About RYS
Refugee Youth Service was created in 2015 in the camp settlement in Calais, France, formerly known as "The Jungle".
A youth centre and safe space was set up for the unaccompanied children residing in the camp. A space where they could seek respite from their daily routines, and connect with the services that could enable them to move on.
Mission & Values
Through a holistic approach, Refugee Youth Service supports displaced unaccompanied children and young people to re-start and rebuild their lives where they are, or safely and legally reach an alternative destination that is in their better interests. We provide children and young people with safe spaces, where they can access legal, social and psychological support from local professionals, and seek respite through engagement in creative activities, organised sports and non-formal education.
Our values are the foundations upon which we create change and stand up for what we believe is right.
Dignity & Respect
We see children and young people as free & autonomous agents voices that must be heard. With the exception of emergency intervention and child protection, change is fostered with the guidance and mentorship of qualified and experienced professional staff.
Inclusion &Equality
We believe that individuals are entitled to live a life free from poverty, abuse, war and the effects of climate change. Where people are born should not dictate their access to opportunity. We believe not just in the right to safety, but in equal access and opportunity to thrive.
Collaboration &PartnershipWorking
We believe that partnering with local organisations is the best strategy for success. We can not create systemic change on our own; we are stronger together.
Responsiveness& Innovation
We remain dynamic and nimble, ready to respond when needs arise. Our programs are entrepreneurial and innovative in nature, we aren’t afraid to develop and test new approaches to old problems.
Our Pillars
The 5 foundational elements of our work and activities.
Pillar 1
Child Protection
We actively monitor the welfare of the children who use our services, in order to make the necessary internal and external referrals to specialist services, and report children of concern to the relevant authorities where appropriate. We encourage all children to request protection and asylum from the country they are in. Our safe and secure spaces are often the first port-of-call for children and young people in need of immediate protection.
Activities include: Provision of safe spaces, advice and guidance from local professionals on a range of issues, emergency referrals to state and non-state child protection actors; emergency housing referrals.
Pillar 2
Access To Rights
Promoting and protecting children and young people’s rights is at the centre of what we do. We actively ensure children and young people are aware of their rights, we provide access to legal representation and advice, and in addition we work alongside a number of NGOs to collect data and compile reports evidencing the unacceptable situations children and young people are facing in Europe.
Activities include: Rights based workshops, legal advice and guidance including support through the asylum process, advocating for individuals when they are denied their rights, advocating for structural change and national and EU level.
Pillar 3
Education and Life skills
RYS teaches local and international languages to children and young people, to aid their integration or prepare them for their destination country. However, as education is not only a process of learning curriculum subjects, we embed education into our projects through activities and workshops, as means to establish routines and structure, and to promote critical thinking and exploration of topics outside young people’s daily life experiences.
Activities include: Non-formal language programs; educational, and creative activities & workshops designed to promote self-expression and the development of life-skills; creation of Learning & Education Action Plans (LEAPs); support with returning to school or securing scholarships for higher education.
Pillar 4
Integration
Integrating is one of the great challenges that newly arrived children and young people face, and therefore one of the most important focus areas for RYS. To us integration is more than a ‘tick-box exercise’, and whilst returning to school, or securing training and employment opportunities are critical to the process, we value equally children and young people’s sense of belonging to their new community, and their meaningful engagement with it.
Activities include: Integration focused housing; livelihoods support including CV writing, job search and interview skills; helping to secure private accommodation; support to access education and training opportunities; information on and support with joining local activities, groups and clubs in-line with young people’s special interests and hobbies.
Pillar 5
Capacity Building & Raising Awareness
RYS also achieves its mission by building the capacity of communities, organisations and individuals to support unaccompanied children and young people. This part of our work is focused on the UK, and centres around a training programme titled ‘Journey with an Unaccompanied Child’. The participants of the training learn about the common experiences of children on the move, how these experiences may shape their behaviour and needs, and how we can support them. The training has a broad audience, including social workers, teachers, foster carers, healthcare professionals, and a wide range community groups.
Activities include: Online and in-person training, delivered for durations of 2-5 hours. Find out more information about our Training Offers.
Who AreWe?
We are a diverse group of people united and motivated to make a long lasting impact on the lives of children and young people who are unaccompanied and displaced. Social workers, cultural mediators and youth workers are core to our work, with all team members sharing a passion for securing a better future for children and young people on the move.
RYS Team
Jonny
CEO & Co-founder
Following an initial month of volunteering in the Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp in 2015, Jonny co-founded RYS to provide immediate support to the unaccompanied children residing there. With RYS, Jonny has since designed and implemented a wide range of projects and solutions for children and young people on the move across Europe. Jonny is motivated to now expand RYS’s work in his home country, and to support efforts to hold to account those that continue to fail children and young people who are unaccompanied and displaced.
Mustafa
Project Manager, Athens
Mustafa joined RYS as a cultural mediator in 2017, where he immediately began his training as a youth support worker, and in 2019 was appointed project manager. Mustafa continues in this role today, and also sits on the board of Greek partner organisation Velos Youth. With direct experience of the issues young displaced people face, Mustafa’s personal and professional mission is to support them to restart and rebuild their lives. Mustafa is also a small business owner, and outside of work enjoys releasing his creativity through sketching, and staying connected with his mother tongue language and culture through Arabic music.
Scarlett
Social Worker
Scarlett is driven by the promotion of young people’s independence through empowering and enabling. She joined RYS’ ‘No Children in Hotels Project,’ guided by the principle that everyone deserves care in accordance with their personal needs. Specialising in contextual safeguarding and mental capacity, Scarlett strengthens RYS’ ability to offer comprehensive and holistic support. Scarlett firmly believes in being a catalyst for change, promoting equity whilst advocating for anti-oppressive practices.
Roseanna
Social Worker & Trainer
Roseanna is dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children via robust and innovative safeguarding practices, and through the delivery of services proven to work. Roseanna has been a qualified Social Worker since 2015 but left the UK in 2019 to understand the experiences of children on the move in Europe. Here she joined Refugee Youth Service, undertaking a number of roles in both France and Greece. Roseanna currently delivers RYS’ ‘Journey with an Unaccompanied Child’ capacity-building training’.
Massi
Trainer
Massi was hired as an intern under RYS’s Journey with an Unaccompanied Child, where he is both using and developing his passion for training and facilitation. Massi loves acting and being in front of the camera and has recently been accepted as a member of National Youth Theatre (NYT). Massi also volunteers for the British Red Cross, and is an associate artist for a charity called Compass Collective. He is a big football fan and loves meeting new people.
Sanna
Youth Support Worker
Sanna is a Youth Support Worker for the ‘No Children in Hotels’ project in Berkshire. Sanna has a BA in International Relations and an NYA Level 2 Youth Work Principles qualification. She also works as a Session Worker for Together As One, a Slough based youth charity and has been involved with young people in the community for more than seven years. She is driven to create community spaces for young people, and better access to mental health support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and those with SEN. Sanna loves reading and long walks to feed the ducks! She’s an Arsenal FC supporter and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Mariam
Session Worker
Mariam has over 8 years of experience in the field of migration, having worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the German Red Cross across various contexts. Mariam also holds an LLM in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and is currently pursuing another LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development.
As a native Arabic speaker, Mariam is able to build trusting relationships with many the young people supported by RYS. She is also able to leverage her language skills to facilitate effective communication between young people and other RYS team members. Her pragmatic approach and extensive background make her highly effective in addressing the challenges faced by unaccompanied youth.
Afsana
Session Worker
Afsana joined RYS as a Session Worker in December 2023. With Dari as her native language she assists the organisation in communicating and building trusting relationships with unaccompanied young people.
Afsana has an MA in Inclusive Education, SEN, and Disability and is currently pursuing an MA in International Child Rights and Development at King’s College London. Her career goals concern inclusion in education, with a particular focus on enabling children from minority groups, refugees, and asylum seekers, including UASC, to thrive.
RYS Board
Camilla
Camilla’s passion is empowering groups to identify the change they themselves desire and helping them to make it happen. As a freelance facilitator and trainer, she works closely with a wide variety of teams and groups to strengthen their internal processes and help them achieve their desired outcomes. Camilla joined RYS as a Director in 2019, and is now serving as its Chair.
Jess
Jess is motivated by her passion for justice, she believes there is a great deal of unrecognised power in the combination of lived experience and professional skills. She has worked in social justice and health charities both in the UK and Internationally and is currently at Shelter as Head of Retention and Development in Individual giving. Jess joined in 2024 and will guide RYS communications to drive resources to expand reach.
Rhia
Rhia is a communications specialist and interdisciplinary artist with a demonstrated history of working with grassroots and international NGOs. She is skilled in copywriting, project coordination, and stakeholder management. Having joined organisations such as SolidariTee and EarthRefuge, Rhia has worked directly with people facing forced displacement and draws on this to successfully implement and develop strategies. She is currently working at WWF-UK in Philanthropy, and Nature Based Solutions.
Bhargabi
Bhargabi is a Graduate in Public International Law from the London School of Economics, currently working in the Climate Change Committee’s Adaptation team to advise the UK government on climate policy. Previously, she worked with the United Nations in Korea to support coordination of humanitarian efforts. Her passion for working with refugees, IDPs and undocumented migrants started from close encounters with mass migration of Rohingyas to Bangladesh which formed into interests in Refugee Law during her study at Kent Law School. Forced displacement is a cause she’s been committed towards, and with Refugee Youth Service, supports projects that aid unaccompanied minors arriving in the UK.
Steve
Steve leads the work for a family trust called Panahpur, which means ‘place of refuge’. For many years the trust has been walking alongside leaders in every discipline providing safe spaces for honest conversations and also blue-sky imagination. Steve is a connector and loves bringing people together from across disciplines in the pursuit of positive change. Steve also host’s the Wonderspace Podcast which orbits around wonder and stories of hopefulness. Locally, Steve volunteers at the food/energy bank in Tonbridge in Kent where he lives.
Naqeeb
Naqeeb is passionate about empowering refugees and asylum seekers, and encouraging young people to fearlessly chase their dreams, overcome barriers, and make history. Naqeeb has worked with several refugee charities to protect the rights of people seeking sanctuary, and advocate for them at events and in the media. Notably, in 2019 as part of a group of young people, Naqeeb won the UK Parliament Community Campaigner of the Year Award.
Training
600+
Participants
1750+
Children indirectly impacted
Since spring 2022 RYS has been delivering capacity-building and awareness-raising trainings to organisations and communities that support, or wish to support, unaccompanied children in the UK.
Three different trainings are available, suited to organisations differing needs and time constraints.