Right to Refuge:
a SolidariTee podcast
The Right to Refuge podcast tries to answer all the questions you've always been to scared to ask, while also spotlighting some of the incredible organisations making an impact. From legal aid to the power of language, we hope to break down one of the most pressing issues of our time and ensure that accurate, up-to-date information is accessible to everyone.
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We have collated further reading resources related to each episode's topic so if something sparked your interest, you can discover more.
For this episode, SolidariTee Comms Officer Becca is joined by Jumana Abo Oxa, the Mental Health and Protection Manager at Elpida Home. They talk about the work of Elpida Home, and the importance of an inclusive approach when working with refugees and asylum seekers.
Elpida Home is an innovative non-profit organization based in Thessaloniki, Greece committed to providing a humane, dignified, and empowered living experience for refugees and other vulnerable groups. One of their services is art therapy, and one of the murals designed by clients served as the inspiration for the 2020/2021 SolidariTee.
Further reading
In this episode, Regional Focal Point (RFP) Anna and member of the Comms Team Cicely discuss how to best approach having difficult conversations with people – whether friends, family or strangers – who might disagree with you, or simply might not know much about the refugee crisis.
Educating students about the refugee crisis is a key part of our mission at SolidariTee. We believe that challenging the numerous misconceptions that exist around this topic is essential: we don't just want to inform young people of the crisis; as the next generation of voters, we are striving to broaden our horizons, educate ourselves and test our preconceptions. To find out how we’re working with schools and universities to share lessons of the refugee crisis, visit our Outreach page. To discover our Myth-busting series, click here.
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​MSF Overview of the refugee crisis: a short but relatively complete overview of the European refugee crisis since 2015.
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Joy Baldridge (2018) on 'Difficult Conversations Made Easy' – TEDxUCCI·
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Adar Cohen (2019) on '3 ways to lead tough, unavoidable conversations' – TEDxKeene.
Further reading
In this episode, Team SolidariTee Director Rosie talks to the founder of SolidariTee Tiara about volunteering in refugee camps. They talk about making sure the organisation you're with is sustainable, and how to choose the best placement for you.
SolidariTee seeks to create sustainable change for refugees and asylum seekers currently living in uncertainty. Volunteering is an important method, but it is equally important to ensure the volunteering you do is impactful and has positive long term benefits. The NGOs we support are always after more people to support their efforts in the field, but there are also opportunities to make change as part of SolidariTee!
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​Gender Analysis: The situation of refugees and migrants in Greece Mentioned by Rosie in this episode, a report focusing on the gender differences of migrants living in camps in Greece, with suggestions on how humanitarian actors can address inequality in their responses.
Further reading
In this episode, Fundraising Director Flic is joined by Phillip from European Lawyers in Lesvos, one of the NGOs SolidariTee is supporting in 2020-21. They talk about the problem with describing the refugee crisis as a crisis, and the importance of legal representation for asylum seekers.
We at SolidariTee believe that the refugee crisis is not a crisis of refugees arriving in Europe, but a crisis of mismanagement and compassion. When we talk about a 'refugee crisis' it suggests there is something wrong with seeking asylum. There is not. It is a fundamental human right to seek asylum, and Europe has a responsibility to uphold that. This is not currently happening, so the work of organisations like ELIL is vital.
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​MSF Overview of the refugee crisis: a short but relatively complete overview of the European refugee crisis since 2015.
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The Global Solidarity Crisis: Amnesty International's reframing of the crisis, with current statistics.
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Marco Omizzolo (2018) ‘The European meta-borders: the outsourcing and militarization of European borders and the violation of the human rights of Sub-Saharan refugees’.
Further reading
This episode explores the power of language and how it shapes and influences the way we talk about the refugee crisis. We discuss how SolidariTee navigates this discourse, and how we use language that aligns with our values.
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At SolidariTee, we have carefully considered the language and images we use when talking about refugees and asylum seekers. For information on our policies, visit Our Values.
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UNHCR (2015), Press Coverage of the Refugee Crisis in the EU: A Content Analysis of Five European Countries
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Goffman (1974), Frame Analysis
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Daniel Trilling (2019), How the media contributed to the migrant crisis
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Roy Gleensdale (2020), Migrants are off the agenda for the UK press but the damage is done
Further reading
This episode explores the legal definition of a refugee and how it differs from an asylum seeker. We also talk about legal aid and why it's so important.
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”
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An asylum seeker is someone who leaves their home country to ask for legal protection in another country. They are in the process of applying for refugee status. Seeking asylum is an internationally recognised human right, and anyone can make an asylum claim.
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We believe the refugee crisis is one of mismanagement, and that the asylum process is currently not working. For more on why we support NGOs working in this sphere, visit Why Legal Aid.
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1951 UNHCR Refugee Convention: founding document defining what a refugee is, outlining refugee rights and the 145 party States’ legal obligations to protect them.
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Tipping the Scales: a report on the access to justice within the asylum process, detailing the lack of legal aid available to asylum seekers.
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K. Tsitselikis (2018) ‘Refugees in Greece: Facing a Multifaceted Labyrinth.’ International Migration, Vol. 57, No. 2. Hoboken, USA.
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M. Carlson, L. Jakli and K. Linos (2017) ‘Refugees Misdirected: How Information, Misinformation, and Rumors Shape Refugees' Access to Fundamental Rights.’ Virginia Journal of International Law. Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 539-574. Charlottesville, USA.