An Update from our Partner in Calais
With support from RYS, ECPAT-France has been delivering its PROTECT project in Calais since August 2021. The project furthers the previous work of RYS and provides social, material and legal support to unaccompanied children on the street in Calais, and makes referrals to other specialist services. To date the project has supported over 500 children.
Outreach maurades are organized to the informal living sites of people on the move, including children. This approach aims at identifying children and supporting them through access to the services they need, whilst psychosocial activities are also organised to create a break from their daily lives and the challenges of living on the street.
Through various activities (cooking, film-debates, meditation, sports, painting), organised by social, intercultural mediators and the psychologist, these activities provide emotional support for young people in confidential and secure spaces; spaces in which they can also develop their own self-protective mechanisms.
One child, from Eritrea, explained “the activities allow me not to think about the try (attempt to cross towards United Kingdom), to forget for a few hours our life and our worries. I didn't know there were other young people like me here”, whilst another, from Sudan said “the first time I went there just to eat. Then we started getting closer. The activities allow us to be outside of our daily life, which is the arrival of the police, evictions, looking for food, going to the toilet, and nothing. There are many words and things that are in my heart.”
7 years after RYS was established, to support children living the ‘Jungle’ camp in Calais, it is clear that support for children on the move is just as needed as ever. To support the project, donate here.
Important Changes at RYS
Refugee Youth Service has been a Collective Fund under the charitable umbrella of Prism the Gift Fund since 2017. The decision to operate this way was made, as the Prism the Gift Fund website states, in order to be provided with the administration, governance and charitable expertise needed to allow us to focus on our charitable endeavors around the world. To date, being part of Prism has enabled us to carry-out work in France, Greece and Italy, supporting thousands of children and young people on the move.
While this relationship has been very beneficial to RYS, in 2022 the decision was made to also register our own independent non-profit organisation. There were two main reasons for this. Firstly, we felt it was time to build our own board and governance structure, featuring a range of skills, talents and expertise more closely related to our work with children and young people. Secondly, we wanted to become eligible for funding only available to smaller organisations, as some funders could not distinguish us, a small grassroots organisation, from the much larger Prism the Gift Fund (which also encompasses a wide range of impressive Collective Funds doing amazing work).
Therefore, in December 2022, RYS registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) in the UK under the name Refugee Youth Service UK CIC. This has so far allowed RYS to create its own board of directors, and apply to a range of new funding opportunities. RYS will also continue to work under the umbrella of Prism, as the Refugee Youth Service Collective Fund, to continue to be eligible for funding that is only available to registered charities.
The first major task of the new governance structure will be to support the launch of our new pilot project titled No Children in Hotels (NCH), which will help age-disputed asylum-seeking children leave adult hotel accommodations and enter the appropriate care systems in the UK. Alongside the Journey with an Unaccompanied Child capacity-building training the new project shows RYS’s continued direction towards the UK and efforts to support the children and young people arriving there. Currently, we are looking for enthusiastic and committed volunteers that share our values and principles and would like to support this new project. Please visit the Get Involved section of the website to find out more about the role and how to apply.
Alongside these changes and developments, RYS has also redeveloped its logo and website (with thanks to (Me & You Create). After seven years, this decision was taken in order to have a space to better highlight the issues faced by children and young people, and to better showcase what we are doing to address them. Whilst we might have changed our look, (and we hope that you love it as much as we do) our mission remains the same: to support unaccompanied children and young people on the move to restart and rebuild their lives.
Journey with an Unaccompanied Child shortlisted for the Frontline Innovation Award
The good news at RYS continues to come! We are delighted to share that we have had our unique and innovative capacity-building training recognised by the Frontline Innovation Award. Roseanna, the project lead and former Frontline Fellow has been shortlisted for their development of the “Journey with an Unaccompanied Child” (JUC from here) project. The award recognises innovation within social work that is helping to create social change for children and families who do not have a safe or stable home.
Roseanna is a qualified social worker who participated in the first cohort of the Frontline programme in 2014 and has, ever since, been working to support children and young people. Starting their journey with RYS in France, working with unaccompanied children in the informal settlements of Calais and Dunkirk, they then moved on to support RYS’ sister organisation in Athens, Velos Youth. Life brought Roseanna back to the UK in 2020, and a year later where they began to collaborate with RYS to create its first ever training offering; JUC.
The training is interactive and takes the participant through the real journeys of four unaccompanied children, from their countries of origin, through Europe, to the UK. JUC shares the expertise developed over the past seven years, and is the only training in the UK that covers in depth the journeys that children have made to get there. Designed for all individuals, organisations and communities that are welcoming and supporting unaccompanied children across the UK, in just one year we have trained over 450 people who collectively work directly with over 1200 children.
We are excited to continue working with Roseanna to roll-out the training across the UK. If you would like to learn more about Journey with an Unaccompanied Child or would like to reserve your place, click here.
To support this or other projects of RYS, please click here.
Welcoming Massi to the RYS Team
Journey with an Unaccompanied Child is an interactive training delivered both online and in person, which shares seven years of expertise gained from supporting children and young people on the move across Europe. The participants follow real children as they are forced to leave home alone, travel across the globe and eventually cross the English channel to reach the UK.
As part of a movement towards more compassionate care and processes that avoid re-traumatisation, participants leave with an understanding of the common experiences of children, the impact of childhood trauma on the brain and practical guidance on how best to support unaccompanied children in the UK.
We are delighted to share that the project has now been running for over a year and has been delivered to over 400 people across seven different sectors including, social care, foster care, health and education. Collectively, those trained support over 1500 displaced children in the UK!
In line with our goal is to reach every individual and group that supports unaccompanied children in the UK, and given the quick growth in demand for the training, RYS made the decision in January to hire a Trainee Co-trainer. The main eligibility criteria for applicants was for them to have lived experience of arriving in the UK alone as a child. After all, who better to deliver training on children’s journeys than those who have taken the journey themselves! Of course, RYS was also motivated to create a new opportunity for young people passionate about training and facilitation.
Side note: Whilst it was made clear to each applicant that they would never be expected to share or discuss their own journey to the UK, almost all applicants expressed that part of their motivation for applying was in fact to have the opportunity to do just this.
We received several extraordinary applications, and undertook a number of interviews. The final decision was not an easy one to make, but we are delighted to welcome Massi Saffa to the RYS team! Massi is a passionate actor, director, trainer and facilitator and has already proven to be a great asset to the team. We are excited to continue this new chapter of RYS and are looking forward to working with Massi to further develop the training and achieve our ultimate goal of reaching as many people as possible in the UK.
To find out more about the training visit our Training and Events page.
If you would like to make a donation to RYS and support our work go to our Donate page.
RYS Annual Report 2022
We are delighted to present another Refugee Youth Service (RYS) annual report, full of progress and achievements in our mission to support displaced children and young people to restart and rebuild their lives in Europe. Through unwavering dedication, collaboration, and the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to positively impact the lives of hundreds more children and young people who need our support.
This report includes contextual updates regarding the locations in which RYS works or supports work, as well as detailed updates on the major achievements of RYS in 2022.
Read the full report here.
Journey with an Unaccompanied Child: Year One Update
For those that don’t know, RYS has been delivering training to the individuals, organisations and communities that are welcoming and supporting unaccompanied children across the UK. The training shares the expertise developed over the past seven years, and is the only training in the UK that covers the journeys that children have made to get there.
The project launched with two pilots in January after three months of research and development. Since then we have trained over 300 people across the UK, who collectively work directly with over 1200 children that arrived in the UK on their own.
We’ve reached:
- Every role in statutory health and social care
- Supported lodgings and fostering services
- Community groups and NGOs
- Educators
We have delivered versions of the training in person and on team away days, and ran the first of a series of community awareness events. We were also invited to deliver short talks and gave a keynote address at the Institute of Government & Public Policy’s event this summer.
Thanks to everyone who has joined the movement towards the improved welcome and care of unaccompanied children in the UK. If you haven’t yet, click here to find out more!
A New Chapter for Language Learning in Greece
Refugee Youth Service is delighted to announce that it has secured funding for a new project in Athens, titled Living the English Language. The project is funded by the British and Foreign School Society and will run for two years.
It may seem strange to offer English language classes in a country where the first language is not English, however the rationale put forward by the young people who requested it was strong. Many stated that they were already familiar with the English language and that they could express themselves and make themselves understood. Being that English is an international language they explained how they were able to communicate and socialise with people from various countries, enjoy music whilst understanding the lyrics on channels such as YouTube, and watch TV series and movies with English subtitles. Moreover, those who played in football teams said that they have no problem communicating with their coach and teammates as they all spoke English and therefore practices and matches ran smoothly.
Perhaps most impressive though was their claim that by having a good enough level of English skills they could secure a simple job in Greece, or an even better future in countries such as England, France and Germany, through having high profile professions with good salaries which will enable them to support themselves and their families.
It was clear then that the young people were more motivated to build on their existing English language skills, as opposed starting from the beginning with a new language. The young people we support are generally in need of quick results in their education, and having to wait for a long time before they can see any progress only deters them. This is almost always the case with the Greek language as opposed to English. All participants agreed that they have many things to worry about and that adding one more such as learning a difficult new language like Greek is not possible for them. For those that had tried, they explained how upon enrolling in various Greek courses they could not keep up with the level of the class as it was advanced, resulting in them feeling discouraged and dropping out.
As a result, the new project was designed with the following three core outcomes:
- Young people go on to attend further education and training opportunities
- Young people secure jobs that use English as a vehicular language
- Young people's self-esteem and self-worth is increased, and they feel a greater sense of belonging in Athens
Over the two year period starting December 2022, over 1000 hours of teaching hours will be delivered, with an average class size of 6. Included in these hours are at least one cultural or community outing per month in which students will get to learn and practice English in, or in relation to, a specific context. Outings will include museums, concerts, libraries and local bookstores.
Students who attend a total of 80 hours of classes, which equates to a student attending classes 3 times per week for around 10 weeks, will receive a formal certificate of attendance, whilst those who commit to classes for a full year will receive the opportunity to sit the exam to receive an internationally recognised English Language program.
We look forward to seeing where the new students end up, and to sharing their stories!
My Personal Experience Working with RYS
I spent most of the spring in 2021 trying to find the right internship for me, as I had just finished university. I already knew about the situation for many displaced people in Calais, so when I found an opportunity to join RYS as an intern, I decided that it was time to see for myself how the so-called “refugee crisis” is still evolving in the North of France.
In my position with RYS’s outreach team I had to do both office support work and everyday visits to the living sites around Calais. Already after my first few weeks here, I came to the realization that almost every living site changes weekly in one way or another but never for the better. The people living there have to endure horrible conditions that don't really allow them to live, but simply to survive. One of the most vulnerable groups in these sites are the children, and this is where RYS steps in.
Focussing on a holistic approach the team manages to help and support displaced unaccompanied minors. The main goal is to inform the minors about their rights and help them enter the French child protection service, but at the same time, we cooperate with other organisations in Calais that distribute clothes, food and other essential items, in order to improve the condition of the children while they are still living in the makeshift living sites. In this way, we try to take care of both the physical and the mental health of the minors that we meet, through our own activities and our connections to other services.
The key to accomplishing our goal of getting children out of the harsh living sites and entered into the protection services, is through our everyday presence in these sites. By showing up everyday and taking the time to meet the communities and the children that live within them, we create a stable and safe relationship with displaced minors.
The tools we use are simple, yet meaningful. A board game, an English lesson, a barber shop, some music and a cup of tea can really make a difference and open a door to build a trustworthy relationship with minors. Through playing and sharing our favourite music, minors get to communicate their needs to us and let us know about their overall situation in Calais. This co-creation of a safe space is what gives minors a chance to remain children and forget their daily struggles for a while and instead feel supported and heard.
The situation as I have found it in Calais is more than unacceptable regarding human rights violations and the standard of the living conditions, which are inhumane and puts adults and minors alike in a constant state of survival while in northern France. Everyday people have to go through evictions from their living sites, face police brutality, have their basic needs neglected by the authorities, their presence questioned by the local community, and essentially have to stay in the shadows as unwanted aliens.
After spending 2 months with RYS, I can attest to the fact that the presence of organisations like RYS, and people in solidarity with people on the move, doesn’t solve the reasons that put people in situations like this in the first place, but I have experienced for myself that it does make a difference for the people present in Calais.
The indifference of the French and British governments to the lives of displaced people and the disregard of their obligations as part of the international community, is on full display in Calais, and it is harming people. This is why I find being a part of the RYS team meaningful, because Refugee Youth Service is one of the independent organisations that works daily with the focus of giving displaced unaccompanied children the opportunity and safe environment that allows them to decide their own lives and dare to dream of a better future for themselves. The ability to give as many children as possible this chance matters now, even if the political questions and negligence have yet to be resolved.
RYS to exit Northern France
RYS was born in Calais in 2016 in the 'Jungle'; the result of a small group of volunteers coming together to provide a safe space for the countless unaccompanied children residing there. We have been present ever since, dedicated to supporting unaccompanied children to access their rights, to cease life threatening journeys, and resume their childhoods in France, the UK, or elsewhere.
Whilst over the years we have, together as a network of organisations in both Calais and Dunkirk, helped thousands of children this way, the future of yet-to-arrive unaccompanied children in northern France, sadly remains largely the same; a hostile environment that consists of a dysfunctional state child protection system, inhumane border policies and police violence. We therefore made the decision 18-months ago that a new strategy was needed, to induce broader, systemic change. Acknowledging the limitations of a British organisation working in France we set-out to source, and secure funding for, an established French organisation to take over the work.
We are delighted to announce that this process has been successful. From September this year RYS will begin to exit northern France whilst ECPAT France will be onboarded to carry the work forward. This transition period and handover will last approximately a month, following which RYS will continue to support remotely; ensuring the knowledge and insight gained over the past six years is not lost.
ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), founded in 1997, promotes the rights of the child and fights against all forms of violence against, and exploitation of, children and young people under 25, in particular trafficking in any form. As a large organisation, with strong links and connections at French, EU and international level for advocacy, we believe that ECPAT has the potential to change the outlook of all current and future unaccompanied minors in northern France.
In 2016, upon hearing that the Calais 'Jungle' would be imminently closed, we made the following public promise to unaccompanied children: "We will continue to support you in your search for safety, and will do so until you find it. We will continue to advocate for the changes required for you to receive the protection, and live in the safety, that you deserve. And we will continue to support you in any way we can, in life beyond the Jungle."
Five years later, we still believe that in that promise and taking this decision is the next step in fulfilling it. We are confident that we have exhausted all opportunities to catalyse change, and whilst choosing to exit northern France is the hardest decision we have yet had to make, we are certain it is a positive and exciting one. We feel that there is strengthened hope for unaccompanied children living in limbo at the UK border, with the solid ongoing and future cooperation of all relevant associations.
Between now and October RYS will focus on finishing well, and will remain dedicated to the children it supports until the very last day.
To everyone who has been part of this journey, through the offering of time, financial and material resources, we are sincerely grateful. We look forward to sharing regular updates on the work of ECPAT in northern France, in the coming years.
My Most Memorable Day With Refugee Youth Service
December 30 2020 marked both my 30th birthday and a unique day as the Operations Officer for Refugee Youth Service in Calais. Instead of the usual administrative and support tasks, I accompanied the Outreach Coordinator and the Project Manager for a special mission to help unaccompanied minors in France. This day was the last one before the end of the transition period for Brexit, with important consequences for the lives of many refugees - especially unaccompanied children - across Europe.
Working hand-in-hand with SafePassage, a NGO helping child refugees access their rights, our team drove five minors to their appointment at the Prefecture in Lille. There, they introduced their files, asking for asylum and through the process, requesting family reunification with family members in the UK. Prior to Brexit, unaccompanied minors could request family reunification under specific circumstances but as of the 31st December 2020, this process along with other European agreements stopped.
This was no appointment to miss. Before sunrise, we set out for Arques, a small town near St-Omer to collect one of the minors. He wasn’t housed in the child services’ accommodation as his minority had been denied by the very authority in charge of protecting him. His only alternative was to live in a budget hotel - supported by SafePassage - while waiting for his case to be processed by the French administration.
Too often during their journey to and across Europe, unaccompanied minors are met with disbelief and suspicion. They see their minority denied, and are sometimes treated as adults by the authorities. This in turn, makes them especially fearful of police and administration in Europe. An important part of the work accomplished by RYS on the ground is building trust with these children on the move. While the reality is that some adults aren’t there to help them, the team’s hope is that they also know that some are, and reach out to them if needed.
As the Operations Officer, data collection represented a big part of my work. But in truth, much of what RYS does on the ground cannot be quantified. There are no data to show how a teenager’s trust in adults has been restored or how meeting positive role models can help them later in life. But this mission combined both a concrete action to support unaccompanied children and this immeasurable - but nonetheless important - work of reaching out and creating a relationship with them. It can be as simple as starting a casual conversation about family, asking about someone’s taste in music or listening to each other’s favourite tunes.
I have observed first-hand how important these seemingly simple things are. I have seen how taking the time to build a relationship with unaccompanied minors can offer them a break from the survival mode they are forced to live in. Having the chance to simply be a teenager allows them the headspace needed to think about their time in Europe, where they would like to go and what they would like to do after, almost like any other person their age.