Support Young People to thrive at Asylum Welcome

Starting on 30th July 2024, a wave of riots took place in the UK, targeting Black and Brown immigrants, asylum seekers and Muslims.

After years of racist, anti-immigration rhetoric and Islamophobia from politicians and journalists, it is not surprising that during a cost of living crisis, there are people in the UK internalising and representing these attitudes.

The people who rioted are identifying asylum seekers and migrants as the reason for more endemic, widespread social problems. Many riots violently targeted people seeking asylum, Black and Brown people who have immigrated to the U.K and Muslim communities.

We are two mothers from Oxford who work in the field of healthcare and social justice. In the wake of the past weeks we reached out to the team at Asylum Welcome to ask how we could best offer our help to the young people they support.

We would love to raise £3000 (ideally more as we'd love to secure the funds for their next 6 months!) to cover running costs for Asylum Welcome’s weekly youth club ‘Venda’ and holiday activities for the next three months.

This fundraiser is a gesture of support for some of the most vulnerable youth in our community following threatening riots, for young people who have faced atrocities that have forced them to flee their homes for the UK.

This fundraiser is a gesture from us as a community to say to these young people that we care about them, that we want them to thrive, and that they are important members of the Oxfordshire community.

The team have shared with us the following information about their transformational services:

"The young people we support through our Youth Service have mostly arrived as unaccompanied minors – and mainly from places with war or extreme instability such as in Eritrea, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. We provide regular enrichment activities and opportunities and help young people apply for college or jobs. Last year our Youth Service supported 233 vulnerable clients under the age of 25. Many of those we work with are victims of trafficking and/or are in the care of the local authority and they are all from the most economically disadvantaged backgrounds."

This is a time for community action and community resourcing, alongside rallies and marches.

‘You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.’ Angela Davis

In solidarity,

x Emily and Emmy x

“I do not know how to thank Asylum Welcome; they have helped me so much over the past two years. When I arrived, Asylum Welcome helped me with so many things - applying for school, getting a bus pass, learning English and much more. I started going to Venda, the youth club, which runs every Tuesday. We play snooker, video games, eat pizza and have other refreshments. We also go on trips and do activities sometimes, such as going on day trips to Bournemouth. Venda has helped me to improve my English a lot! I decided I wanted to help other people and so I volunteered for the youth service. I call clients every week to remind them and ask if they are coming to Venda. I also help during the youth club, getting refreshments for people and helping wherever I can.”

Youth client