CHARITY
Advocates at the Big Leaf Foundation share how they been working alongside Surrey Police as the Chief Constable’s Charity of the Year, 2022- 2023
FOUNDATION BIG LEAF
Big Leaf Foundation is a Surrey-based charity supporting more than 320 displaced young people aged 15-25. The young people Big Leaf supports have all been forced to leave their homes- many have fled conflicts and religious or political persecution, some were trafficked, some were kidnapped from their families and forced to train as child soldiers, and others were promised the dream of a better life and smuggled to the UK at huge cost to their families. Separated children arrive alone, often in shock and without language or cultural understanding. They must navigate their
30 | POLICE | DECEMBER | 2023
new lives and the long and complex asylum system. The experience can be overwhelming, confusing and incredibly difficult. Big Leaf aims to provide a nurturing programme of activities, projects and events that focus on combating social
“Many of these young people have a real fear of the police, often due to adverse and traumatic experiences with law enforcement abroad.”
isolation and improving the wellbeing of young people.
Many of these young people have a real fear of the police, often due to adverse and traumatic experiences with law
enforcement abroad. Before arriving in the UK, experiences with policing can be brutal—immediate imprisonment without trial, violence or torture, bribery and racial harassment are not uncommon. As a result, many displaced young people arrive here with little understanding of their rights and responsibilities, or those of UK law enforcement bodies. To tackle this fear, we
have run numerous sessions in partnership with Surrey Police and were delighted to be voted the Chief Constable’s Chosen Charity for 2022- 2023. Officers attended our annual summer
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