Red Cross Blogs

Lunch and learn about Refugee Week

By Julie Linter
June 16, 2009 at 5:20 pm

If you have read some of my earlier blogs you will know that James and Lilly have been doing an internship with the Red Cross, co-ordinating our refugee week activities in Bristol and Swindon.

They decided that a great way of raising awareness amongst Red Cross staff and helping them celebrate refugee week was through lunch and learn sessions. Staff were invited to bring their packed lunch (with a promise of cake) and to spend their lunch break finding out more ……..

The great videos developed for the Red Cross ‘lookbeyondthelabel’ campaign were shown – encouraging people to look beyond the refugee label to the individual and to celebrate the positive contribution refugees make to life in the UK. Staff in Bristol and Gloucester were particularly interested in Eric’s story as he came down to Gloucester in 2007 (from Leicester) as a Red Cross volunteer to help with our emergency response after the flooding.

Staff were also asked to watch a Refugee Action video ‘The Destitution trap’ which includes interviews with people whose asylum claim has been rejected and who are now living destitute in the UK. This is an incredibly powerful video and the room was silent when it came to an end. Please watch it.

The “quiz and learn” section of the session went down well – there were a few surprises. For instance do you know how many people applied for asylum in the UK in 2008? Was it

a. 235,400

b. 25, 670 or

c. 123,450

As the most of the staff who came along are not involved with our refugee programme on a day-to-day basis they were reminded about the work that the Red Cross does in Bristol and around the country to help and support vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, including helping people find their families.

Finally James and Lilly told the stories of two asylum seekers in Bristol who have used our services and are now volunteering with the Red Cross so that they can help others. Neither knows yet if they will be able to stay in the UK.

Feedback from staff who attended the sessions has been good. Ceri, one of our admin officers, said “it makes you think”.

Have you been made to think this refugee week?

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Tags: asylum seekers, Bristol, destitution, internships, Refugee Week, refugees, Volunteering

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