Issue 149

A Shining STAR

20th November 2006

STAR stands for Student Action for Refugees, they work to defend and support the rights of Refugees and asylum seekers in the UK with a focus on the local area. By highlighting issues that surround asylum seekers they aim to raise awareness and funds to go towards programmes that support this group of individuals.

Refugees are very often misunderstood and it's not surprising really if you consider the amount of bad press that they quite often receive. The idea that they drain society and live off our hard earned cash has all added to the bad image that refugees have. Yet many people neglect to remember that a refugee is someone who has left their country due to war, persecution, economic crisis, famine or natural disaster. It is also worth noting that less than 3% of asylum seekers in the world come to the UK, the majority of asylum seekers are looked after by poorer countries.

STAR aims to highlight these issues and help change the attitudes that surround asylum seekers; they highlight that refugees have made a massive cultural, social and economic contribution to life in the UK. Other points that they raise are that a single adult seeking asylum in the UK is entitled to just £31 a week, considerably less than someone claiming benefits. Employment is also forbidden, even though many asylum seekers are highly skilled and willing to work.

Asylum seekers and refugees, are, naturally, desperately homesick for the lives they have left behind. If, at some point in the future they could return, they would. STAR aims to help and give support to those who now find themselves in a strange and foreign country, through supporting local charities.

STAR recently ran a fundraising event in Monkey with all profits going to the Welsh Refugee Council, Swansea Bay Asylum Seekers Support Group and Asylum justice. They managed to raise just over £300 which is some feat considering that the society is so small with an active membership of only 6/8.

This was the first fundraising event for them this term and certainly was very successful when you consider the small membership, they still managed to attract over 100 people to the event. With 4 different live acts playing, downstaris in Monkey they also had an African DJ, a Salsa DJ and also a guest DJ from the universitys Xtreme radio. It is perhaps this range of music that attracted people to the event and in turn helped to raise awareness to all those in attendance.

Other events that they have run in the past include other live music events and also highlighting the plight of refugees by setting up a make-shift refugee camp on the lawn in front of Fulton House last year. They also hope to have a poetry recital in the Taliesen sometime in the near the future. This will showcase a selection of poetry from the local Swansea Bay Asylum Seeker Support Group. Helping to involve the local community in student life and also giving local Asylum seekers a chance to express themselves and tell their side of the story as to why they came to the UK.

STAR has close links with the local Swansea Bay Asylum Seeker Support Group with many of its members volunteering there to help teach English, among other things that they help out with at the support group. This really helps them to get involved with the local community which is really important to help make refugees and asylum seekers feel that they fit in.

If you would like more information about the STAR Society then please e-mail them at star@sucs.org

Dawn Lewis