Student Action For Refugees (STAR)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Student Action for Refugees, or STAR, is a national network of students and young people which is concerned with refugees and asylum seekers within the United Kingdom. STAR's focus is on three areas:
- Raising awareness of refugee and asylum seeker issues
- Supporting local refugees through volunteering
- Campaigning for refugees and aslum seekers' rights.
The organisation has close ties with several other refugee agencies such as the Refugee Council, Refugee Action and UNHCR.
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[edit] History
STAR was started by Andy Davies, a post-graduate student at Nottingham University, in 1994 and with the help of Elly Hargreave, another student there, groups were set up at other universities.
In 1999 the organisation became a registered charity and company and now has an office in London to support the network with 5 full time staff members as well as a number of short and long term volunteers and interns.
In 2000 STARs work expanded to outreach with young people. Youth volunteers and staff spent the year on the road running awareness raising workshops in schools, colleges and youth clubs. STAR continues to run outreach workshops and activities for young people across the country.
[edit] STAR Network
The STAR network now consists of over 30 university groups (usually as a society in the Students' Union) as well as the Youth Network for young people aged 16-25, and Friends of STAR for individuals and organisations to support STAR's work.
The groups are supported by the national office which provides various resources, training and organisation.
Each year STAR organises a national Conference in the Autumn Term, an Annual Action Day in Spring and a Summer training weekend. These events are for all young people interested in finding out more about refugee issues. Last years Conference (STARs 9th) was held in Liverpool and was attended by over 150 students and young people.
[edit] University Groups
The following universities have a STAR group:
- Birmingham
- Bradford
- Bristol & Bristol UWE
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Cairo, Egypt
- DeMontford
- Edinburgh
- Essex
- Glasgow
- Hull
- Kings College London (KCL)
- Leeds & Leeds Met
- Liverpool
- LSE
- London School of Economics (LSE)
- Newcastle
- Northumbria
- Norwich
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Plymouth
- Reading
- Sheffield
- School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
- Southampton
- St.Georges Medical School
- Swansea
- University College London (UCL)
- Warwick
- York College of Law
[edit] Starting a STAR Society or Group
Some STAR groups are supported by the University Union as volunteering projects (and get advice support and training from the Union volunteering bureau). Other groups are supported by their Union Societies sabbatical officer or similar. Each STAR group is different and unique in what they do; depending on the groups interest (maybe in volunteering at a local refugee drop in centre, or perhaps focussing on raising awareness on campus).
All groups, and those interested in starting a group can access support from the National Office in the form of training, advice (on group issues and refugee issues), visits to meetings and events, awareness raising materials (leaflets, banners, games, etc)and regular contact with the rest of the network.
