Outreach and Events
Whilst refugees have always belonged to Europe's history, the 'crisis' as we know it, starting in 2015, has sparked new debate and shaped politics across the region. We don't just want to inform young people of the crisis; as an international community, we are striving to broaden our horizons, educate ourselves and test our preconceptions. Read more to find out how we're working with schools,universities, and non-student supporters to raise awareness and seek sustainable solutions to the injustices perpetuated against refugees worldwide. Scroll down for a summary of the types of events we've run to date.
SolidariTee Conference
February 2021
Themed 'Then and Now: The Refugee Crisis since 2015', this event was the first ever in-person conference we were able to run, after 2 conferences organised during the covid-19 pandemic. The event also acted as SolidariTee's 5th birthday party, and we were joined by more than 100 people, both in London and online via livestream. The conference covered topics including media representations of forcibly displaced people, climate migration, mental health in refugee populations and the impact of biometric technologies, and asked questions about the ways to truly create lasting impact when advocating for the rights of displaced people. To read more, visit our conference page, or view the talks on our YouTube channel.
SolidariTee Conference
February 2021
Themed 'seeking solutions to injustices against refugees', our very first SolidariTee conference brought together a diverse lineup of speakers, covering topics from the media’s depiction of refugees to the impact of forced displacement on mental health.
We sought to provide an interdisciplinary, action focused weekend exploring solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our time. United by a commitment to refugee rights but with differing areas of expertise, we were joined virtually by over 150 people over the course of the weekend.
In addition to speakers with lived experience of forcible displacement, NGO workers and academics, 12 of our own SolidariTee volunteers also gave their own presentations in our stundent segment, covering topics ranging from the influence of linguistics to climate on forcible displacement which they had researched in groups.
Photo from 2022 Conference
School Workshops
The refugee crisis is a difficult topic to bring to the classroom. We use our experience as students to the best of our ability, ensuring our workshops are informative, discursive and energetic.
One photo here shows part of our codebreaking activities; codes are used in our workshops to imitate the way in which a refugee may have to decipher a foreign language, such as Greek, upon arrival in Europe. This is just one method which we use to help students understand the journey of a refugee once in Europe, and the difficulties that it brings.
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Discussion is a key aspect of our workshops. Our opinions differ depending on our own experiences, cultures, upbringings, and we encourage students to take this into account when reading politics. The coins photo is visual depiction of the refugee population around the world, according to what a group of secondary-school students had seen on the news. Students are often surprised to learn of how vast the refugee crisis is, and how little of it is covered by the media.
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"It's been a pleasure working with SolidariTee this year. They have been running workshops at Oppidan Camps, educating the children on the difficulties faced by refugees, but entwining this into a creative t-shirt painting session to help engage the children. The staff are incredibly friendly and professional, with a clear goal and passion for this charity."
Felicity McDonald, Events and Camp Manager - Oppidan Education 2019
