20 May 2020
At STAR our crucial work supporting refugees and people seeking asylum has not stopped. We are determined to continue taking action to welcome refugees and people seeking asylum across the UK. #Jump4STAR is our brand new challenge for anybody who wants to join in – read more below about how you can get involved in STAR’s challenge for Equal Access to education!
What is the #EqualAccess campaign?
In the UK people seeking asylum are locked out of university. They are treated as international students, do not have access to student finance and are not allowed to work. This excludes most from continuing on to higher education. In addition, many refugees and people seeking asylum find the UK university system difficult to navigate and struggle to get the help they need to do so. At STAR we believe this is wrong and have been campaigning since 2008 to ensure that people in the UK seeking refugee protection have equal access to higher education and can join us at university as equals.
Did you know…?
- Education is a basic human right, enshrined in the 1989 convention on the rights of the child and the 1951 refugee convention
- Only 3% of refugees have access to higher education compared to 37% of people worldwide
- People seeking asylum in the UK are entitled to just £37.75 a week to live off
- There are now 74 universities across the UK offering scholarship programmes to those seeking protection
- We are an expert in access to university and in campaign for, developing, and managing Sanctuary Scholarships.
In the past year, STAR has:
- Worked with student campaigners, university staff and partners to increase the number of scholarship programmes in the UK from 60 to 75 as well as working with universities to expand, diversify and improve existing programmes.
- Gave over 300 people who want to study in the UK help to find the right information & our comprehensive list of UK scholarships was viewed by over 20,000 people.
- Taught classes on six access courses and developed a programme of open days which have benefitted 140 people.
- Supported two successful legal challenges which have improved access for people with humanitarian protection and those who are appeals rights exhausted.
- Continued to bring the sector together to create more effective change by convening a working group; co-hosting a national conference and an online forum for universities with City of Sanctuary (CoS); coordinating a pledge for the Global Refugee Forum with CoS signed by 31 Vice Chancellors and 8 organisations.
By taking on the #Jump4STAR challenge you can help us continue this vitally important work.
The challenge:
The #Jump4STAR challenge is simple – 25 star jumps a day (as it’s our 25th birthday this year!), or equivalent, for either a week, 10 or 30 days for #EqualAccess to education. If 25 jumps are tricky for you or you aren’t able to jump, please don’t pressure yourself into reaching the target – adjust it to suit you!
Fancy more of a challenge? Make it progressively harder! You could increase the number of jumps you do each day, incorporate another form of exercise, or link up with another person to challenge each other. It’s entirely up to you how you want to be involved. We’ve developed a bank of social media posts, a challenge guide and key tips and tricks so you will have everything you need to get involved.
Anyone, anywhere can take part in our #Jump4STAR challenge for #EqualAccess to education. Sign up here today!
Thank you from everyone at STAR.