kathryn Muir
Further information can be found on the Facebook pages for some of the initiatives mentioned.
RefugeesWelcome https://www.facebook.com/events/1633838110221156/
STAR student action for refugees https://www.facebook.com/leedsunistar
Leeds students for global health https://www.facebook.com/LeedsGlobalHealth