4 Ways to Support Refugees in your Community
Reading Time: 3 minutes By Aanya Bhandari, Sona Circle Migration isn’t easy. Accepting change isn’t easy. Starting a new life isn’t easy. Refugees face a wide range of challenges when it comes to integration and acceptance within their communities. It is no secret that xenophobia and racism are two of the most pertinent issues that plague societies […]
A Guide to Apprenticeships for Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Reading Time: 3 minutes By Zoe Allen, Sona Circle What are apprenticeships? Apprenticeships are training programmes designed to prepare you for a career in a particular trade or profession. Importantly, they include practical, on-the-job training, and you are paid whilst you complete your apprenticeship. Apprentices also have to spend at least 20% of their time (i.e. usually […]
Refugees in Business and Entrepreneurship
Reading Time: 3 minutes by Katy Cottrell, Sona Circle Historically, refugees have had great success in business and entrepreneurship around the world. From Michael Marks, a Jewish refugee who became the co-founder of Marks and Spencers in 1884, to Jan Koum who fled to the United States from Kiev and later became the co-founder and CEO of […]
Ode to London: The Melting Pot
Reading Time: 2 minutes by Katie McAdam, Sona Circle For millennia, London has welcomed people across the globe to live together in the same city. Central to London’s development was the influence of early Roman, Viking and Norman traders. In more recent times, the city has accommodated many; from the famed Windrush generation to EU migrants. However, […]
5 Great Initiatives Supporting Refugee Integration in the UK
Reading Time: 3 minutes by Katie McAdam, Sona Circle Settling into a new country can be very daunting for many refugees. Language barriers, new cultures and lack of social connections make integration a difficult process. Integration is vital not only for improving local community relationships but also for reducing the problem of social isolation among refugees. Those […]
The Perilous Journey Refugees Face
Reading Time: 4 minutes Chiara Fabbro (@chi.fabb), Sona Circle Contributor Imagine for a moment… It is night, pitch black, although by now your eyes have gotten used to the darkness. You’re in the middle of the sea, on a rubber dinghy, and around you a large expanse of water. You’re driving the dinghy. You have no experience […]
Are Refugees and Asylum Seekers’ Allowed to Work in the UK?
Reading Time: 3 minutes by Katy Cottrell, Sona Circle The terms ‘refugee’ and ‘asylum seeker’ are often confused by many people and have incorrectly been used interchangeably. Though to many people, these terms may seem like they mean the same thing, there are important distinctions between refugees and asylum seekers which have implications for their legal right […]
Six Apps that Support Refugees in the UK
Reading Time: 2 minutes by Zoe Allen, Sona Circle In the technological age, mobile apps have become an adaptable and efficient way to share information, create communities and connections, and support refugees. We’ve put together a list of six great apps that support refugees, both directly and indirectly, in the UK. Most of these apps can also […]
Global Connectivity and Today’s Refugees
Reading Time: 3 minutes by Katy Cottrell, Sona Circle In the past, refugees have often been perceived as isolated individuals, struggling to become fully integrated and to understand the culture of their host country. Although refugees still face various barriers to integration, globalisation and developments in technology have given refugees more agency to integrate themselves into new […]
Refugees & COVID-19: Why the Ability to Self-Isolate is a Luxury
Reading Time: 2 minutes By Aanya Bhandari, Sona Circle In an appallingly short span of time, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a calamitous global effect, touching nearly every country and territory. As is the case with any catastrophic event, certain groups are left more vulnerable than others. One such group in this instance is refugees. Refugees face […]