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| The Children’s Society Magazine | Spring 2009
Focus on
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New Londoners
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The Children’s Society works with young refugee and Roma children to support and
empower them in a culture that more often than not leaves them out in the cold.
Amy Orme talks to Project Worker, Lucy Leon.
Five miles from the City of London in the Project Worker, Lucy Leon works on the activities. These range from camping and
heart of the East End, the London Borough Young Refugee Project and finds it difficult swimming, to using donated tickets for
of Newham sits just north of the River to define a typical working day. ‘We might trips to the Covent Garden Opera House or
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Thames, overlooking the Millennium Dome see a young person on a one-off occasion a West Ham football match. The young
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and Greenwich. The Children’s Society New to put them in touch with an immigration people use this time to relax, socialise and
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Londoners has been working in the lawyer, or we might work with them for gain confidence. Lucy talked about the real
borough and beyond since 1996. years. It really depends on the individual’. feeling of group cohesion. ‘For many of the
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people that we help, especially those new
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Every year, around 3,000 children arrive in A high percentage of Lucy’s time is spent to the UK, this can be their main social
the UK and apply for asylum. They are assisting refugee young people to circle. Many of the young people who
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alone, confused and isolated. They are overcome the immediate obstacles attend the trips have become very close
without friends and family and sometimes that are preventing them from accessing friends and really look out for each other’.
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can barely speak English. The 12 staff at education, legal advice, and habitable
the project, along with numerous accommodation. Not yet adults, the
‘
There are a lot of bleak
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volunteers, help young refugees, Roma systems can be complicated and
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stories but when something
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children and their families to fulfil their bewildering. ‘Applying for asylum is a long
individual potential, and give them a voice and gruelling process and involves going
to challenge the systems that keep them for interviews at the Home Office, which
good happens, it is amazing
discriminated against and marginalised. can be very daunting for the young people.
A part of my role is to be a friendly adult New Londoners also campaign for change
throughout the process. The work also ’
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They contribute hugely to the wider
includes building up their resilience and research, lobbying and campaigning
skills to survive on their own’. The Children’s Society do to improve the
situation for young refugees. It is a
A number of volunteers also offer significant part of their work to encourage
significant assistance providing one-to-one refugees and Roma to fight for their
support to young people and their families. equality and organise events to raise
This increases the capacity of the project awareness about their daily struggles.
to provide practical and emotional support
to the new arrivals and those children This year the project will carry out
struggling to settle in an unfamiliar and research into the needs of hidden refugee
sometimes unwelcoming environment. children. They also plan to build on links
with external agencies like social services
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The project is working towards a main and try to influence the government and
goal; that all laws and practices that local policies that affect refugees and
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protect, safeguard and promote the Roma and to combat the negative
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welfare of children will be applied to perception of these groups.
refugee children and young people by
2014. However, Lucy says that this will be a Lucy says that though there are often
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real challenge. The current public attitude times when an asylum application is not
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towards refugees, even children, is ignorant successful, or a young person is unable
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and has a negative influence on policy. to trace their family in their country of
‘Rules and regulations about refugees are origin, her work is constantly inspiring
only getting more and more draconian’. and surprising her with numerous
heartwarming stories to keep her
As well as the individual casework that the passionate. ‘There are a lot of bleak
centre offers, New Londoners also offer a stories but when something good
wide range of social, cultural and group happens, it is amazing’.
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