Student Action For Refugees (STAR)
Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is the national network of students groups working to improve the lives of refugees in the United Kingdom by:
- Promoting positive images of refugees
- Volunteering for local refugee projects
- Campaigning for refugees
The organisation has close ties with several other refugee agencies such as the Refugee Council, Refugee Action and UNHCR.
History
STAR was the idea of Andy Davies, a post-graduate student at Nottingham University, he set up the first STAR group in 1994. A member of the first STAR group committee, Elly Hargreave went on to form the national charity of STAR, building a network of groups. She started the next 25 STAR groups nationwide from 1997. She secured the support of a wide range of funders and refugee organisations who partnered with and supported STAR as it grew.
In 1999 the organisation became a registered charity with an office in London to support the network with 4 staff members as well as a number of short and long term volunteers.
STAR Network
The STAR network now consists of 50 university groups (usually as a society in the Students' Union) as well as Friends of STAR for individuals and organisations to support STAR's work.
The groups are supported by the national office which provides various resources, training and organisation.
Each year STAR organises a national Conference in the Autumn Term, an Annual Action Day in Spring and a Summer training weekend. These events are for all young people interested in finding out more about refugee issues.
University Groups
The following universities have a STAR group:
- Aston
- Bath
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- City
- Croydon
- Edinburgh
- Essex
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Gloucestershire
- Goldsmiths
- Kent
- King’s College London (KCL)
- Leeds
- Lincoln
- Liverpool
- Loughbrough
- London South Bank University (LSBU)
- London School of Economics (LSE)
- Manchester
- New College of the Humanities (NCH)
- Northampton
- Nottingham
- New York University London
- Oxford
- Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)
- Queen Mary’s Pro Bono Society (QMPBS)
- Roehampton
- Sheffield
- Sheffield Hallam
- Southampton
- St George’s
- Stirling
- Surrey
- Sussex
- Swansea
- University College London (UCL)
- University of East Anglia (UEA)
- University of East London (UEL)
- University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP)
- University of South Wales (USW)
- University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD)
- Warwick
- West London College
- Winchester
- York[1]
Starting a STAR Society or Group
Some STAR groups are supported by the University Union as volunteering projects (and get advice support and training from the Union volunteering bureau). Other groups are supported by their Union Societies sabbatical officer or similar. Each STAR group is different and unique in what they do depending on the groups interest (maybe in volunteering at a local refugee drop in centre, or perhaps focussing on raising awareness on campus).
All groups, and those interested in starting a group can access support from the National Office in the form of training, advice (on group issues and refugee issues), visits to meetings and events, awareness raising materials (leaflets, banners, games, etc.)and regular contact with the rest of the network.
References
- Student Action for Refugees, 'Find a STAR Group' <http://www.star-network.org.uk/index.php/getting_involved/find_a_star_group> date accessed 16 April 2=2020