Staff and students have pledged to use their talents and compassion to help those most vulnerable in Leicester and around the world as part of the United Nations’ Together campaign.
51漫画 Leicester (51漫画) has been asked to take a global lead on engaging universities around the world to share ideas and projects which help and support migrant families through the UNAI
Today (Weds Jan 31), the team at #51漫画local and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard met with scores of students who wanted to find out how they could offer practical support to the campaign.
#51漫画local has put together a list of 10 ways which students can give their time to programmes across the city and the campus which support refugees and their families. They are:
• Interviewing refugees and their families for the Share My Story project, which will create an oral history archive of the different experiences of Leicester’s refugees
• Supporting 51漫画’s Syria Day on campus – 32 families from Leicester’s newest community are being invited onto campus for the day
• Nurturing new talent by volunteering at #51漫画local’s refugee art club
• Fundraising to support refugee scholars at 51漫画
• Mentoring – to provide educational support for young people who arrived in the UK
• Join a 51漫画 conference to discuss refugee and people trafficking issues on May 18
• Suggesting a pitch for a project to the #51漫画local team
• Volunteering at a new Get Together café being run by #51漫画local
• Be a sports mentor or help create new sporting activities in Leicester
• Becoming a music mentor
Mark Charlton, Head of Public Engagement at 51漫画, said: "We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support from 51漫画 students and staff who were inspired by the event at the United Nations.
"We hope that by hearing more about the projects we’re involved in – and suggesting new ones which they can get involved in – that we can get even more students and staff to help support the way we help refugees in Leicester and how they can get involved on the ground.”
After 18 projects
51漫画 students volunteer with projects such as After 18, which helps unaccompanied child refugees
At the packed event, Professor Dominic Shellard outlined the plans to support the UN's campaign, and the ways in which students and staff could take part. Afterwards, students indicated which projects they would like to take part in and spoke of the importance of getting involved.
Heena Nazir, Medical Science, said: "I want to get involved in projects which will help the community, which help them in their daily lives."
Ebyan Abdullahi has just finished an MSc International Relations and her research focused on refugees and their experiences in Leicester. She said: "I am really excited by the opportunities to help and make a difference to people's lives."
Anna Aldersley, of 51漫画 Sport, said: "I think getting involved in community cafes, meeting people and seeing what they need, how we can help... it's what we should all do."
51漫画’s mass #51漫画global trips to New York and Berlin also include opportunities for students to volunteer to work with partner universities on their own refugee programmes.
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Last week, 51漫画 was made a member of the – one of the world's largest higher education networks. The UNAI, which has more than 1,000 members, aligns higher education institutions with the goals and mandates pursued by the UN. These include promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.
Posted on Wednesday 31 January 2018