Refugee Council Sleepout

Hello STAR Members!

In order to highlight the destitution experienced by many refused asylum seekers in the UK the Refugee Council is organising a sleepout in Parliament Square on Monday 19th February, the day before quarterly Home Office asylum statistics are published. They are asking What's so wrong with treating people right?

They are looking for hardy volunteers to spend a night a night on a historic site of protest opposite Parliament. A core team is required who can arrive with their warm clothes and a sleeping bag (covers to keep you dry are supplied), but a small army of helpers on short shifts during the evening on Monday, and from early morning on the Tuesday is also needed.

If you are interested in being a part of this demonstration to highlight the plight of the refused asylum seekers that sleep rough every night as part of the Refugee Council's Just. Fair. campaign contact justfair@refugeecouncil.org.uk.

This is a chance to demonstrate to the public media and MPs that destitute refused asylum seekers have no home and that destitution is not working as a policy. Refused asylum seekers are not leaving the UK – they are here and they are homeless and hungry.

Hope many of you will get involved!

~ LSE STAR Committee

Speaker event!

DETENTION, DESTITUTION & HOPE

Come along to H202 on Thursday 1st February at 7pm to hear from those with first hand experience of the asylum system. There will also be live music and food available. We will be visited by:

• Mr Kirk Mwesigwa, an asylum seeker from Uganda who was detained for seven months.
• The London Detainee Support Group.
• A representative from Student Action for Refugees National Office.

There will also be information available on the opportunity of volunteering with detainees.

See you all there!

~ LSE STAR Committee

EVENT - Film Showing

Hello everyone,

At 6pm on Thursday 18th January in S75 we will be showing Shooting Dogs, a film based on the true story of the Rwandan genocide. This is a great chance to meet other members of STAR and become aware of refugee issues not just in the UK but around the world.

Free drinks and snacks will be available, hope to see you all there!

~ LSE STAR Committee

Trip to Refugee Exhibition

Hello everyone,

Our first STAR event this year will be a visit to the refugee exhibition in the Museum of London - 'Belonging: Voices of London's Refugees' on Wednesday 29th November.
Everyone is welcome to come along, we will be meeting at 12pm outside Old Building and be travelling there by bus together. Remember to bring your Oyster cards! This is the only cost you will have to cover as the entry to the Exhibition is FREE. This is a great opportunity to become aquainted with Refugee issues and meet other members of STAR!

Hope to see you all there,
~LSE STAR Committee

New STAR Year

Hello and welcome to all our members new and old and anyone else who may be here!

The new STAR committee has been elected and has already got to work planning events for the coming year and we hope that we will have an exciting and active time.

Come and see us on Thursday 2nd November when we will be holding a stall on Houghton Street in order to publicise our group, create awareness of what we do and the events we will be taking part in and to encourage more people to join the STAR Network. Come along to sign up, get some information or just for a chat!

Looking forward to an exciting year, hoping lots of you will get involved!
~ LSE STAR Committee

Thanks for a great year!

The STAR Committee 2005/2006 would like to thank all STAR members for making this an active and exciting year. You helped us revive STAR at LSE and made the film events, speaker series, mentoring, photo exhibits, etc. a joy -- thank you! We are currently recruiting students interested in taking on leadership roles in STAR next year. Feel free to post to the blog to express interest.

Warm thanks!
-LSE STAR Committee
Melanie, Katia, Emilie, Eve, Inga, Shayaan, Preetha, Heather

Refugee week NEWS - REFUGEE DAY 20 JUNE

>>Read the UNHCR's press release on World Refugee Day -- 20 June -- online here:
'UNHCR marks World Refugee Day on Tuesday June 20 with a simple, powerful message for the millions of refugees and displaced people around the globe – never give up hope.'

>>See the history of World Refugee Day and the UK's Refugee Week on the Forced Migration Online website here.

>>Help mark the occassion by attending a refugee related event in London -- see the link to the schedule below.

National Refugee WEEK! 19-25 June

Hundreds of events will be taking place all over the country during Refugee Week 2006 (19-25th of June). Refugee Week celebrates the contribution refugees make to the UK and promotes understanding about the reasons why people seek sanctuary.

Find an event to attend on the Refugee Week website here. There's everything from music showcases to educational workshops -- have a look!

Photo exhibit updated -- stop by the library to check out the latest!

The STAR photo exhibition was rotated today, 15 May. Need a break from exam revision? Want to learn a bit about forced migration? Stop by to see the latest photos in LSE's library foyer. Exhibit ends Saturday, 20 May, 2006.

Warm thanks,
-LSE STAR Committee

STAR photo exhibition! 8th-20th May in the London School of Economics library

From Monday, 8 May until Saturday, 20 May, STAR will be displaying photos of refugees and other forced migrants in the foyer of LSE's library. Stop by to view photos (with detailed captions) of migrants from Burma, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Namibia, East Timor, Liberia and more. The exhibition is comprised of a mix of photos from LSE students and STAR National and UNHCR collections.

Please click here to see a sample slideshow of the exhibit online.
>CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW
(no need to sign in -- simply click the image, then click 'slideshow' to start viewing)
We hope these photographs add to your understanding of forced migration.
Many thanks for your support!
-LSE STAR Committee

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo above (Afghan child refugee in Tehran) courtesy Maryam Ashrafi -- (c) All rights reserved. You may not use any of the photos contained on the blog or in the slideshow without express permission from STAR and the artist. Photos compiled online by Eve Lotter, LSE STAR blog mistress.