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From having weekly chats with New Scots to help develop their English language skills in The Welcoming’s conversation café, to packing and delivering clothing for refugees held at the border and cared for by Care4Calais, our volunteering team are eager to help in any way they can. In the past year, our fundraising team have organised arts and crafts workshops, ceilidhs and live concerts to raise over £2,000 for local organisations that work directly with and help settle refugees. Our campaigning efforts this year have taken the form of various local guest speakers, who have generously offered to educate our student community. Particularly notable examples include Dr Ruairidh Tarvet and Dr Anja Tröger’s lecture on the experiences of refugees migrating to Scandinavia and how it clashes with the subregion’s perception as a utopian society, as well as journalist and award-winning producer, Zozan Yasar, who hosted a screening of her documentary “My Refugee Life,” which shed light on the many misconceptions people have about refugees settling in the UK.  

On all fronts, putting the experiences and needs of refugees is central to fostering our wider network’s shared goal, which is just as important now as it was three decades ago. As the narratives of politicians, institutions, and media continue to attack the rights of refugees, we exist to reach out to new students and provide them with the opportunity to learn for themselves about the asylum-seeking process and the experiences of refugees.  

I was first inspired to get involved with STAR after meeting their friendly and ambitious committee members. I was so impressed by their level of enthusiasm, and I remember feeling very welcome at the weekly meetings. Soon after, I learned a position on their fundraising team was available. 

I put myself forward and explained my reasoning for applying. STAR’s mission was, and still is, one that resonates with me personally. I would not be fortunate enough to be receiving a University education if it were not for my family's support, many of whom immigrated to Edinburgh from Baghdad in the 1980s to escape persecution from the Ba’ath party. Luckily, when settling in Scotland, they could rely on each other. However, not everyone has this privilege. Therefore, I wanted to apply for an organisation that helps those who can’t depend solely on family and instead seek help from local supportive communities. And I’m so glad I did, because I was empowered to do precisely that soon after being elected.  

One of our incredible partners is the Edinburgh Refugee Sponsorship Circle (ERSC). This community group utilises a government scheme known as community sponsorship to help resettle refugees fleeing persecution into the local area by providing them with housing, assisting with daily needs, supplying English lessons and celebrating cultural holidays together. 

However, to carry out such incredible voluntary work, they rely on donated funds to operate. So, when ERSC announced near the end of last year that they had applied to the Home Office to settle a third group of refugees into Edinburgh, we decided this would be an excellent opportunity to involve the active and passionate student community to help organise a concert fundraiser. 

We enlisted three generous student bands who donated their time and talent to perform a fantastic show for over 150 people. We proudly raised over £1,000 for ERSC in the process, who later shared their gratitude on social media and assured us that the funds would go a long way in helping welcome more refugees into the local Edinburgh community. 

Nearly one year later, I’ve now been elected STAR’s President, which puts me in charge of planning out all of next year’s exciting events and projects. While that’s still a whole summer away, STAR is keeping busy. We hope to launch another collaborative fundraising event with ERSC for Refugee Week this June. ERSC first welcomed a family of refugees in September 2020, but as of earlier this year, the landlord of the family's home intends to sell the property. Therefore, the family risks being displaced unless enough money is raised to put the property into a community trust.  

Regarding next year, we hope to grow our campaigning efforts to focus more on actively speaking out about the challenges refugees and asylum seekers increasingly face in the UK. To help achieve this goal and further our volunteering and fundraising missions, we’re always interested in hearing from local community activists and organisations, as well as students, especially those who want the opportunity to learn more about refugee experiences and contribute their efforts to make refugees feel more welcome in the UK. 

If that sounds like you, please get in touch with us through our email, or join us in person at our weekly campus meetings. 

Get in touch with STAR

Get in touch via email: starefugeesedinburgh@gmail.com