SolidariTee
Our objectives
SolidariTee offers grants to NGOs providing legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers in Greece, as we believe this is the most empowering form of aid we can offer (see below). We also seek to advance public awareness of the injustices faced by displaced persons, starting with our own communities. Education is at the heart of our mission.
Our activities
At SolidariTee, we combine education and awareness-raising with fundraising, so that we can give grants to NGOs providing legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers. Alongside this, we seek to act as a training ground for the next generation of activists, providing our student volunteers with the skills and confidence to stand up for refugee rights.
Education
At SolidariTee, we recognise that knowledge is the first step towards meaningful change. With a marked downturn in media coverage surrounding the 'refugee crisis', many people simply don't know about the injustices facing refugees reaching European soil. At the same time, harmful misinformation and baseless stereotypes continue to fuel anti-refugee rhetoric across the international political landscape, with disastrous results for refugees, and for society as a whole.
We believe strongly that providing access to factual, up-to-date information, dispelling myths, and keeping the conversation surrounding refugee rights alive, are some of the most powerful ways we can make change.
Our work helps to raise awareness and provide accurate information about injustices against by refugees and asylum seekers, and about the importance of legal aid in creating long-term change in the 'refugee crisis'. We do this through a variety of routes, seeking at all times to provide accessible, inclusive and respectful content.
We host a variety of educational events, ranging from conferences and workshops to comedy nights and cooking classes, organised by our central team and by our 60 universities worldwide. In addition, our podcast, infographic and mythbuser series are freely available online and on social media.
Grant Giving
SolidariTee offers grants to NGOs (non-governmental organisations) providing long-term forms of support to refugees and asylum seekers, predominantly focusing on legal aid. Asylum processes are complex, and almost impossible to navigate properly without legal advice and guidance. Legal aid is drastically underfunded and often incredibly difficult to access - in Greece, asylum seekers do not have the right to state provided legal aid prior to their asylum interview in the first instance.
In the 2020-21 academic year, SolidariTee has provided grants totalling £103,000 to six NGOs providing legal aid in four different locations in Greece: Thessaloniki in mainland Greece, and the islands of Lesvos, Samos, and Chios.
We are focusing on supporting qualified experts in legal aid and translation services, as we believe that legal guidance is one of the most crucial forms of aid for refugees and asylum seekers, with the potential to make an enormous long-term difference to the lives of those who have fled violence and persecution, enabling them to access the rights to work, housing and healthcare, and build lives in safety and peace in their new host country. Our vision is a world where every asylum seeker has access to legal guidance, as is their fundamental right.