Immigration has always been part of the world. Men, women and children moving as refugees from countries that are going through hard times.
One woman, named Elanor Hill, is looking to change the general public’s view on Immigration, the
President of the University Refugee Support Society at the University of
Gloucestershire.
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| Elanor Hill |
Her job started
when she felt poorly during her time at Lancaster University, this was a
blessing in disguise for Elanor.
“We integrate
refugees to British and University life” describes Elanor, “This society allows
refugees to interact with society and promoting advocacy for what they need”.
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| The society runs meet & greets on Zoom to check up on refugees living in Cheltenham |
The main
priority Elanor believes at the moment is safety, especially due to the
pandemic and the third national lockdown brought in by the government.
However,
that has not stopped the society from suspending activity.
Elanor has
had some fun memories with many of the refugees that found a new life in
Cheltenham.
“I had two
students named Waleed & Mohammed” remembers Elanor, “I told the men how
they felt and they both told me that they were enjoying the sessions”.
She has worked with refugees from countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan and many more countries.
Even though
statistics show that nearly 80% of the NHS is employed by immigrants, there has
not been any action done by people who want to help them.
“People aren’t aware that there are refugee families in Cheltenham” Elanor says, “Yet they’re some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met”.
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| Elanor running a Meet & Greet session with refugees |
To get
people interested in immigration, the Refugee Society also has help from a charity
named Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees. They were responsible for bringing free Wi-Fi
for them through fundraising.
On their website, it ways that 'Cheltenham's a really special place, and it's wonderful to share it with so many people who need care and new opportunities'.
“If the
children are young and have been in school for a long time, it is an advantage
for them.” Explains Elanor, “Even they are teaching their parents simple English!”.
Another charity Elanor also recommends for those helping refugees is “A Drop in the Ocean”, who 'Work directly inside the refugee camps'.
They bring
food, clothes, items, organise activities and teach simple English to refugees.
“Particularly, they are a minority” Elanor adds, “However, they look forward to befriend and meet people who can help the most”.
You can follow the UOG Refugee Support Society at:
@uogrefugeesociety – Facebook
@uogrefugee – Instagram
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