Organisation Details

Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is a student-run organisation that aims to raise awareness of refugee issues and promote the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into society.

KCL STAR provides rewarding volunteering and campaigning experience and is open to all students!  We offer a range of opportunities for you to develop new skills, meet other passionate, like-minded students and be a part of a fun society.

Contact us via our Facebook page or email if you want to join or collaborate on volunteering programmes, campaigns or fundraising.  Make sure to sign up to our mailing list and follow us on all our socials for regular updates! 

 

KCL STAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE

This year our Annual Conference will look a little different! It will take place digitally over two days: 30th March, 5-7pm and 31st March, 5-8pm (UK time).

We will have a number of workshops and talks throughout the sessions centered around our spotlighted campaign: Lift The Ban. Lift the Ban is a coalition campaign, supported by Student Action for refugees alongside over 230 organisations. At KCL STAR, we are passionate about campaigning for the right to work for all asylum seekers. Therefore, we have invited industry professionals from many different backgrounds, including politics, art, theatre, literature, and medicine to join us in exploring this matter further through talks and workshops. We will also be hosting a debate in collaboration with the Lib Dem Society!

Get a ticket HERE.

 

Postcard 1

 

Postcard 2

Art by: Anna Virabyan

 

Volunteering Opportunities

Please note that all volunteers must go through our training before they could start volunteers. Contact the officers who are in charge of the programme for training and more information.

1. Southfields

Time: Each volunteer will sign up to a time slot that suits them and be expected to attend each week.  

Role: 

• Working across Y7-11 with a range of English abilities. 

• Mainly supporting with English homework, but also various other subjects. 

• A volunteer could be supporting 1-5 students in a session.

Where: 

• Southfields Academy School (Closest tube: Wimbledon or Southfields)

Duration: 

• Whole academic year, please let us know if you cannot volunteer for certain periods

COVID update: 

• TBC after consultation with Southfields Academy

• Potential for online support if in-person contact is not possible but this will depend on the school’s policies.

Email: Siobhan - [email protected]

2. LovetoLearn Homework club: Sign Up

Time: 

• Wednesdays 4:00-6:30 pm Seniors (10-16) OR

• Thursday 4:00-6:30 pm Juniors (4-10)

Role: 

• The club is run by the charity LovetoLearn and consists of two parts, 1 hour for homework and 1 hour for fun activities. 

• A volunteer may be asked to help a young person with homework, read or play with the younger children individually or in a group, help with cookery, arts and crafts, or sports activities. 

• If your application is successful, you will receive training in safeguarding and working with the children from LovetoLearn during a trial session.

Where: 

• Katherine Low Settlement Centre, Battersea (Closest station Clapham Junction)

Duration: 

• Whole academic year, please let us know if you cannot volunteer for certain periods. 

• Please only apply if you can commit for weekly volunteering for a minimum of 1 term (4 months)

 

COVID update:

• Due to COVID 19 many of our services have been adapted, the following volunteering opportunities are available for Summer 2020. This will be updated at the start of the next academic year. 

• Time:

  • Socially distanced sports and activities, Tuesdays 11 am - 4 pm;

  • Online activity club, Wednesdays, 4:30pm - 6:00 pm with ages 4-10 (juniors) 

  • Socially distanced summer program (days and times will vary)

Email: Rebecca - [email protected] 

 

3. Outreach:

 

Time: 

• tbc. 

• 6 sessions spaced through first and second term, including one day event in a school half term.

Role: 

• Delivering sessions about university and job application to young asylum seekers and refugees currently studying for GCSEs (but mostly of sixth form age). 

• Volunteers will be expected to work with small groups to help them with activities related to the content and to go more in depth on their particular aspirations. 

• There will be one day long event including a trip to a London attraction and workshops from KCL societies.

Where: 

• 3 sessions at Southfields Academy. 

• 3 sessions at each KCL campus (Guy’s, Strand, Waterloo (or potentially Denmark Hill if we have a volunteer studying there). 

• One trip to a London attraction.

Duration

• First and Second term. 

• It is possible to join the project in second term if, for example, you are on placement in second term or have a clash with a first term module.

COVID update

• TBC after consultation with Southfields Academy

• Potential for online sessions if in person contact is not possible.

• Sessions may only start in second term if that is deemed safer (there would still be 6 sessions just in a shorter space of time)

Email: Siobhan - [email protected]#

 

4. Other opportunities:

• Although a lot of our volunteering requires a significant time commitment there are many other ways you can get involved with STAR! We have regular team working on fundraising and other events, if you would like to be involved with this, please email our general email  [email protected]

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