Uncategorised

At LASSN we're tremendously grateful for all the support you give us, and we love to talk about what you help us to achieve. Why not invite us along to your school, or place of worship to explain a bit about what we do, and how we try to help Leeds to be a kinder, friendlier place? In July we visited Garforth School. We were invited to visit by long term supporter and sometime English at Home Coordinator, David Skivington. We went with Emily - a refugee from Zimbabwe - who shared her story with 250 pupils. Emily told a difficult story of persecution, trafficking and modern slavery to the whole of year ten, who then asked questions about her journey, and completed an exercise (based on this useful game about escaping from Syria) where they were asked to image making a dangerous journey from a war-torn country in an attempt to reach safety.    Get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 07845 298 047 and let us share some our stories with people you know.

We hope you're enjoying new website, which was launched earlier this year. The idea was to make it clearer, and easier to find things.  We have (amongst other things) tried to make it easier for people to find out about LASSN, our work, and our achievements increase the number of online resources for volunteers, make it simpler to volunteer with us and to claim expenses As if this weren't enough, we also have a Facebook page - which also explores themes of asylum,migration in a slightly more informal way and a Twitter account - which draws together updates LASSN, our Facebook page, and articles we post on the Leeds MultiAgency Meeting website and finally www.oneworldleeds.org - our multi-author blog with views and opinions of people in Leeds (and beyond) on issues around asylum and migration.

Our next themed social will be on Wednesday 11th November 5.30pm - 7.30pm at Ebor Court. With recent drastic reductions in support rates to families. and serious talk of removing some asylum support completely from families it's important to keep abreast of what help is available and how to access it. Universal Credit is also due to be rolled out in Leeds from December 2015. The resources we've produced for previous socials on Trafficking, Mental Health, and Advocacy will give you an idea of the quality of information we produce. If you'd like to come along, please email [email protected] so we can make sure there's enough food to go around.

Catherine - the Volunteers Manager for English at Home has been working diligently to increase the numbers of people we can support to, and the results have been impressive. In her review of the last year, she describes a 25% increase in the number of hours tutoring offered to people who cannot attend english classes. As ESOL provision continues to shrink due to central government cuts, this work becomes more important than ever. Download a copy of her report here.

Our Annual General Meeting will take place at 6.15pm (for a 6.30pm start) on Friday 9th October at Headingley Heart Cafe, Bennet Road, Headingley, LS6 3HN and will last about 30 minutes. The AGM will immediately be followed by a public event: Changed for Good - an evening of discussion and story-telling which is also LASSN's contribution to the Headingley Festival of Ideas.  Leeds has been home to many refugees over the years.The legacy left by different waves of migration is a thriving economy and rich cultural heritage - from Marks and Sparks to the longest running carnival in Europe. Leeds has not always been a place of welcome or sanctuary - and 46 years after the death of David Oluwale, many refugees still find life in Leeds cold, brutal, and dangerous. We invite you to come and listen, and to share your perspective on how refugees have changed Leeds, or how life as a refugee in Leeds has changed you. We will be joined by refugees, volunteers, activists, academics, politicians and local residents BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE: Tickets are free, but they're also limited, so please book early.

Our next Themed Social is scheduled for Wednesday 11th February from 6.30 - 9.30pm in the Social Area on 2nd floor of Ebor Court.  Our theme is Advocacy - or helping people to speak up, or to get their voice heard There will be Pizza and popcorn (bring your own drinks, please) A short talk from Derek Sankar, Director of Advocacy Support  A screening of the film Pride (Cert 15) - a story of  lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the British miners' strike in 1984. A discussion of what Advocacy means as a volunteer at LASSN, and how we can best help people find their voice. The film might not be an obvious choice, but a) it's brilliant and b) it explores themes of what it means to stand alongside other people who are experiencing tough times. We hope it will make for some interesting discussions afterwards. Please let us know if you'd like to join us by clicking here

Asylum advice in Leeds Following the closure of the Refugee Council office in Leeds, and the replacement online/phone support offered by Asylum Help, we have produced a simple guide to getting face to face support and advice in Leeds. We have also added an additional page explaining what callers can expect when calling Asylum Help's freephone number. For more information about what's happening in the Leeds Refugee and Asylum sector - go to the Migration Partnership website . Please note - Legal Advice on Asylum Claims can only be provided by OISC approved bodies.